About
Stuart Matthews is the Managing Director of a property services company based in North Manchester. The company has five offices across Bolton, Worsley, Manchester, Warrington, and Bury, employing 55 staff. They offer a range of services including estate agency, letting, sales, conveyancing, and mortgages – essentially covering all aspects of property-related business.
Stuart has been the Managing Director for five years, having bought the company out of administration. Under his leadership, the company has seen significant improvements.
The Challenge
As a property services company, their primary challenges revolve around technology and communication. Phones are described as their “lifeblood,” making a reliable and efficient phone system crucial for their operations. The company needs IT systems that work well across all offices, providing transparency for management oversight. Fast internet is essential for staff to quickly respond to customer needs. Additionally, keeping hardware like laptops up-to-date is necessary to ensure smooth operations.
The Solution
Stuart turned to David’s team to address these challenges. “I had a meeting with David and his team. We looked at what the problems were with the old system, and they then came back to me with a couple of different options and a plan to roll that out.”
Their approach included a thorough assessment of the problems with the old systems, after which they came back with multiple options. They review the systems every couple of months to ensure everything is running smoothly. Any changes or updates are carefully planned to avoid disrupting the business. The team is proactive in offering solutions; for example, when laptops were becoming outdated, they proposed a leasing scheme to renew laptops every three years without increasing costs. They also provide a helpline system for quick assistance when needed.
The Outcome
Working with David’s team has meant they’ve been able to implement a new phone system that better suits the company’s needs. The leasing scheme ensures staff always have current and efficient hardware. Stuart knows the support team personally, fostering a good working relationship. Importantly, changes and updates are implemented without significant impact on daily operations.
“I think they’re quite proactive in what they do when we have even an IT issues. Last year, for example, we our laptops were a little bit outdated. The memory was a bit running slow. So again, they come back to me with an option to set up a sort of leasing scheme where we can renew the laptops every three years.”
Advice for Others
For anyone thinking about working with Bluebox, Stuart says you can expect thoroughness – they will look at all options with you. They guide you but let you make the final decision, respecting your decision autonomy. Stuart particularly appreciates their honesty and reliability, noting that what they promise tends to happen in a timely manner.
In his words: “After all the years I’ve worked, you know, we’ve had discussions with other providers. Everybody promises the world, but David’s team don’t promise you the world. They just promise you to do a good job. And that’s what they do.” Stuart stresses that they set realistic expectations, which they consistently meet.
He ends with a powerful endorsement: “After all the years I worked, you know, we’ve had discussions with other providers. Everybody promises the world, but David’s team don’t promise you the world. They just promise you to do a good job. And that’s what they do.”