TEES TECH AWARDS 2023
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
SPONSORED BY AZETS
FINALIST
DIRECT LINE SUPPLIES
Recruitrite ’ s Melissa Coutts with Andrew Rowe of category sponsor Azets .
WINNER
RECRUITRITE
It ’ s the Tees Tech Award for non-tech companies – and this year ’ s winner admits it had a bigger digital transformation to make than most .
Darlington-based Recruitrite was , by its own admission , way off the technical pace until 2020 . But a radical shift in mindset during the pandemic saw the firm embrace tech like never before – and now it ’ s the proud winner of the Tees Tech Awards Digital Transformation trophy .
Detailing Recrutrite ’ s tech journey , MD Melissa Coutts said : “ Every single part of our business was paper-based – photocopying , proof writer work , certificates etc – whereas now the solution we ’ ve adopted has enabled us to digitise everything .
“ We now send candidates a link and every bit of admin they can upload to us . It means me and my team can spend more quality time with people to ensure they get the job that suits them best .”
Melissa said Covid was the game-changer . She said : “ It was at that point we decided ‘ It ’ s now or never ’ – we were very quiet so we adopted the change and it has served us really well .
“ When we came out of Covid , the bounce back was enormous for us – all our clients were super busy but because we digitised all our processes , we were able to grow along with our clients .
“ There ’ s a lot more to do and we ’ ve just had the next set of meetings about our next steps . We ’ ve just appointed someone to manage all of that next stage for us , so it ’ s looking great .
“ I ’ m super excited about the future – it ’ s a very bright one for us .”
SPONSOR ’ S MESSAGE
Andrew Rowe , office managing partner at Azets , said : “ We were delighted to sponsor the Digital Transformation Award at the Tees Tech Awards 2023 . Recruitrite were truly deserving of the title , which recognised its exceptional adoption of digital technology to transform business operations . They exemplify the impact that tech can have on a business . There were some brilliant companies shortlisted and I ’ d like to congratulate them all . The variety of those shortlisted was testament to this , with the other finalists being in catering and utilities . It was a fantastic evening and celebration of some of the best businesses on Teesside .”
Direct Line Supplies is a family-owned business , specialising in supplying and distributing Italian fast food and street food ingredients .
Based on Teesside Industrial Estate in Thornaby , it has expanded into brand agency , import , wholesale distribution and core food service , and is currently working on expanding into exports .
Established in 1988 but always open to innovation , the company ’ s evolving transformation has focused on automating processes , improving efficiency and enhancing customer experiences .
Its digital journey has included an online ordering platform , WhatsApp functionality for live customer communication , digitising cash movement , payroll and financial departments and an AI procurement module for automated supplier tendering .
FINALIST
EVERFLOW
Tech-led utilities company Everflow was established in 2015 , is based in Wynyard and specialises in supplying water and waste collection services to SMEs , prioritising “ making utilities simple ” for customers by taking care of their needs and focusing on technology-driven solutions .
In recent years , it has developed software that makes selling water and waste collection services quick and easy for brokers , encouraging them to switch more of their energy customers . It also makes billing simpler and better for the end customer , while reducing human errors , which results in incorrect bills , dissatisfied customers and “ switch-aways ”.
Such software , Everflow says , allows it to offer competitive rates and market-leading customer service .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 55