Architectural Practice Expects Big Efficiency Gains with Investment in Workspace Mini from Union Square Software

Nottingham, United Kingdom, January 20, 2011 --(PR.com)-- HSSP Architects LTD was established in 1966 and has always enjoyed a range of work for both local and nationally recognised clients across a range of sectors. Based in Melton Mowbray Leicestershire the company employs 12 staff and like many smaller practices is hoping to prosper in these difficult times by being responsive to change and operating more efficiently than the competition.

Richard Cooper, a Director at the firm, describes why it was so important for the company improve its working practices. "As with other firms we have traditionally filed documents in many different places; Outlook folders, network drives and a mix of hard copy records which would be stored in filing cabinets. We have also suffered from not having an easily searchable centralised database of contacts and projects, instead relying on Outlook and a range of spreadsheets. When we looked at how our people were filing and searching for information we calculated that everyone in the office was spending as much as an hour per day completing these kinds of tasks. We wanted to convert this time into more productive activities and improve customer service levels whilst at the same time move our quality management systems into the 21st century."

Richard began to ask other practices he knew how they had overcome these issues and what solutions they used: "We got three very strong recommendations for a product called Workspace mini and when we looked at it we could see why." Workspace mini is designed specifically for smaller architectural practices and offers a wide range of industry specific features that immediately appealed to Richard. "We were looking for a proven platform that we were confident would be around in 5 years from now. We needed something that would help rationalise our practice management, complete our administrative duties in a more structured fashion and solve all our information retrieval issues. We wanted to know that if a client rang enquiring about some new work based on a previous project that we could call upon any relevant information within seconds. The system also needed to allow us to work from anywhere that has an internet connection. Workspace will also give us the platform to move confidently forward with a view to gaining our ISO09001 accreditation in the near future."

Workspace delivers a fully indexed and searchable system where all information and documents for the practice can be stored. This includes document management, email management, drawing control, contact management and extranet access so that staff can access the system remotely when not in the office.

Will Yandell, Director at Union Square, said "HSSP are one of more than twenty companies that have taken on Workspace mini in the last year alone. Its fantastic value and easy implementation methodology is proving a real winner with smaller firms within the sector. We are pleased to have HSSP on board as one of our clients to add to our expanding base."

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