What would you say to others thinking about working with Transfirm?
“I am 100% comfortable in recommending Transfirm – they do a great job. No problems at all. They take the time to really understand the issues which is what Transfirm is all about. Every business owner should look at putting in a Transfirm management system so that they can grow their business, sell their business or run it with less personal involvement.”
CASE STUDY
icatchers specialises in everything from major exhibition displays and signage for all purposes to event, showroom, retail and office fit outs.
What was happening when you engaged Transfirm?
We spent years getting our business back to normal after the 2011 floods; at which time we felt we needed help to set our future strategy.
We originally engaged Transfirm to help us with strategy – we needed a realistic strategy that was achievable over a 12 to 24 month period. Year-in and year-out we have been able to implement that strategy because it was broken down into one or two things that were practical and achievable. We have been doing this for over 4 or 5 years and it has helped immensely to clarify our future and grow sustainable profits.
We also had a problem with our project management processes – they were long, drawn out, and disjointed between quoting and production. We wanted to get that process tidied up with a management system that would work from quote to final installation. We had engaged others previously but they failed to deliver anything that worked. Transfirm changed that.
How did you feel at the time?
I personally felt very comfortable. The thing that came across the most was that they spoke in layman’s terms and didn’t use terminology that we couldn’t understand. We had spoken to other consultants that used confusing terms and suggested things that were unachievable. Transfirm broke things down into understandable steps, and once the strategy was clear we felt we could move things forward.
When speaking with Transfirm it was obvious that they knew how to work with us to simplify and streamline our project management process. We previously had a software developer try and do this work but we got egg on our face and didn’t get anything out of it. The people at Transfirm were excellent listeners, and anything we asked for was achieved no matter how difficult. They did things practically and quickly and in a way that people were happy to use the end solution. I felt very comfortable with the value being delivered by the work.
What made the most impact?
Having clarity on strategy made a big impact, but strategy is nothing unless it can be implemented. We learned that strategy is best implemented through process change, and that was a massive impact. We saved a lot of time by improving and digitising our process from quoting right through to the workshop. What we do is highly customised so standard approaches using ‘Bills of Materials’ do not work for us. We had to innovate in order to standardise. Our work is now in one system and the workflow is seamless, transparent and removes the chance of error. The key thing is that customers now get their information and project quicker which is really important.
What would you say to others thinking about working with Transfirm?
I am 100% comfortable in recommending Transfirm – they do a great job. No problems at all. They take the time to really understand the issues which is what Transfirm is all about. Every business owner should look at putting in a Transfirm management system so that they can grow their business, sell their business or run it with less personal involvement.
Mark Willis
Owner & Director – icatchers
