Westcountry Quality Systems
Westcountry Quality Systems is a consultancy business based in Launceston.
Director Mike Jarvis says "It’s my job to help companies make money by improving productivity and reducing waste."
Mike has spent 15 years specialising in the installation of the worldwide recognised Quality Management Systems ISO 9001 and recently the Environmental Management System ISO 14001, because both these systems improve companies efficiency and help reduce the impact of global warming.
Since the take up of broadband, Mike finds that the company’s use of paper and additional printing costs has been cut by round 80%.
"I can’t remember the last time I bought a paper roll for my fax machine" says Mike. "My work is all about documentation and implementing systems and since broadband, I no longer have to print out before faxing or posting – I simply prepare a file then email it.
"Broadband has made a huge difference. As well as the environmental benefits of reduced use of resources, I am making huge savings in cost and time. I can get answers from my customers within minutes, from anywhere in the world. Similarly, I carry out most of my research online, whereas previously I would have been working from printed documents.
Mike is also experiencing savings in fuel use and travelling time.
"My use of fuel has been cut by 60% since broadband. Previously, I had to travel to clients to pick up folders and documents from them. Now they simply email them to me. I also used to have to have many more face-to-face meetings. Now I email my questions to a client and they email me back the answers. Because many of my clients are 200+ miles away in London or Birmingham, this makes a huge saving in both fuel use and time, increasing the efficiency and profitability of the company. I am now also able to deal with email enquiries from overseas – whereas they would have been unlikely to make a postal enquiry.
"Overall, the business is benefiting immensely from broadband – and the benefits to the environment in terms of reduced use of paper and fuel also represent a measurable cost saving to the business."
Mike believes that with the increasing use of broadband and its inherent reliability, he expects even more savings for the future as more and more companies realise the benefits of fast emailing and conference calling etc.
