The Name Label Company specialise in producing the highest quality name labels for all sectors, with multiple clients across the globe. “Having been through both the Elevate Growth and the Elevate Technology programmes, I have to say the support we have received has been exceptional. Well thought out, professionally delivered and thought-provoking, we could not have asked for anything more. I feel very fortunate to be in a county that provides such high levels of business support.” 

Matt Busby, Managing Director of The Name Label Company 

Company Background 

The Name Label Company has been established for ten years and provides an on-line service for the ordering of name labels for both individuals and businesses. They pride themselves on their exceptional customer service - combining high quality products with very competitive lead times. Despite growing their business to support customers all over the world, they remain at heart a family business with strong core values and ethics. 

The Challenge 

As with many businesses, the pandemic gave the business owners at the Name Label Company time to take stock and reassess their business. They had been trading solidly for a number of years and were in a comfortable position. However, they were not challenging themselves nor actively seeking growth opportunities. They first signed up the Elevate Growth programme, which paved the way for them to embark on their Elevate Technology journey. 

We caught up with Managing Director, Matt Busby, to find out more about this process and how it has impacted on both the team and the business...

Matt, what prompted you to embark on the Elevate Technology programme? 

We initially started with a webinar where various support programmes were discussed, we had never considered anything like this before but thought we would try it out. Well, the short story is we enrolled on the Elevate Growth programme and we haven’t looked back since! The consultants were fantastic. They challenged us to look at things more strategically and identify the areas of the business that we needed to develop if we were to take it to the next level. One of these areas was introducing more automation - which led to us enrolling on the Elevate Technology programme, where we received more specialist technical consultancy.

What specialist support did you receive from Elevate Technology? 

Our consultant from Winning Moves, who partner with Elevate Technology on the programme, was brilliant. Firstly he helped us define our goals and our vision for the business - our ‘Vision Orbit’. Following this, we worked with him to review our existing digital structure, where we identified which systems did - and didn’t - interact with each other. We soon realised that with better software, better processes and better technology we could significantly improve our customer experience. After this discovery phase, our consultant helped us develop a Digital Roadmap, to enable us achieve our goals. It was here that we identified the new systems and developments we wanted to invest in. 

How has the support you received from Elevate Technology impacted upon your business? 

It has really helped clarify the areas we wish to focus on. We have already implemented some of the changes - for example, extending our on-line ‘Label Builder’ to other product areas, which our customers have found really helpful. Our next step is to invest in more automation of our printing services - we are currently going through the match-funding grant application, and we are being supported all the way by the team. The grant funding is making this investment much more affordable - which means we are able to fast-track it and introduce it now, instead of in a few years’ time. 

Has the Elevate Technology programme had any impact on your employees? 

It has had a significant impact. We are a close team, but the advice we received has really helped energise and focus the management team. It has encouraged us to review our core business and what we want to achieve, but more importantly, it has given us the confidence to diversify into different product areas to really grow the business. We have even recruited new employees on the basis of the changes we have introduced. Some employees might be fearful of automation, but our team has actively embraced it. They understand that better processes strengthen our competitive advantage, which in turn makes the business stronger and gives them job security. We started our journey to becoming a Carbon Neutral company in 2019, which is very important to us all. We have just signed up for another year and are about to be audited. 

And finally, what would you say to any other businesses considering applying for the Elevate Technology programme?

I would say ‘Just do it!’. It really is a no-brainer. We have been supported at every stage and the advice we have received has really helped transform the business. I genuinely don’t know where we would be if we hadn’t been through this process.

Elevate Technology is an ERDF business support programme aimed at growing SMEs within Worcestershire, who are looking to adopt and maximise digital tools and technologies which will in turn, support the future growth of their business. The programme is an exclusive offer and successful applicants will receive a minimum of 12 hours of high quality, specialist business support from digital technology experts.