This article was written in collaboration with Taylor McAuliffe, researcher and writer for Altitude Accelerator, who focuses on investor relations, startup ecosystems, emerging technologies and financial markets.
Aportio is revolutionizing Customer Service by harnessing emerging technology to manage communication that does not require human attention, freeing up agents to focus on resolving customer issues that only they can solve.
The global customer service software market was valued at over USD $10.5 billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 21.1% CAGR to USD $58.1 billion by 2030. Aportio is already taking a piece of it.
Aportio quietly embarked on its journey of providing AI-powered solutions to customers in late 2019, well before artificial intelligence became a buzzword. Aportio was established in New Zealand and Australia, with a primary focus on IT service providers and large enterprise. In 2020, Aportio received recognition in New Zealand, securing both the Start-up and Collaboration awards from NZ Reseller News.
In early 2023, Aportio expanded and launched in North America, which resulted in over 50% increase in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) with North America now makes up 35% of their ARR. However, Aportio’s true measure of success lies in the enduring satisfaction and tenure of its clients.
For large enterprises, customer experiences are pivotal to the bottom line and can make or break a company. Some stats:
“A customer is four times more likely to buy from a competitor if the problem is service related rather than price or product related”
“It takes 12 positive customer experiences to make up for one negative experience”
“It costs 6-7 times more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing customer.”
“70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated.”
Nemeth’s Roots
Aportio’s Co-founder Susan Nemeth, spent her childhood in Calgary, Canada, immersed in the rich stories and traditions of Hungary, her parents’ homeland. As the child of Hungarian refugees, Nemeth exclusively spoke Hungarian until the age of three when pre-school began.
Nemeth’s weekends were filled with Hungarian language lessons, traditional dancing in vibrant dresses, and scouting – activities that served as connections to her roots. She was surrounded by family and friends who shared the refugee background. Nemeth grew up absorbed in stories about her family’s escape from the place they knew and from everything they owned. For her parents, she reflects,
“Leaving their homeland must have been both excruciating and brave, given they would have had no idea where they would end up. My father, in particular, recounted tales of maneuvering past armed guards under the cover of night to reach the West.”
With a family history that illustrates unfathomable uncertainty and risk, Nemeth eventually chose a path that was at odds with her past –accounting. She explains,
“To many, it might appear as the epitome of mundane. Yet, for me, becoming a Chartered Accountant was not just a career choice; it was my ticket to the world.”
Nemeth started her career in a large accounting firm, receiving a CA designation. In 1989, Nemeth found herself in the London office of Ernst & Young, a timing serendipitously close to the fall of the Berlin Wall, an event that would go on to reshape the trajectory of both her career and her life.
Leveraging her fluency in the Hungarian language from her upbringing, Nemeth joined EY’s budding Budapest office. What was initially envisioned as a short stint evolved into a transformative seven-year journey. During this pivotal period for Eastern Europe, Nemeth advised local companies, foreign investors and governments on mergers and acquisitions, business management, accounting legislation, and mass privatization programs across many of the emerging East European markets.
Further shaping her trajectory, Nemeth married a Kiwi colleague from the Budapest office, and relocated to Auckland, New Zealand. Without a rigid career plan, Nemeth continued to thrive on seizing new opportunities as they arose. While also raising a family, Nemeth pursued senior finance roles across many industries including oil & gas, food manufacturing, law, media, property, IT services, and global software in health and travel. Her roles focused on improving profitability, securing finance, business acquisitions and disposals, and creating collaborative executive teams. Intrigued by the IT world, her Chief Financial Officer (CFO) roles soon expanded to the challenge of leading IT teams, in addition to her finance responsibilities.
Where Aportio Began
Nemeth’s career has always been driven by a curiosity about the inner workings of businesses. As a CFO, Nemeth gained insights into how different business segments intertwine, often contemplating, in secret, how to start a similar venture with the right resources and partners.
This has been the continuous momentum that has kept Nemeth pushing her limits, as she explains,
“People find their motivation in various ways. Some cycle hundreds of kilometers for the sheer joy of it, others are drawn to the thrill of extreme sports, and there are those who devote themselves to mastering a sport, only to devote their time to coaching later in life. When you look closely, you realize many are ordinary individuals doing extraordinary things, fueled by a desire to push boundaries. Entrepreneurship might seem different, yet it shares this core drive. Entrepreneurs, like athletes and thrill seekers, are motivated by the challenge to stretch beyond the comfortable and the known, and maybe, to leave their mark.”
There came a time when the opportunity arose to transform an idea into something extraordinary – a global business based on emerging technology. It was a shared vision with a CEO from a previous role, Scott Green, that led to the inception of Aportio, a business focused on the use of IT not only to boost business performance but also to elevate people from routine tasks to more intellectually engaging work.
