Moving to flagship headquarters has paid dividends for office technology companies IT@Spectrum and The One Point, with increased turnover, an expanding customer base and new jobs.
The partner companies are marking a year since moving to their new offices, The View, which occupies a prime position at the Bridgehead business park close to the Humber Bridge in East Yorkshire. The move cemented the strategic partnership between the businesses and provided them with a powerful platform for growth.
Now, 12 months on, the investment has delivered on the ambition, with turnover growing by almost 30% across the two businesses from a combined client base of almost 1,400 organisations – an increase of nearly 15% over the past year. New clients now working with both businesses include consulting engineers Alan Wood & Partners and PBS Construction, both based in Hull.
The growth has translated into new jobs, with 18 staff joining over the past year, taking the workforce employed by the sister companies to more than 90. New positions have included The One Point’s sales team doubling in size, while IT@Spectrum has created a new, four-strong marketing team.
The £2.75m offices were purpose-designed to enable the companies’ teams to work together seamlessly to offer a comprehensive and compelling package of IT managed services.
Ken Sturdy, Managing Director of office technology business IT@Spectrum, said: “The investment in our purpose-built headquarters has been a powerful statement to our customers, our staff and the print and software industry as a whole.
“As well as being a great place for our staff and customers to enjoy, it has provided a fantastic platform for us to improve even further our service to clients and explore and develop innovative new products and markets.
“It has also really brought our businesses together and has meant that, increasingly, customers choose to work with both companies. We’ve introduced our clients to The One Point, they’ve introduced theirs to us and, in some instances, we have gone in together to see prospective clients as a joint offering and won the business.”
Martin Lauer, Managing Director of IT services and telecoms company The One Point, said the close collaboration between the businesses benefited both existing customers, such as Hull-based jewellers Hugh Rice, and new clients.
He explained: “Hugh Rice was an existing customer of both businesses and had an issue with print devices supplied by IT@Spectrum. They made a call to the IT@Spectrum support team, which now shares the same room with ours.
“A member of our support team overheard the call, identified that the issue was due to an internet protocol conflict, and was able to fix it remotely, there and then.
“Instead of waiting for an engineer to come out, Hugh Rice’s devices were back in action within minutes – the issue was resolved so much faster and more efficiently. That’s better for the customer and better for us.”
The creative environment at The View has fostered increased innovation, with The One Point having launched a new service developing and delivering apps over the past year, including The One App, which enables clients to interact with the business instantly at any time.
Among The One Point’s new apps for customers is a service for Hull-based boxer Tommy Coyle’s Coyle Health & Wellbeing business, which allows users to monitor and self-manage nutrition and exercise.
IT@Spectrum and The One Point have both relaunched their websites in the past year and The One Point plans to introduce an online shop and customer self-service portal early in 2018.
IT@Spectrum has reshaped its Board and business planning processes to support the delivery of ambitious plans for further growth in 2018. Work is well advanced on creating a new IT@Spectrum customer portal as a further avenue for client contact and the business is streamlining its remote monitoring software to deliver enhanced problem-solving and preventative maintenance.
The companies are also working together to gain ISO 27001, the latest information data security accreditation, early in the new year. This will put the businesses at the forefront of managing and processing customer data, in line with the latest legislation.
Mr Sturdy added: “The View gives us a great working environment, which means existing staff feel invested in and recruitment has become so much easier because people want to work here.
“The brand awareness from such a prominent position, with 60,000 cars going past every day, has also put rocket fuel into the business.
“The collaboration with The One Point means customers win too, because it enables innovation and efficiency to ensure our services continue to be delivered, managed and maintained to excellent standards and at great value.”
IT@Spectrum and The One Point made a strategic decision to open up their new offices to clients and prospective customers, partner organisations, business groups and community representatives.
Their “come and see” invitation to visit and use the offices has resulted in more than 2,000 visitors over the past 12 months, with organisations such as the Institute of Directors, Humber Local Enterprise Partnership and For Entrepreneurs Only making use of the impressive facilities.
Community organisations that have used The View have included St Anne’s Special School at Welton, East Yorkshire, which used the building for a project making bat boxes for Bridgehead’s wildlife trail; the Child Dynamix charity supporting disadvantaged children in east Hull, which held a Board away day at The View; and Hull’s Alcohol & Drug Service, which used the space for training.
Mr Lauer added: “We’re proud that we’ve thrown open our doors and allowed so many organisations, from business groups to charities, to benefit from the space we have here.
“In this City of Culture year, when Hull has opened its doors and said ‘come and see us, we’re Hull, we’re proud’, we’ve embraced that philosophy and attitude. Like the city as a whole, we’ve raised the bar and been inclusive.
“We’ve delighted so many people have wanted to join us at The View and have helped make our move such a success.”
IT@Spectrum and The One Point share a mission to help clients harness technology to drive efficiency, productivity, innovation and growth.
IT@Spectrum has more than 30 years’ experience providing innovative solutions to enable businesses to print more efficiently, manage their data and information electronically and automate processes.
Business IT and telecoms provider The One Point offers robust and innovative IT, business telecoms, software and digital services in one easy-to-manage, hassle-free solution.
