Acquisitions: A Customer or Shareholder Benefit

Todd Murphy, Vice President, Universal Information ServicesThere is a difference in how a company grows. One type of growth allows a company to add customers to their way of doing business by purchasing a similar company. In this scenario the customer is usually the beneficiary, receiving additional services and value now available through the purchasing company.Another type of growth is shareholder growth. We often hear about this growth via the Wall Street Journal or CNBC. In this type of growth shareholder value is the intended beneficiary, and is commonly achieved through a series of company acquisitions. The problem with this second type of growth is that it is easy for the customer to become secondary to the goals of the growing corporation, with shareholders being the primary concern.From an internal perspective, I'm proud of the way Universal Information Services has grown over the past 20 years. Although we have acquired approximately ten separate media monitoring firms, each acquisition has been the the result of the seller approaching Universal about handling their clients. In other words, the sellers come to Universal because of our track record of customer service, support, business ethics, and innovative media monitoring and measurement services. I'm proud of this fact and have to commend both my team and my father, Jim Murphy, for establishing such a reputation.This post won't give you the Top 3 Ways to Reach Key Influencers, or tell you How To Create Better Content In 1 Minute, but it might just be a reminder that the best customer experience comes from companies that focus their interest and innovation, including their spending, entirely on the customer. Below is the recent announcement of another media monitoring firm acquired by Universal Information Services. Beyond the money I spent for this acquisition is the trust the seller placed in me and my team to take care of his clients. That trust is how I choose to build my businesses and is what I promise our customers each day. Yes, you've heard it before, trust is earned. Thank goodness trust isn't something you can buy because that truly benefits the customer.

Omaha, NE, April 5, 2017 – Universal Information Services is pleased to announce the company has purchased media monitoring service, The Daily Recorder in Albany, New York.

This purchase includes news monitoring clients and clip fulfillment for Albany and statewide New York. For current clients of The Daily Recorder, Universal Information Services expands the ability to monitor local, state, and nationwide news media coverage.  Universal’s team is focused on assisting clients through a seamless transition, while introducing new options to the market.“We are very excited about the new clients we will be serving in New York, in addition to our clients around the world,” said Todd Murphy, Universal Information Services Vice President. “We thank Mark Verdile, prior owner of The Daily Recorder, for wanting Universal to carry on the high standards he has set for the service under his ownership.” The news monitoring and analysis services provided by Universal will now give this market access to comprehensive media monitoring and PR measurement insights through our media analysis team.As a privately held and family owned company, Universal Information Services is celebrating its 109th year of innovation and continues to grow through acquisitions and innovation. The ownership has not ruled out additional acquisitions in 2017 and 2018.“Although we’re over 100 years old, I make sure we operate with the innovation of a start-up organization,” Murphy said. “We call this the art of the restart, ensuring we remain relevant and diversified at all times. Very few monitoring services of our age are still considered leaders in the industry.”About Universal Information ServicesUniversal Information Services is a nationwide media intelligence service that specializes in news monitoring and public relations measurement.  Founded in 1908, Universal serves clients worldwide and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.  James L Murphy is President of the corporation. Formerly named Universal Press Clipping Bureau, the name changed in 1998 to better reflect all media monitoring and analysis services created by Universal Information Services. Universal provides the complete cycle of PR services: Media Contacts/Releasing, Media Monitoring, PR Measurement & Insights. For a complete list of services, visit   https://universal-info.com/services/