Fleksy is a private virtual keyboard SDK enabling companies to create unimaginable products. We discuss with Olivier Plante, CEO of Fleksy, the idea behind the business, their choice of the domain name, and why having an online presence is essential for their brand.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how Fleksy got started?
I’d describe myself as a serial entrepreneur. I’ve been involved with many of Forbes 100’s novel and disruptive digital products. My background as a Designer has brought a unique point of view across telecoms, media, banking, etc. I’m now leading the team at Fleksy focusing on building the future of text input technologies.
In 2015, my co-founders and I decided to build a smarter text input solution for mobile devices – a software keyboard that would “be able to read the typer’s mind,” be intuitive and predictive. The keyboard had to enable fast typing by granting the typer access to more features and functions while messaging. We wanted to solve some common issues people face when typing (especially for those who are visually impaired) – like typos.
After growing on iOS and Android, we kept receiving requests from other businesses looking into leveraging our home-grown tech stack. Eventually, this led to us building a powerful Software Development Kit (SDK) in order to help other companies build their own keyboard app faster, more reliably, and with the benefit of a proven typing experience for demanding smartphone users. We’re now focusing our attention on making it easier for developers to build high-performing software keyboards.
What value do you think Fleksy.com brings to the Fleksy brand?
Fleksy.com acts as a primary touch point between us and potential customers, our website is a representation of who we are and what Fleksy is all about. Almost all the need-to-knows about Fleksy can be accessed via our website.
Olivier Plante, CEO of Fleksy
We’ve recently launched the Developer Platform, a SaaS-based portal that is made available to Developers on Fleksy.com. Here, Developers can register and build on top of Fleksy’s existing technology. The Fleksy keyboard SDK makes it easy to create fast and intuitive keyboard apps that ensure a delightful end-user experience.
Plane and simple, our website is the leading touch-point from where we grow the Fleksy brand. So, there’s a lot of value to be gained from having an optimised site, especially for the customer experience.
What was the vision and purpose of your company when it first started and how has Fleksy evolved as a brand since?
Like many startups, we’ve evolved a lot – turned our company upside down to find our product market fit. From being the first to introduce a neural network emoji prediction, hyper-contextual suggestions while typing and more, we’re now heavily focused on developing our technology so other businesses can benefit from it. By providing our Fleksy SDK to app developers and enterprises across multiple industries, we’re able to not only provide our expertise but also shape a better text typing future.
In your area of expertise, what are some of the bad brand naming recommendations you’ve heard?
Naming your brand is one of the most important actions a company can take. You have to establish your company’s tone of voice and identity in its name.
Olivier Plante, CEO of Fleksy
That being said, we’ve had some name recommendations that are either very cliché or just too difficult to pronounce. In our line of work, it’s important to have a name that immediately gives the customer some guidance or insight about you as a company.
What do you do to make sure your marketing is effective?
We regularly post to LinkedIn and our other social media to make sure our social communities and followers are in the loop with the latest company updates. We’ve also implemented a Public Relations strategy to earn more brand awareness and we’re looking into more influencer marketing tactics.
The key to marketing success is to stay consistent. To make sure we keep our SEO rankings, we post to the Fleksy blog at least once a week – making sure we also tailor the keywords per article.
What would your advice be to entrepreneurs who are just starting out?
Do your research and be prepared to face multiple market challenges. The industry can be tricky to navigate at first, so it’s important to be proactive and to learn how to anticipate market shifts.
You have to trust your instincts but also be aware of your current market trends so that you can make informed business decisions.
What is next for Fleksy?
The Fleksy team follows a common vision where typing on any touchscreen in future will be on Fleksy technologies. We have exciting new developments in the pipeline – currently we’re working on improving the development cycle for developers, so that high performing typing experiences can follow.
Last thing, if some of our readers have more questions. Where can they reach you online?
For more information on Fleksy’s products and services, please visit our website and fill out the contact form. Developers can easily head to the “Developers” page by clicking the button on the top right of the homepage.
You can also follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for the latest news and updates.
How does your brand name match your company vision? What new horizons can a better name open? Get in touch if you feel your brand deserves a better name, we are always happy to help.
branding business domain domain name domains Fleksy naming Olivier Plante
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