CASE STUDY
Business : data2impact Location : Bulford , near Salisbury Founded : 1999 No of employees : 20 in total , 5 in UK
The Growth Hub team was exceptionally good at supporting us with the Peer
Networks programme . data2impact specialises in delivering bespoke tools for data management , business analysis and reporting .
We combine technical expertise with pragmatic , high quality solutions to deliver data consolidation , web and mobile app development , simulation tools , PowerPoint automation , interactive dashboards and advanced analytics . The business has its UK headquarters near Salisbury but has experts in Denmark , Germany and America .
We ’ ve been running successfully for over 20 years but the pandemic meant that we saw a decline in work for the first time and we had to innovate to survive .
From challenge to opportunity
We had to adapt quickly , re-evaluating our processes and priorities . We embarked on a number of sustainable changes including investing in technology and our marketing strategy .
Investing in Office 365 allowed employees to work from home and communicate and collaborate effectively with our colleagues and clients worldwide . We also migrated our services to the Cloud and developed skills in PowerApps and other Microsoft Cloud Services .
To help with our sales and marketing strategy we invested in an employee ’ s skills in digital marketing . The short-term appointment of a LinkedIn consultant gave us a starting platform and increased our presence locally and globally , in turn increasing our SME client base . Our LinkedIn strategy has been a company wide effort and we have doubled our audience , using it to communicate company news as well as develop contacts .
Growth Hub support
We were introduced to the Growth Hub in April 2020 via Wiltshire Council . The support we ’ ve received since then has been impressive . Our Business Navigator is in regular contact , advising us on support available , taking the time to listen and providing us with a wide range of connections and resources .
The Growth Hub helped us successfully apply for the COVID-19 Additional Restrictions Grant which allowed us to increase staff hours after furlough and build a new SME service . The team was instrumental in us gaining ERDF funding which we used to migrate over to Microsoft Cloud services .
We regularly engage in the Peer Networks programme which has been invaluable , enabling us to meet local SMEs , listen to their challenges , and draw on the group ’ s expertise to explore new opportunities . In return , we ’ ve been able to offer advice on data problems .
Our biggest achievement
Our biggest achievement in the last year was creating an ‘ early warning tool ’ for an NHS Trust to forecast COVID-19 hospital admissions and determine how and when demand would exceed capacity using rate limiting factors such as oxygen supply and nursing capacity .
The pandemic has also resulted in some positive changes to our business , one of which is clients now being more open to online meetings allowing us to support them remotely .