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Metafour

It’s our Meta-Fortieth birthday today!

By 17th November 2020October 13th, 2022No Comments

When Metafour was established way back on the 17th of November 1980, nobody could have guessed that we would celebrate such a momentous milestone in the middle of a global pandemic 40 years later. Whilst our physical celebrations have been put on hold, we would still like to take the time to say thank you to everybody who has supported us over the past four decades. Your belief has helped to shape our business into what it is today.

So how did Metafour get here I hear you ask! Well, did you know that we started life in London, selling the very first personal computers on the market? We soon moved into software, and the rest is history…

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Our first office was located in Richmond (opposite Bushy Park!), and our 3 founding members sold personal computers to the UK market.

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We moved into software development, creating our own programming language and database to speed up our software development and design. From this, a sizable developer community was created who all used our new language in their projects.

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After developing an express courier system for a client in the late 80’s, we decided to release it out to the wider market. Metacs, as it was named, was the first ever order management system of its kind. It can still be found in use by companies today, 30 years later.

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We brought our tour operator reservations system, Embarque, to the market. It was designed to bring together agents, suppliers, and customers in one centralised, easy-to-use place.

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We opened our Bangladesh office in Dhaka to house our software development arm. At this time, the Internet was not used as a way to deliver applications. Thanks to this investment, however, we were one of the first pioneers to launch an online computer application with iTrak.

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Our flagship product NetCourier was introduced. Built upon our previous industry-knowledge and software expertise, the industry-leading system was used by courier companies, logistics businesses, and corporate mailrooms alike.

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We launched our rate-shopping feature. This state-of-the-art automation allowed people to easily compare shipping options across all available services, improving customer service and reducing costs.

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We go mobile with the launch of our driver and messenger apps. An integral part of our systems, they allow you to create a seamless chain of custody for every item you deliver.

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We spot a gap in the market down in South Africa, and our Sales Director moves out there to head up our sales office (and make us envious of his proximity to the sea and surf!)

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Working hard during lockdown, our team creates SafeSign. Designed to help protect staff and clients alike, it allows contactless proofs of delivery to be collected via QR code.

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Continuous innovation is the reason why our company has remained in business for so long, and we’re not resting on our laurels! Next year sees the introduction of a new look core system, and the launch of a new integrated mailroom system, MetaMail. This exciting new introduction will greatly help companies to bridge the gap between home and office working in a Covid-19 world. 

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So, here’s to another 40 years! As always, if you have any ideas or suggestions, or even if you’d just like to wish us a happy birthday, please get in touch! Call us on +44 (0) 20 7912 2000 or email us at karen.chandler@metafour.com.

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