In charge of IT department at Target since 2011, Blaise Pezo works on data base design, data analysis, searches for new IT perspectives within market research field and also upgrade IT staffs ‘competences. Below is a report on what 2017 has been for him.

“We pushed beyond our limits, we walked on new spheres, we explored new horizons and learned more in 2017” , summarizes Blaise Pezo who manages IT department at Target.

Just like colleagues from project and business development departments, members of IT department started 2017 with the will to go beyond their capacities.  The company turnover not being so interesting these recent years due to the country economic environment did not discourage them on giving their best, do their best for clients.  To achieve this, the IT team had to think about new working methods such as data collection, data analysis as well as introducing an innovation on selling agency products.

At the data collection level, CSPRO software allowed control quality of survey from script design (PC, smartphones, tablets) to statistical tables.  After, CATI (Computer Assisted telephone Interview) was introduced to make phone interviews by interviewers reading on a screen and typing answers on a keyboard. The latest innovation and not the smallest one was to implementation of the online store to sell Target publications. This platform can be reached through the link www.target-sarl.com  allowing any person wishing to quickly get latest and reliable information on DRC and other African countries wherever they might be.

This innovation was mandatory as explained by Blaise Pezo ‘’the conventional system of selling publications was long and complex. When a purchase request was received, the procedure was requesting sending invoice through mail, or when this was not possible, the hard copy was to be submitted at the client office. After, we had to wait for the payment which could be done through bank transfer, or another mean… and only the procedure could take many days’’ 

Putting in place an online way to sell publications allowed Target ease its procedures and manage financial transactions spontaneously with security.

A part from these three strategies, IT department also increased it consultant’s team, bought reliable and up to date hardware for data collection and data analysis. In this way, field work team was at ease and strong on data collection in 2017 allowing Target increase clients ‘loyalty.

Blaise explains that when he started 2017, he was expecting a difficult and complicated year. But at the end, he found the adventure most entertaining but constructive ‘’If all years could be like 2017, it would be something good’’ he said while smiling.