Business case studies
Tristan Kimber Upholstery
Tristan Kimber runs an upholstery business from a workshop and showroom in Blackwater, near Truro.
He has just connected to superfast broadband and is thrilled by the possibilities it opens up for his business.
Tristan says: “Superfast broadband will allow us to reach out to new customers across the UK and even worldwide. We specialise in traditional and antique upholstery and as well as private clients, we have contracts with hotels and interior designers. We also manufacture items such as headboards, footstools and bespoke furniture and we will now be able to sell these through an online shop.
Expanding through eCommerce
“We are setting up a new website that will be geared up for eCommerce and we expect that this will help us expand the business. With superfast broadband, we will be able to update and maintain the website in a flash as well as make more use of video in our marketing.
“Superfast will also drastically improve our communications. We will be able to speak to customers face to face on online video calls through Skype. Some of our customers live in London and this will help us maintain a more personal style of relationship with them and even show them fabrics, sundries and work in progress on their furniture as it is carried out. Superfast broadband will revolutionise the way we can communicate with our customers as well as save us considerable amounts of money on telephone calls to clients.
Saving time
“Superfast will also make it far quicker for us to order supplies online and carry out internet based research, saving us time that we can use to focus on our business.
“Upholstery is a traditional craft and one that has been in decline but we anticipate that we can use superfast broadband to help pass on our skills and make it relevant to a new generation. We are currently used as a training centre for an upholstery course run through Truro College and superfast broadband provides an opportunity for us to explore moving into online, video-based training in future, reaching out to a wider audience.
New opportunities
“Superfast will also help us streamline the way we run the business and we will be able to look at the new wave of state of the art applications available through cloud computing, which would not previously have been able to consider, and which can help us run the business more effectively, such as backing up all our files online.
Tristan adds: “As well as expanding our business horizons, superfast broadband will also open up new opportunities for us at home. We have a 9 month old baby girl, Beth, and so it will be great to be able to access TV on demand and catch up with programmes we have missed at a time that suits us, as well as download films at lightning fast speeds. With our young family, online shopping is a godsend and now we will be able to shop online in a fraction of the time. Superfast broadband will change our lives for the better in a vast number of ways.”
www.tristankimberupholstery.com
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