Reports/Case studies

At the start of November 2001, Phil Nicholls created eMerge Information Technology Ltd to provide the Priority integrated business solution to small-to-medium sized businesses in the UK. To date the company has grown by doubling head-count and turnover every year.

eMerge Information Technology Ltd supplies, implements and supports the Priority solution to manufacturing and distribution companies throughout the UK and is part of a worldwide support structure for this product. eMerge is partly owned by an Israeli organisation and so much is its communication requirements is international in nature.

When he started the company, Phil Nicholls relied on an ISDN line into his house where the company began its operations. However with the growing customer base and requirements for more staff, in six months he needed to move into regular office accommodation.

This provided the opportunity to sort out the communication strategy and to make use of Broadband technology. Because eMerge has customers around the UK who are using the Priority software to manage their businesses, it is imperative that it can provide fast and cost-effective support. The best way of doing this is to link from its Eastleigh offices direct to the customers computer network via the Internet or by a dial-up connection.

The advantage of having Broadband covers many areas from the immediate access to e-mail to minimising the need to travel to customers’ premises. An assessment of the cost benefits has revealed that the telephony costs of an 8-man office (two of which are telemarketing all day) is less today with Broadband (along with a least cost telephone supplier) than it was when the company started with Phil working on his own on an ISDN line. This ignores the cost benefits of not having to travel to customer sites as often.

This has led Phil to the conclusion that: “In the IT industry today, Broadband is not an option, it is a necessity.”

Website: www.emerge-it.co.uk