TRIED and tested strategies are the usual route to success. But AXS Infocomm has grown through a combination of strategies that deviate from conventional business and marketing wisdom. Incorporated in 2000, AXS provides electronic payment solutions that allow business and government to reach consumers via Web services or e-applications.

It provides such services for more than 120 private and government organisations via some 500 AXS Stations islandwide.

AXS acknowledges that the tech business involves constant evolution to keep up with changing customer preferences - but says this is something it has not focused on itself.

'We've never believed in chasing the technology rainbow,' says chief executive officer Joey Chang. Instead, AXS 'prefers to employ stable technology and solutions'.

The company also does not profile its users, which confounds marketing wisdom. Rather, it focuses more on 'bringing more services on to AXS stations to cater to everyone'.

AXS also says it does not try hard to differentiate itself from other payment operators, as they are in a 'unique space'. Competition comes in the form of 'established and/or traditional modes of payment such as cheques, Internet banking and Giro'.

'It is more about us focusing on ourselves and consistently improving ourselves rather than directing our attention to others in the marketplace,' says Mr Chang.

The company adopts a business philosophy of three As - Accessibility (strategic locations for users); Approach (easy to use); and Application (to ensure services meet the practical needs of users).

Mr Chang says the culture at AXS, which has 70 employees, is one of 'working smart and playing hard'. It 'encourages staff to step forward and dare to question, probe and create'.

'Perhaps the table in our meeting room best illustrates our culture,' he says. 'It is used for brainstorming and discussions in the day, then transformed into a pool table for fun after work.'

The AXS Network currently processes over a million transactions a month and has enjoyed constant double-digit year-on-year growth for transaction volume. Last year, the value of payments handled was about $4 billion.

Of this, bills and fines comprised the bulk. But AXS says electronic services provided by government agencies - such as HDB electronic services and National Park's BBQ pits - are becoming increasingly popular.

According to Mr Chang, AXS was established when 'digital convergence was swinging into full play and rapidly changing the mode of interactions between businesses and people'.

'We felt the need to bring innovative solutions and applications closer to customers via a wide network of access points - and we did.'

While it may sound like all was plain sailing from the start, this was not the case, says Mr Chang.

For a start, the company faced the initial uphill challenge of building up its AXS Station network from ground zero. Things got better as AXS managed to gain the confidence of billing organisations, government agencies, telecommunications companies and banks to utilise AXS as a platform to reach out to their customers.

'We had a compelling combination of 'hard' expertise and 'soft' perseverance, which saw us through and brought us to where we are today - servicing more than half a million unique visitors monthly,' says Mr Chang.

Being a local brand was another advantage, as it helped the company understand and cater to local demand.

AXS Stations are sited in many high-density locations throughout Singapore, such as the Central Business District, bus and MRT stations and Changi Airport.

In 2006, the company became a subsidiary of DBS - a move it says has provided more stability and resources for network expansion and support.

Its recently launched D-Pay service will give customers a wider range of payment choices and allow them to remit money and top-up ez-link cards by the end of next year.

Besides boosting the number of AXS stations in Singapore, Mr Chang is looking at taking the concept international.

While this will pose challenges in terms of adapting to different markets, AXS is confident it can tap the strengths of its parent, DBS, to forge ahead.

This article was first published in The Business Times on November 11, 2008.