After incorporating on September 4, 2002, Parker Software is now celebrating its fifteenth year in business. The successful Staffordshire software house has evolved from a one-man start up to an international operation – and there is still scope for growth.
“I first opened Parker Software with little else but a self-developed product and website,” says Stephen Parker, founder and CEO. “Fifteen years on, that start-up has gained over 10,000 customers in over 100 countries, and employs teams across Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester and Orlando. It’s been a phenomenal journey, and I’m delighted to be celebrating such a significant milestone.”
Today, Parker Software is a multi-million-pound company with clients including the likes of Ford, GSK and Worldpay. Through its two core products, WhosOn and ThinkAutomation, the business has grown to become a global leader in live chat software and business process automation.
Stephen Parker, founder and CEO
“In essence, Parker Software came into being through the motto: if it doesn’t exist, build it yourself,” Stephen explains. “Back in 2002, I hosted a web server in the corner of an office. I needed a way of knowing who was on the website so that I could update the server without kicking off visitors.
“No such tool existed, so I built my own. A year later I added live chat to this web tracking tool, and our flagship product, WhosOn, was born.
“Then, when demand for WhosOn began to spiral, I needed a tool to help me with order processing. The right data migration tool didn’t exist, so again, I built my own. That led to the creation of our second product – automation platform ThinkAutomation.
“As the products thrived in their respective markets, the team also grew. I wanted to stay true to my roots with a Stoke-on-Trent HQ, but couldn’t find an office that met our expansion goals. So, once more, we built our own, and established a custom campus in Biddulph in 2007.
“Along the way, we’ve also expanded into Manchester and Florida, established dedicated support, marketing, development, sales, service and finance departments, and, hopefully, made life easier for our customers.
“I’m thrilled to be marking 15 successful years in such a competitive tech market, and can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
