Pembrokeshire-based Signspeed has boosted efficiency, reduced errors and enabled true remote working by moving its business operations to the cloud-based Clarity Go.
Since 1983, Signspeed has been serving the community in Pembrokeshire with high-quality signage and graphics. In 2020, Sam Morgan and Donna James took over the company and, with a dedicated team of seven people, provide comprehensive design, print, and installation services. Customers come from a wide range of industries, businesses and events in the local area, including utilities, hospitality, retail and various tradespeople.
Signspeed has been a Clarity Software customer since 2012, when they first installed Clarity Pro, an on-premise Management Information System specifically designed for the print, sign and packaging industries. Sam explains, “We had been running Clarity Pro since long before Donna and I took over the business, but we really weren’t using it to anywhere near its capabilities. When they launched the cloud-based Clarity Go, we thought this would be an excellent opportunity to improve the company’s operations.”
What is Clarity Go?
Clarity Go is a cloud-based management information system with comprehensive functionality for all aspects of running a print, sign or packaging business. Developed from the foundations of the established and popular Clarity Pro system, Clarity Go provides robust security, leveraging professional data centres to protect critical business information far more effectively than local servers.
The key benefit of the system is to provide secure, reliable access to a company’s entire operational workflow from any location. This enables remote working from any location with an internet connection. In addition, Clarity Go delivers automatic updates via the cloud to ensure customers always have the latest features and security enhancements without any business interruption.
Going to Go
Before the upgrade, Signspeed had only been using Clarity Pro for basic CRM and quoting. Critical processes like pricing and production workflow were managed through time-consuming manual methods outside of the software. “Clarity PRO was a great system, but we just hadn’t invested the time needed for us to get more out of it. We are a small, tightly run business, and we needed a system that would save us time and Clarity GO presented us with a great opportunity.”
The migration to Clarity Go was smooth and structured. “It was all very easy and straightforward,” says Sam. “We had an initial trial period with a sync function to allow us to keep running Clarity Pro without risking any data loss. We migrated data across and also invested the time to enter new pricing and marketing data. It was a great opportunity to cleanse our data and put us in a strong position to make the most of the new system.”
She adds, “We also invested in a lot of training time, much of which we ‘banked’ to give us a series of sessions in order to address questions as they arose. The Clarity support team were fantastic and were always at the end of the phone to help us.”
The benefits of Clarity Go
Since taking over the business, Sam and Donna were spending more and more time out of the office at meetings, exhibitions and networking events. Thanks to Clarity Go, they can be out of the office but still able to access all areas of the system. “Moving to Clarity Go was primarily about saving time and improving efficiency,” says Sam, adding, “The need to work effectively by accessing the system from outside the office was the main trigger, and this was made possible by the system’s cloud-based architecture and powerful new features. We essentially take the business with us wherever we go!”
Since implementing Clarity Go, Signspeed has enjoyed many more benefits. “The system has enforced clear, process-driven workflows, which means there is a lot less need for human intervention and subsequent errors. Non-conformances have reduced by 50%, and this number is increasing the more we use the system,” she says.
Additional modules that came with Clarity Go, such as Job Tracking, were also important to Signspeed. “The introduction of a live Jobs Board has given us comprehensive visibility into the entire production process, which has allowed the team to operate more effectively. We have uploaded all the product codes so putting together quotes and orders is simple, efficient and fast,” says Sam.
Another important benefit is the way the system is updated. “With the server-based system, when an upgrade was required, it meant the system was down. There was no way to do it other than to update the server and individual terminals directly. With Clarity Go, this is all done without us even knowing. Plus it is a nice surprise to see new and improved functionality automatically added,” explains Sam.
It’s good to Go
“Clarity Go is just so easy to use. If you can use email, you can use Clarity.” says Sam. “This ease of use has made the system really popular amongst the team and that is such an important element of any new systems or processes.”
Signspeed plans to take advantage of even more of Clarity Go’s capabilities. Sam says, “We are looking at the new electronic proof of delivery function to replace our paper-based system. We are also looking to use more of the system’s powerful reporting tools to analyse key metrics, such as quoted vs. converted work, which will make our financial forecasting more accurate and relevant.”
Signspeed’s decision to embrace the cloud with Clarity Go boils down to three transformative outcomes. Sam concludes, “We have generated significant time savings across the company, provided data-driven information for smarter management, and delivered the game-changing flexibility of accessing the system from any location. This efficiency, intelligence, and freedom have solved the frustrations of our old system and given us a solid platform for Signspeed’s long-term growth and success.”