First 100 days: Randall Tidwell, CFO Serviceaide

In April 2023, Seviceaide appointed Randall Tidwell as CFO. At the time, the provider of IT and business management solutions was going through a period of rapid growth and technological advancement.

“Randall’s software industry know-how, financial acumen and strategic growth experience further strengthens an already formidable management team that has deep technology, industry and customer expertise,” said Wai Wong, Serviceaide founder and CEO.

Serviceaide helps businesses achieve new levels of self-service, workflow efficiency, productivity gains and cost reduction through AI-based service and support management. Tidwell was the perfect fit, having more than two decades’ worth of experience leading financial teams across tech companies.

Most recently, Tidwell served as CFO for two SaaS solutions companies, Agile Frameworks and KeyedIn Solutions, playing a significant role in accelerating their growth.

In September, Tidwell sat down with The CFO to speak about what his first 100 days in seat.

What prompted you to join Serviceaide?

Serviceaide develops service and support management software to help organisations achieve new levels of self-service, productivity gains and cost reduction. They first started as an AI company with a vision of how technology could change how companies treat service and support.  I saw an opportunity to join a company that was involved with rapid technological innovation and business growth. My experience also lined up nicely with their needs.

You were brought in to support the group’s continued growth in AI. How do you plan to prioritise and allocate financial resources to different AI initiatives?

My experience in supporting high-growth businesses in the software/SaaS space gives me a foundation to drive impact quickly. The company is focused on continuing to develop new technologies across the product portfolio, including AI features.  With that in mind, funding research and development is important to continue to innovate.

Are there any AI initiatives you would like to pursue?

From a finance perspective, my goal is to support the needs of the business. Creating a business platform that supports innovation and investment opportunities to continue to drive innovation is a priority. This year Serviceaide announced significant improvements in the use of generative AI in their virtual agent, and across all of the products.

Can you outline your overall vision for the company’s financial health and performance during your initial 100 days as CFO?

Due to the rapid growth of the company (via acquisitions), there are unique challenges associated with building an effective financial platform to serve global business needs. In this early stage, I was focused on standardising processes and procedures, and fine-tuning forecasting. This will prepare us as we continue to grow both organically and inorganically.

How has your previous experience prepared you for your new role at Serviceaide? Are there any success/strategy/initiatives you would like to replicate?

I have extensive experience building organisations and integrating business and financial requirements whether it’s with an acquisition or a sale. My experience working with company executives, lenders and funding partners gives me a broad understanding to effectively position our business.

What key financial challenges or opportunities do you see in the company, and how do you plan to address them within the first few months?

With any new CFO, there are opportunities to evaluate what is working and what is not. With a growth-oriented organisation, understanding how to support key initiatives with allocation of resources and structuring business processes is critical. Collaborating with the CEO to align with the company strategy and identifying additional growth opportunities is important in the months ahead.

In terms of strategic financial planning, what are your main priorities for the initial quarter and beyond?

Initially, I was focused on familiarising and updating the 2023 forecast and business plan for 2024. I am currently working with investors and the board of directors on a five-year forecast.

Can you provide insights into your approach to managing risk and ensuring financial compliance as you settle into the new role?

In the past few years, Serviceaide has gone through rigorous due diligence for acquisitions and investment opportunities. I’m now focused on readiness to prepare data to support potential opportunities and instil a sense of business readiness as opportunities become available.

What steps will you take to enhance the company’s financial reporting and analysis capabilities for better visibility into performance?

I’m looking at investment in the financial organisation to bring in new talent to support these strategic efforts.  I conducted an internal audit of the income statement to understand and evaluate how spending matched industry standards. This provided visibility into expenses and investments to better match Serviceaide’s growth strategy and plan.

How do you plan to communicate your financial strategy and progress to both internal stakeholders (employees, management) and external stakeholders (investors, analysts)?

We conduct quarterly town hall meetings with employees to share our goals and top-level financial strategies. It is helpful for employees to understand how we are doing towards our goals. I also work closely with the leadership team to share and assess resource requirements. Communicating with our external stakeholders is also an important part of the job.  I work closely with the board of directors and investment partners to share and align on how finance is supporting the business objectives identified by the CEO.

How will you balance short-term financial objectives with longer-term investments and growth strategies within the first 100 days?

The first 100 days were focused on learning, listening, and assessing the financial and business needs of the company.

What metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) will you closely monitor as indicators of your financial strategy’s success during this period?

I have a dual focus.  Customer retention and engagement with the product is job one.  Growth is another important measurement, and the financial team is very supportive of our go-to-market strategies. Efficiency around sales and marketing investments is an important area. We are improving our visibility and reporting around product specific KPI’s to delve into revenue streams.

Are there any key external economic or market trends that you believe will significantly impact your financial strategy and decision-making in the near term?

From a market trend, we are seeing increased focus on budgets and value. This is less around pricing and more about how technology products can deliver on the promise of increased productivity and efficiency.  We are starting to see, as is the market, lengthening sales cycles for very large deals. Serviceaide does a good job of helping our customers develop dashboards and key metrics to meet their business needs. From a financial market perspective, I see venture money and investment capital tightening. It is too soon to tell if this is a short-term situation or indication of a longer view.  This is important because it impacts everyone at every point of the business ecosystem.

Hobbies or interests?

We have a toddler and a baby at home and are very focused on family. Right now my hobbies are trying to sleep through the night; avoiding the weekly virus from daycare; and dodging hot wheels and Legos on the floor.

This interview was conducted in September 2023.

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