Erply is not only the founding force behind PDF Generator API but also a global frontrunner in developing state-of-the-art business, point of sales (POS), and inventory solutions for some of the world’s leading retailers. Erply helps retailers of all sizes increase their efficiency by integrating various tools into a unified platform used by 100,000 stores in 60+ countries and 25+ languages worldwide.
We spoke with Kris Hiiemaa, Founder of Erply, and the first customer for PDF Generator API almost 15 years ago.
When you started Erply – which issues did you set out to tackle?
Erply started in 2010 after we successfully participated in Seedcamp in 2009. Soon after onboarding new customers, they came to us with requests for small changes in their printout templates. Each client had their view on how their label or packing slip should look and requested us to modify them. What they probably didn’t realize at the time was that each, however minimal change, would end up taking up a developer’s resource for an entire day. Templates at the time were hard-coded in HTML, and their implementation sometimes took multiple development cycles.
We realized that there must be a simpler way, and when we met with Tanel at a Garage48 hackathon event, we got talking and ultimately decided to join forces to develop this functionality ourselves – that is how Actual Reports (PDF Generator API today) started.
How were the issues with managing templates handled before?
As I said, document templates were created by hard coding in HTML or programmed line-by-line into the PDF, which was expensive and highly inefficient. Also – the client had no chance to modify these templates themselves, and any change, however miniscule, had to be handled by developers. This, in turn, took a lot of time, and whenever a client bought, for example, a new label printer, they had to start processing it from the beginning. Evidently, with the emergence and rise of self-serve platforms, where the client could handle everything themselves, this concept would not be sustainable anymore.
The client had no chance to modify these templates themselves, and any change, however miniscule, had to be handled by developers. This, in turn, took a lot of time, and whenever a client bought, for example, a new label printer, they had to start processing it from the beginning.
Kristjan Hiiemaa
Since one of the main tasks of all ERP systems is creating, managing, and handling all kinds of documents, which tend to change over time, it seemed only logical to enable customers to handle these processes independently. Any ERP provider that does not offer its customers the freedom to handle these processes on their own limits their business growth and can no longer be called a truly self-service solution. This is especially true for SaaS businesses.
Another aspect that comes into play here is the way implementing PDF Generator API helps build customer loyalty. Once a customer has gone through the exercise of creating and fine-tuning their templates in PDF Generator API, they tend to stay for many years—primarily because there is no real alternative, but also because of the platform’s simplicity and ease of use.
We have also received quite a bit of praise for our customer support.
That is a direct result of having a great product—if you have a great product, your customer support generally tends to be rated higher. The underlying cause, of course, is that with a great product, your customers don’t feel the need to look for help and are, therefore, more satisfied. Of course, the PDF Generator API support team is awesome as well.
What is the main value of PDF Generator API? Also, based on your own experience, what type of savings can be achieved by choosing PDF Generator API instead of developing this functionality in-house?
This is a tricky one, but in rough terms – to reach the point where we are with PDF Generator API today, it would probably take one full-time developer about 2-3 years to build from scratch to the level the current product is (think nesting, scripting, digital signatures, archived documents, user rights and multi-tenancy, on-premises installs). Depending on where you are located and what developers earn in your country, anyone can do the math. Weighing the pros and cons – opting for integrating an existing, dedicated product any day. A product that is also developed further every day, by a team with expert knowledge in the field. If we think about where the world is heading, then new possibilities for development are popping up all over the place, with e-documents being a good example.
Another important factor to consider is that the world around us is getting more and more complex. All kinds of new regulations and requirements come up almost weekly, and businesses have no choice but to adapt. The same goes for data security, where only a few years ago, the implementation of GDPR and SOC audits became mandatory for everyone—regardless of whether they had the necessary know-how or resources for it. Implementing an external solution that ticks all the boxes in terms of requirements becomes an even more reasonable way to go.
Weighing the pros and cons – opting for integrating an existing, dedicated product any day. A product that is also developed further every day, by a team with expert knowledge in the field.
Kristjan Hiiemaa
PDF Generator API pricing is per account and doesn’t incur extra fees for documents. Also, pricing is more than modest, to be honest.
What types of businesses would you recommend PDF Generator API to and why?
PDF Generator API is an ideal solution for any company that manages document templates and printouts in-house or for their customers. This includes any retail and SaaS businesses or industrial enterprises. Use cases are online or offline, and users can customize quotes, labels, invoices, agreements, tickets with custom barcodes and QR codes, and so on. Especially ones that, in turn, have thousands of customers and therefore require a solution that enables a multitenant approach, which can be hosted on-premise or as a cloud-based solution. Most existing solutions do not provide that functionality,
The number of use cases for PDF Generator API is virtually unlimited. Today, it is used by some of the leading global corporations to simplify their business processes.
