Interview: Ahmed Balfaqih, Founder & Managing Director of systems integrator ClickGrafix

Tell us about Click Grafix.

Founded in 1995, Click Grafix is systems integrator, solutions and services provider for dynamic digital signage, live multi-camera video production & streaming, and 3D solutions.

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Did you produce digital signage from the very beginning?

Not exactly. When I started our company, we focused on in-house programming as well as content production. To scale, we eventually decided to partner with Scala who, at the time, was the market leader in digital signage. It didn’t hurt that I also knew the founder as a student. 😊  

Over the time, we started developing our own set of tools to differentiate us from the competition, and make it easy for us to manage and develop content. 

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‍Is this why you started looking at Intuiface?

Well, we knew about Intuiface for quite some time and were intrigued by the idea of your no-coding approach. However, it wasn’t clear if you had a commitment to the Asia Pacific region so we were hesitant. 

And when you announced that you will have presence in Asia Pacific, we were convinced that we will have the support needed to grow this business.”

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What did you find?

I wasn’t prepared for the mixture of power and ease of use. Keep in mind, I’ve been doing creative work since the COBOL and Pascal days. I’m also an early adopter by nature so I’ve dipped my toes into just about every dev platform you can think of. I was just floored by how well Intuiface takes something so difficult – digital interactivity – and makes it so easy to deliver. This is the height of creativity. It’s a gift from higher up.

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Tell us about a project or two on which you’ve used Intuiface.

At the moment we are developing a way finder that is integrated with the website of the client. In due time, we will release more information about it. 

With that experience under your belt, what would you say is the key benefit of Intuiface for a systems integrator?

I am seeing a 75% cost savings in using Intuiface for creating Interactive content vs. taking a fully bespoke approach while, at the same time, shortening the project timeline. I can promise my prospective clients both lower cost and faster delivery than my competitors, fulfill that promise, and still exceed expectations. It’s a game changer.

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Is Intuiface secret sauce or do you talk about it with clients?

We don’t necessarily lead with it but we do mention how we use content creation software to lower cost and accelerate delivery. However, if the prospect has been primed – by one of our competitors – to think a fully custom-built approach might be better, I absolutely talk about Intuiface. 

Do you get any pushback about delivering projects with subscription pricing vs. a one-time fee?

We do, most of the time. However, the development cost of a bespoke approach is so much more than use of Intuiface that annual fees are nothing compared to the upfront outlay for bespoke. Not to mention that change requests for bespoke projects have associated fees so saying ‘one-time cost’ isn’t really accurate.

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How as Intuiface been as a partner?

In 35 years, working with tens if not hundreds of companies, I have never experienced a higher quality level of support. The online Help Center documentation, the Technical Support team, the consulting assistance offered to partners - I’ve just never seen anything like it.

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Any final comments?

Intuiface is a game changer for Click Grafix. We now can go back to our roots where we can offer content development services as an integral part of our solution when interactive content is needed. 

Lots of products will claim to be next generation this or that, but they really aren’t. Intuiface is an exception, it’s certainly next generation interactive digital signage. But with it’s broad support for interactive options, simple integration approach for Web services and connected objects, and enterprise-level analytics, I’d say it’s next generation digital experience creation for any physical location and for almost any purpose.