Yuval Brisker of TOA Technologies
Meet Yuval Brisker, founder of
TOA Technologies, which helps mobile employees get to appointments on time.
What is TOA Technologies?
Founded in 2003, TOA Technologies is a fast-growing tech company that helps businesses with mobile employees get to the right appointment on-time, every time. We use predictive analytics to estimate with a high degree of accuracy when they will be there and how long their job will take.
Our company has experienced high, double-digit percentage growth for several years, in part because we continue to innovate and invent new things using the latest technology available. Today we have customers across the globe.
How did you come up with the idea?
The idea came about really in a very natural way. One day while waiting for a home-based appointment, I, like many consumers before me, became frustrated with having to wait at home for hours without knowing when the appointment would actually happen.
And then it clicked for me that if you could only predict when an appointment would happen, you could easily keep customers informed. It was instantly clear to me and my partner, Irad Carmi, that there was an opportunity to solve a customer service problem that no one had actually solved before. The premise is simple: If we can help companies ensure the customer has a great experience and make it easier to look after the customer, then everything else will fall into place.
Where did you find your first employee?
We had a number of people who worked with us at the very beginning, on spec or donating their time. But looking at the definition of “employee,” I would say our first real employee was Hamid Hajibashi. He had worked with us in a previous venture.
We told Hamid about the idea, and he was immediately excited. Hamid believed so much in our idea that he actually volunteered for the first nine months, deferring his pay until we signed our first customer. This was not uncommon among many of our early employees. These people were all so passionate and confident in TOA that they sacrificed a lot to get in on the ground floor.
Who was your first customer and where did you find them?
Our first customer was
Arhaus Furniture in Bedford. We were introduced through a series of Cleveland network connections that led to one of the company’s board members. This board member believed in our solution, so he connected us with the head of field operations.
When we managed to finally set up an appointment the first time, I flew from New York City to meet John Roddy, our contact at Arhaus, using the last of the money earmarked for TOA. At that point every penny was crucial. So it was crushing when I learned that John had to cancel the appointment. I picked up the phone, called John’s secretary and convinced her that I needed to talk to him. She transferred me to John, and I made my case to him that we had to meet.
The rest was history. Arhaus fell in love with the solution and with TOA. John basically had enough faith to say, “Okay, I will give you guys a chance.” I still find it incredible. Arhaus signed a four-year contract with us for a web-based solution. For any type of technology, that’s a big deal, but for our kind of software, it was unheard of at the time.
What inspires you?
Ambitious, creative people. I firmly believe that businesses like ours do not get anywhere without people who are 100 percent connected and committed. We are inspired by these people who will do whatever it takes to achieve our goals.
Everyone on our team does what it takes to succeed -- both on a personal and professional level. Technology is very exciting. But it’s nothing unless you have the right people who can implement it. People who feel responsible and committed to TOA’s business -- that is what inspires me.
What’s next for you and your company?
Continued growth and commitment to being an innovator in technology. We break the mold of technology and explore new ideas every day, refusing to rest on our laurels. Our culture is to always question, demand breakthroughs and look for the next big thing. How do we improve our solution, continue to evolve and really transcend with our customers into the next level of effectiveness, creativity and success? We ask ourselves that constantly.