A photography business swapped snapshots for virtual padlocks to ensure it adhered to strict GDPR guidelines as part of a wide-ranging focus on its digital activity.
Founders of SLJ Photography LTD, Stephen and Lyndsay Jones took the action when their studio in Rhyl, Denbighshire, shut down due to COVID restrictions.
With family portraits and cake smashing shoots for babies and toddlers on hold, Stephen refused to take a negative stance.
He recalled: “We weren’t going to sit on our hands whilst the studio was closed. We used the extra free time to research how we could make the back end of the business more efficient. We were searching for grants that could help us and discovered the support offered by Superfast Business Wales. Their advice kickstarted a digital revamp across most of our business processes.”
Undertaking a thorough review of the processes in place, Superfast Business Wales was able to provide a detailed report, listing actionable goals for SLJ Photography LTD, as well as signposting to grants and further resources.
Stephen said: “The report flagged that without modern data systems, our studio could have been shut down at any point. That was really concerning, and we implemented the security recommendations as the priority.
“We hold a lot of customer data, such as names and addresses, but also photographs of children. You must respect that and take responsibility for managing the data correctly.
“The one-to-one consultation was eye-opening for us and beforehand I was hesitant about how helpful it would be. I was of the mindset that we were the business owner, and we knew what we were doing.
“You often try to see your business from the customer’s perspective, but you don’t tend to think about it from a business adviser's point of view.”
To improve its data management processes, the studio has since invested in a tranche of technologies including new computers, external hard drives, and Google’s secure cloud storage system.
Mindful of the development of technology since he joined the industry in 2011, Stephen added: “It was challenging to adapt to the new processes at first, but we live in a time where there are so many digital resources available to help small businesses.
“We wouldn’t have known about secure digital tools, like cloud storage, if it wasn’t for Superfast Business Wales. Now, we’re storing data and disposing of photographs in a secure way.
“It’s not good enough to say you’re handling data correctly; you have to be able to show you’re being responsible, and we can now do that with these new processes.”
Furthering the digital makeover of the business, Stephen and Lyndsay have enlisted the help of a website designer, hoping a fresh look, quicker site speeds, and simple SEO tactics will boost new business.
Stephen said:
“Thanks to Superfast Business Wales, we were eligible for a grant from the council to put towards a website designer. Without our adviser highlighting our outdated website, we wouldn’t have qualified for the funding.
“Being able to commission a professional will make a big difference to the result - we’ve made small changes to the site ourselves, like moving to a better domain and adding SEO keywords, but we’ll see real results when the new design goes live.”
The improvements don’t stop there, with an integrated CRM system in the pipeline for the near future. As customer-facing business owners, Stephen and Lyndsay have seen their customers’ priorities shift since welcoming them back to the studio after the disruption of the past few years.
Stephen said: “We’re a local business in a small community and we have many loyal customers. A shift amongst customers is the desire to support family-run, independent companies. Small businesses have struggled and there’s a commitment of support within the community. By launching a CRM system, we can engage with our customers and reward them with discounts for being loyal.”
With the new website set to boost new business and a CRM system to encourage returning custom, SLJ Photography is now on a path to success thanks to Superfast Business Wales. With plans to implement further improvements in the future, such as email campaigns and a new Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) system to make transactions more secure and streamline, Stephen is grateful for the support received.
He said: “Lyndsay and I couldn’t recommend Superfast Business Wales enough. They’ve helped us look at our business from a completely new perspective and it’s really opened our eyes. The report is detailed, but you don’t have to act on everything that’s suggested - we looked at what we wanted to prioritise first.
“We’re always looking ahead with a positive approach. You can sit back and think ‘we’ve done all we can do’, but there’s always going to be something else.”