" Given that we are ISO 9001 certified and, more recently, ISO 27001 certified, I closely monitor the quality of customer support responses with one major concern in mind: the continuous improvement of our services and the provision of the most secure infrastructure possible. "
(*) Since this article was published, Docoon has received temporary registration as a Partner Dematerialization Platform from the French Public Finance Directorate under number 19.
In a digital services company specializing in digitizing and securing information flows such as Docoon, technological innovation and technical expertise are the beating heart of the business. This is often the hidden part of the iceberg without which nothing is possible, but which communicators talk about less, focusing instead on corporate strategy and business. Reflecting this hidden side, the man we are going to talk to admits that he does not like to be in the spotlight, yet he is the driving force behind technical development and the guarantor of the smooth running of all the Group's solutions. Damien Maitrot, R&D Director at the Docoon Group, explains his job and talks to us about the latest developments in electronic invoicing reform.
Hello Damien Maitrot, to begin with, could you tell us about your position and its scope?
Damien Maitrot: I have three main responsibilities. First, I am responsible for the production environment, which means providing customers with an infrastructure that guarantees them 24-hour access to all Docoon solutions. This is very important, as our IT infrastructure is 100% French: we have our own data centers.
I am also responsible for the Level 1 & 2 support teams and troubleshooting (escalation procedure) throughout France and Canada. Given that we are ISO 9001 certified ISO 9001 and, more recently, ISO 27001 certified, I closely monitor the quality of customer support responses with one major concern in mind: the continuous improvement of our services and the provision of the most secure infrastructure possible.
Finally, I supervise the development team: creation of new products, software architecture for new solutions, as well as corrections and improvements to any software errors that may exist.
How did you become involved with Docoon?
D.M.: For me, this adventure began a long time ago, as I already knew Laurent Mezrahi (President and CEO of Docoon) and Arnaud Lejeune (Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Docoon). We were competitors in our respective activities in the "Messaging" sector. When ODYSSEY MESSAGING acquired DPii Telecoms (¹), the latter was my client and we became competitors. Then I created Docoon, a company specializing in secure messaging, electronic archiving, and electronic signatures.
In 2020, I was put in touch with Laurent Mezrahi and Arnaud Lejeune, who came to present their project to me: to go further in the digitization market, with a focus on the reform of the finance law relating to electronic invoicing. They proposed a merger, which I accepted. At the time, they were looking for a name to rename the new entity (²), and Docoon was the obvious choice.
So it's a long story! We had things in common, working on similar solutions. I had a more technology-oriented approach, such as bitcoin. I have extensive IT expertise, having worked for European and international groups where I was responsible for software solutions and IT infrastructure, with mastery of almost all the network protocols used, including EDI (³). In short, everything related to document processing—conversion, transfer, and transformation of files/documents, regardless of the protocol to be used, the format/type of file to be processed, the type of customer, and their sector of activity.
With Docoon, we have succeeded in creating a new product with a shared vision to address the highly complex issue of the finance law on the digitization of invoices. Our partnership is also based on the values that Docoon embodies.
So, what exactly characterizes Docoon?
D.M.: The requirement to develop and distribute reliable and robust solutions. We listen to our customers, which means we don't presume to know how our customers work... That's why, in addition to the quality of our services, our DNA is to adapt to the customer, not the other way around.
And more broadly, how do you view your profession?
D.M.: I implement solutions that free my support teams from recurring issues. My view is that software must continue to function even if an entire data center is lost. All the solutions we develop at Docoon must meet this high availability criterion.
But behind the technician, there is also a business leader, isn't there?
D.M.: Absolutely . I have managed a company, so I have a commercial and business perspective on the company that allows me to make technological choices that respond to issues addressed by the market. Consequently, the technical decisions I make take this dimension into account.
Let's return to the market and current events. How are you approaching the development of a solution that meets the criteria for electronic invoicing?
D.M.: We already handle electronic invoicing. The finance law is an additional opportunity for all businesses. As a future PDP (Partner Dematerialization Platform), our role is to continue to provide the best service to our partners and customers in accordance with the new regulations. Today, we are sufficiently advanced in our developments—we are ISO 27001 certified, we already have SecNumCloud services in production, and we are continuing this development with other services—to have initiated an audit in order to be registered as a PDP (*), in accordance withgovernment requirements.
Our ambition is to provide the market with an enhanced solution that not only meets the requirements and specifications demanded by the government, but also brings real added value to its users on a daily basis.
Even though the implementation of widespread electronic invoicing for businesses has been delayed compared to the initial schedule (4), our product will be compatible with the reform and will gradually enable customers to adapt, with enhanced features. We will therefore provide businesses that choose us as their PDP with other value-added services!
(1) In 2020, ODYSSEY MESSAGING, a specialist in multi-channel communication—email, SMS, voice messages, push notifications, fax—acquired DPii Télécoms, a provider of digitization, e-signature, and electronic archiving solutions.
(2) In 2022, the ODYSSEY MESSAGING group and its brands DPii Télécoms and Docoon, specialists in digitization and electronic signatures, changed their name to Docoon.
(3) EDI: Electronic Data Interchange
(4) Initially scheduled to begin on July1, 2024, the electronic invoicing reform has been postponed until early 2026.
