Case study from Vism

Wahooti is one of the country’s fastest growing full-service printing solutions providers. Thanks to a mix of knowledge, experience, relationships, technology and an unflinching commitment to customer service, Wahooti has built an unrivalled reputation for getting the job done and done to the highest quality. The implementation of Vism early in 2019 has transformed Wahooti’s installation process. Relationships with installers and customers are now much more effectively managed and communication is fast, accurate and focused on delivering high levels of customer satisfaction.

Wahooti was formed in 2015 when Nick Manuel and his father, Julian, decided to work together. “I was a print buyer in an ad agency and dad worked for a large format printing company,” says Nicolas, adding, “On our own we could provide various elements of a printing project, but together we felt we could build a company that provided a one-stop-shop with the printing expertise and experience to manage the whole project from conception to installation. The company has been built on our commitment to customer service and our mantra has always been – ‘the answer is YES, now what’s the question’.” Key to the Wahooti business model are the relationships with tried, tested and fully vetted suppliers that Nick knows he could rely on to get the job done and done well. The scale of the projects Wahooti delivers gives the company significant buying power with these suppliers, ensuring it is financially competitive when tendering for new contracts. “We have grown from £0 to £3 million in just four years and now have 10 staff. We specialise in providing complete end-to-end solutions for a range of companies, particularly construction and advertising agencies. We can deliver anything from business cards to massive advertising campaigns, as well as interior signage, wayfinding and manifestations and in the past year or so have really ramped up our large format printing and installation work,” says Nick. Wahooti provides the overall management for projects, outsourcing a lot of the print work to its fully vetted suppliers. Nick explains, “Most large format projects requires a specialist fitter to carry out the installation. Whether we are doing this ourselves or using external suppliers, accurate and timely communication is extremely important. For a while, we were doing this using Google calendar, Whatsapp and information briefing sheets produced in Word. This was extremely limited in terms of sharing information with multiple installers to see who was most suitable and available for the job and also gave us a real headache when it came to knowing that the customer had signed-off the project and if they were happy.” He continues, “I like to use new technology to streamline the process and make our operations easier and more effective for our staff and customers. I started to see a system called Vism pop up on various social media feeds and after researching its web site, which was very clear and informative, it appeared to be exactly what we were looking for to improve our installation processes. The fact that it was being used in some very large companies gave us confidence that it would definitely work and deliver some huge benefits for us. I contacted Vism for a demo and we haven’t looked back.” Vism is a project management software system specifically designed and built for the signage, graphics and installation industry. “After the initial demo, I asked Vism to present the system to the rest of the team with me not there so we could get an unbiased view. They loved it as well! Its strength is that it is very much designed for our industry and this is apparent as soon as you see it. By using Vism, you immediately improve the whole process of requesting, arranging and completing a large format signage installation,” he says. As a cloud-based solution, implementing Vism is extremely fast. Access to the system is through a simple, secure login so there is virtually no set-up time and Wahooti was up and running almost immediately and had their installers setup within minutes. Nick explains, “The biggest selling point to us was that Vism allows us to hold all the information relevant to each of our projects in a central place that could be communicated to multiple installers in one go. From there we can see who is available and select an installer there and then. Previously this would have taken many emails back and forth and always created the potential to double book or provide misinformation. The installer then has all the information they need directly sent to their smartphone, including location and special information. We can also fire through any changes and their instructions are updated immediately. This simple improvement to our operations has saved us at least two days per month, which has a hugely positive impact on our bottom line profitability.” He adds, “Another really valuable benefit of using Vism is when it comes to customer sign-off. The installer can take a photo of the completed job and add it to the system. He can also ask the customer to confirm they are happy with it and can get them to physically sign it off as well. This information comes back to us instantly and means we can close the project and send it instantly to accounts for invoicing. This speeds up the time to payment and significantly improves our cash flow.” With much of the work being outsourced, Vism’s sub-contractor module allows Wahooti to collaborate effectively with its suppliers’ who also use the software. “This is such an important function for us. When we use sub-contractors, it is important that this is seamless for our customers. Thanks to Vism we can ensure we maintain the same high level of service for all our installations,” insists Nick. He continues, “I have been really impressed with the quality of product support and the responsiveness of the Vism team. We haven’t really had any technical issues, but they are always looking to improve the system and have taken our requests and recommendations on board. Each new update seems to include functionality that we have discussed and this means we are continually improving the efficiency and profitability of installations.” As well as streamlining more straightforward installations, Vism has also helped Wahooti deal with the more complex demands of its larger customers. “One of our key customers in construction is a major serviced office provider, which has serviced offices throughout the world. We provide all their printing requirements, from day-to-day printing to new building openings. Vism allows us to break down the individual elements of each project into smaller jobs that we can route through installers. The information then comes back and can be compiled back into the larger project to the satisfaction of the customer. The system also allows us to manage the more complex requirements of the projects, such as international travel and specific documentation that might be required.” He adds, “Another great benefit for us having such a good-looking and useful application on the phones of our installers is that our customers are genuinely very impressed. It looks highly professional and gives customers the confidence that we are going to deliver their requirements as promised.” Dan Tyler, Managing Director of Vism, says, “Wahooti is a great example of how our software can have an immediate and positive effect on day-to-day efficiency and productivity. They are a young, vibrant and fast-moving company that embraces technology and uses this to deliver fantastic customer service at all times. We are delighted that they are using Vism to great effect and are enjoying significant savings in time and money that are helping them be an even more successful and profitable business.” Nick Manuel concludes, “I couldn’t be happier with what Vism has done for our company. Our installers are much happier because it makes their lives so much easier. They love the system because it is so easy to use and so relevant to them. Our customers love it because they are seeing jobs completed sooner and more accurately. And we love it because gives us the potential to deliver more and better jobs in less time.”