• 
• 

Published on March 20, 2008

The Thai Software Export Promotion Association (TSEP) plans to boost Thai software exports this year by helping local software companies tap the international market, starting with Vietnam.

The association will play the role of a mentor, advising companies on strategies to penetrate the overseas market.

TSEP president Chalermpon Punnotok said the association planned to work with three leading local software companies - CT Asia, Wealth Management and Freewill Solutions - helping them enter the overseas market. These three companies have been successful in the local market and now plan to capture the Vietnamese market.

Initially, the companies will focus on the growing finance industry in Vietnam. Freewill Solutions and Wealth Management will provide financial solutions, while CT Asia will set up call-centre solutions.

Chalermpon said the collaboration with the three leading companies would help pave the way for other local software companies to take Thai software abroad. These companies would act as a proof of concept, he said.

The association plans to get about ten Thai software companies that are not yet ready to enter the overseas market to study the Vietnamese market. The association will also educate local software companies on new markets, share success cases and best practices, and identify potential customers.

"We will use the three software companies as a model for market penetration so that other software companies can learn from them and follow the best practices," Chalermpon said.

The association's moves in the Vietnamese market may help other Thai software companies reduce their cost of operations as they can learn from their predecessors' experiences and will not need to invest a lot of money to study new markets.

In Vietnam, Chalermpon said the association would focus on two main locations - Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The main customer in Hanoi is the government, while Ho Chi Minh City caters to the private sector.

Once Thai software companies understand the nature of the Vietnamese market, they can develop strategies to suit their prospective customers.

"We will start with the Vietnam market and evaluate the results by the end of the year, before defining our strategy to move to other markets such as China, Japan and Philippines by 2009," Chalermpon said.

However, to push Thai software exports, local software companies need to take care of four key factors. These include quality of software products, standard of documentation, good English language skills and track record.

Chalermpon said local software companies had to develop their products to meet international standards by having distinguishing features and functions. Products needed to be innovative and up-to-date. Moreover, software documentation such as white papers and user manuals should be standardised and easy to read, requiring good English skills.

Chalermpon also said local software companies needed to have a successful case study in the domestic market as this was one of the things prospective customers looked for.

Meanwhile, the association also plans to work with local universities to identify people who understood both marketing and technology.

Asina Pornwasin

The Nation