SKYBIZ: Seizing the momentum

SKYBIZ: Seizing the momentumSKYBIZ Enterprise and MSME head Dicky Liwanag, SKY Cable Regional Business Group head Ed Patron and National Sales head Kenneth Orlanes are men on a mission. The three of them are key figures in the company’s objective to earn P2 billion in revenues by 2020

Orlanes was part of the original SKYBIZ team during its startup days in 2012, joining the company after four years with Digitel. In 2015, he relocated to Cebu to help grow SKYBIZ in the regional areas.

The connectivity and content solutions provider arm of SKY Cable Corporation registered a 22% spike in revenues over 2017 figures as it continues its upward trajectory, the growth of its broadband and data business outpacing the market by 33%.

Driving this growth was SKYBIZ’s fiber broadband business which boosted its presence in the regional areas. This segment is expected to grow even more with the company’s fiber network upgrade in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“Last year we achieved double-digit growth of 41% for regional. The key drivers were really our cable and broadband business,” says Orlanes.

Strongholds

Visayas and Mindanao are SKY Cable strongholds, with up to 99% of hotels in the region hooked up to SKY.

“We now have about 5% to 6% share in the market in the region. We’ve been in the business only about six years, so that says a lot of our service, considering that we’re up against PLDT and Globe,” Orlanes notes.

The company has been putting the pieces of the puzzle in place as it works towards its P2 billion target on the back of its solid performance in the regional areas.

“I’m very positive that, with the team we have right now, we’ll be able to have a crack at it by 2019 or 2020,” Orlanes says.

According to Orlanes, the completion of the first phase of SKYBIZ’s fiber network upgrade in Cebu and Davao has helped the company pull in major accounts, particularly in the BPO and hotel sectors.

The expansion then headed southward, with Iloilo and Bacolod slated to enjoy the benefits of the new corporate data network starting this September. With this, SKYBIZ hopes to also attract local companies as well as BPOs, schools and universities in these cities.

SKYRISE

Soon, SKYRISE buildings will rise in Cebu, Iloilo and Davao as part of the next phase of SKYBIZ’s upgrade.

“The SKYRISE building is a building converted into our own SKYBIZ building; all the client has to do is to ‘plug and play,’” Orlanes explains. “We will do the same in the regions. For example, in Cebu we will put our SKY facilities inside a building in Ayala IT park. Anytime a company would like to enjoy our premium internet service, it’s already available in that building. So, it’s easier, faster and more flexible.”

Thus far, SKYBIZ has more than 100 SKYRISE buildings strategically located in the Makati and Ortigas CBDs, Quezon City and Alabang.

Value-added service

As a value-added service to its clients especially in the regions’ MSME sector, the company this year introduced the Growth Series, a business talk designed for its SME clients and partners. Through this effort, SKYBIZ hopes to enable its clients to identify opportunities to further grow their own businesses.

After the inaugural event in Cebu, the team will bring the series to Iloilo and Bacolod in time for the launch of its data network in these areas.

“It’s a continuous effort and we hope to do it all over the region,” Orlanes says. “We make sure that wherever they are in the Philippines, especially in the regional areas, we’re also there.”

Thanks to all the hard work put in by its sales teams, SKYBIZ has become the preferred partner of the biggest hotels, developers, BPOs, banks and IT firms in the Philippines.

Challenger

Orlanes expresses confidence in the 32-person regional team as they take on the challenge of netting P2 billion by 2020.

“We are first and foremost a challenger brand. There are a lot of question marks there: are we a full-blown telco? Do we have the facilities? Do we have the type of support that a fullblown telco has?”

But the sales head is quick to point out the pros of being in their position: “We’ve studied the market, we know the weakness of our competition. We don’t want to make the same mistakes that they did, and we always want to do it right the first time.”

Personal approach

He touts their personal approach and strong backend support as SKYBIZ’s distinct advantages, in addition to being under the umbrella of the Lopez Group, ABS-CBN and SKY Cable.

“Being identified with the Lopez Group is a selling point. The reputation is already there, the trust and confidence are already there. It’s just a matter of delivering what you promised, especially when you’re offering products and services,” he stresses.

The good words from SKYBIZ clients prove that the company walks its talk.

As Wilmer Dimzon, facilities and engineering manager at Solaire Resorts and Casinos in Parañaque, says of SKYBIZ: “They are very dependable and easy to communicate with. They should be emulated in all aspects of after-sales etiquette.”

For his part, Ferdie Arcena, head of broadcast and technical operations of Fox Networks Group Asia, notes: “SKYBIZ provides exacting products and support. We are provided with products and services flexible enough to meet our growing needs.”

‘100% all the time’

Adds Edwin Sabroso, IT manager of Bonifacio Global City-based Play Innovations Inc.: “SKYBIZ has been giving us an outstanding level of broadband service in terms of connectivity, reliability and technical support—100% all the time!”

George Dayot, network and field support services manager of JKING & Sons Co. Inc., notes that with SKYBIZ as their partner, their business will “surely reach the sky.”

“SKYBIZ enables us to do more things online at the same time without having to worry about speed reduction by doing so. Multiple things [that] can be accessed and done at the same time means more productivity. With SKYBIZ as our partner, we can be more and do more for our customers/guests and clients,” Dayot adds.

Orlanes promises more of these—and persistence, focus and commitment—from his team moving forward.

He says: “Our immediate goal for the region is basically to continue the expansion of our network as the growth of the business relies on it. We are projected to grow about 24% this year, and that will be a very significant share of 15% overall for SKY’s regional business.

“That’s why our mantra is to bring the team to the next level, to do not just what is expected of us or what we’re supposed to do, but to go the extra mile all the time. At the same time, our extra mile last year should just be ‘business as usual’ this year.”

The SKYBIZ team with client Goldpeach Properties Cebu