A business specialising in office interiors is returning to pre-recession levels of turnover and staff numbers, and points to embracing technology as a key reason why.

 

Cardiff-based D&G Office Interiors has increased turnover past the £4m mark, recruited two additional members of staff this year, and won a contract with a major household name.

 

Picture of office space

 

Fast reliable internet

 

The company will be increasing its headcount in the autumn, with remote working attracting more high quality candidates from further afield. And it also boasts a competitive edge when winning new business thanks to its approach to integrating digital within its processes.

 

Director Steve Gardener said: “While our sales person is on site with the customer, the drawings and specifications can be relayed to our design team via the cloud. This means the designers can start work immediately if necessary and don’t have to wait for the sales person to return to the office, which could be the next day.

 

“In some cases, we have been able to provide the client with design on the same day. This makes us stand out from our competitors and wouldn’t have been possible without having a fast, reliable internet connection.

 

Remote working gives us a competitive edge

 

“Working on the cloud also means we can offer remote and flexible working, which has significantly increased the pool of applicants interested in our vacancies – almost 70 per cent of job seekers born in the 80s and 90s are more interested in a role if it offers remote working. In addition, it also brings added benefits including reducing staff turnover by 50 per cent, and increasing productivity with fewer distractions.

 

“In addition, it has reduced mileage clocked by our sales team as they can access documents remotely and head straight to a meeting. For the business, this has saved approximately £3,600 of expenses, £4,000 of employee time on the road, and a reduction in not only wear and tear on the company vehicles, but our carbon footprint as well.”

 

Clients can access design files in real-time using Cloud

 

D&G Office Interiors, founded in 1994, offers a UK-wide service. It employs 19 people and has a turnover of £4.3m. As part of its digital overhaul, it introduced cloud-based project management software and VoIP, a cloud-based telephone system, saving the business £250 per month.

 

Steve added: “Thanks to the cost-saving elements of the digital technology, we’ve been able to equip our teams with the latest mobile phones and tablets. These come with up-to-date software so the users can carry out more work on site with the client.

 

“Another critical factor for investing in fibre is the cloud storage. Our design files can exceed 100mb for documents including mood boards, while video walk-throughs, which show the client what the finished office will look like, can be in excess of 5 GB. We don’t have any issues now ensuring our clients can access the latest files in real time. It’s come a long way since delivering a USB stick via courier!”

 

D&G Office Interiors is now exploring more use of video including video conferencing and corporate films to show customers case studies and 3D conceptual walk-throughs of offices.

 

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