During a tour of IT conferences in the US, Nemeth remarked on the “refreshing change in the level of support and encouragement for herself, and her aspirations with Aportio. Many women, caught up in their own professional struggles, often find it challenging to extend support to others. This experience was different – one where offers of support, connection and assistance were freely extended.”
Nemeth has been fortunate to meet and work with many remarkable women who are challenging the norm, including Kate Reid, who specializes in digital health, now as a Partner at Deloitte in NZ. Nemeth remarks, “She is not only exceptionally intelligent but also possesses remarkable people skills. Kate leads by intuition, always grounded in factual analysis. What I admire most about Kate is that she navigates remarkably well between balancing the traditional expectations of women of getting things done to get noticed and standing out by vocalizing her achievements.”
What keeps Nemeth up at night?
“The question of what keeps me awake at night is almost rhetorical – what doesn’t? My mind is in continuous thought mode: analyzing the day’s presentation, pondering the pricing strategy when clients buy (did I undervalue it?) and when they don’t (what needs tweaking?). Even after a successful day, my mind races with ideas and plans – product improvements, marketing strategies, pricing adjustments, and go-to-market approaches. Then there’s the people aspect – ensuring our valued staff feel fulfilled and our customers remain satisfied. Financial concerns like the day’s cash balance, or whether I forgot to do that LinkedIn post.”
What keeps Nemeth going is the realization that she has created something impactful out of nothing, a service that positively influences customers’ businesses and their employees. It’s about building a sustainable business for shareholders and those who believed in her vision. And, that her family is proud of what she is doing.
Aportio’s solution leverages AI to “dig deep… focusing on the drivers of customer dissatisfaction”
Aportio’s commitment is to use emerging technologies to develop automation solutions and data-driven insights. Aportio’s first product, InboxAgent, focuses on managing incoming emails from customers. Often emails can be automatically resolved, alleviating a substantial workload. This efficiency empowers agents to devote their time to tackling the complex problems that cannot be solved by automation, ultimately improving the quality of customer support. Aportio’s new communication intelligence solution leverages AI to dig deep into customer service conversations, focusing on the drivers of customer dissatisfaction. The result is invaluable insights that fuel business improvements. One notable example involved analysis that provided evidence to support a change program that is poised to save millions of dollars.
Every innovation Aportio considers must pass a crucial test: does it alleviate the workload of customer service agents or IT engineers, enabling them to concentrate on the core task of resolving customer issues? This guiding principle ensures that her efforts are not just technologically advanced but also pragmatically valuable in enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in real-world scenarios.
Looking ahead to the next decade, Nemeth’s vision is clear: to revolutionize customer services through automation and analytics.
“We will maintain a ‘best of breed’ focus, to become the globally recognized ‘go-to’ for managing emails in high volume customer service environments. A wide partner network will deliver improved efficiency and data-driven decisions to their customers, based on our tools.”
Looking back on her career and the choices she has made along the way, Nemeth offers this advice for the next generation of female founders:
“Networking is a crucial mantra, especially for women in business. Within my circles, I’ve observed a reluctance among women to intertwine business with friendship, hindering progress in a world where men have long leveraged connections for success.” She recounts a recent experience at US IT conference that showcased the transformative power of women actively supporting each other.
Nemeth remarks, “Such solidarity proves that networking, far from being a ‘dirty word,’ is an essential strategy for change and progress.”
Her advise to budding young women who are in midst of discovering their true potential, Nemeth advises, “The person most interested in your career is you. While the importance of supporters and mentors can’t be overstated, being your own spokesperson is equally crucial. This proactive approach may seem at odds with traditional advice given to women – to be the ‘good girl,’ stay silent, work diligently, and hope to be noticed. This passive strategy contrasts with the way many men unabashedly share their achievements. Recognizing and vocalizing your accomplishments isn’t boastful–if seen as bragging, so be it! You deserve acknowledgment for yourself and for the women who follow.”
Susan Nemeth’s story reveals a combination of family resilience, a fierce spirit and desire to make the necessary changes to improve customer service across industries. Her narrative inspires the next generation of female founders to embrace networking, to be their own champions, to continuously amplify achievements, and embark on journeys that defy convention.
ABOUT: Taylor McAuliffe is a researcher and writer with Altitude Accelerator, a non-profit innovation hub and business incubator which provides programs to help founders grow and scale. She has a deep admiration for reading and writing, with a strong background in writing for various domains, including investor relations, startup ecosystems, emerging technologies, and financial markets. Taylor holds a BA from McGill University.
