ACUTEC swapped megabytes for soundbites to give its clients an insight into the world of PR.

Left to right: Adam Dent – ADVENT PR, Alan Setchell – Woodway Engineering, Michael Hammon – Hammons Solicitors, Helen Brewster – ACUTEC, Beth Webb – Hammons Solicitors, Sharon Veitch – Tappex, Abi O’Leary – Coventry Sports Trust, Andy Watts – Webro

Adam Dent, managing director of Advent Communications, was invited to speak at the company’s client open day event at the office in Coleshill.

ACUTEC hosts several events throughout the year on a range of topics including the latest developments in IT as well as other areas of business.

Helen Brewster, of ACUTEC, said: “We like to get to know our clients and their businesses because that helps hugely in the way we can support them.

“There is a misconception that IT companies are not the best communicators, especially when it comes to face-to-face relationships but we have recognised how important clear lines of communication are in ensuring we meet and surpass the needs of our clients.

“We have some very talented IT experts here and getting under the skin of our clients’ businesses makes it much easier to advise and help them.

“Our open days give us a chance to get together and meet face-to-face and we were delighted that Adam could join us to give us an inside view on PR.”

Dent said: “The horizon is changing when it comes to PR but many of the guiding principles remain the same whether you are writing for a newspaper or operating in social media.

“Every company has a story to tell, but it is a case of identifying what makes a good story and writing them in the correct way to appeal to the media.”

A new online booking system that has brought students and their tutors closer together in one school at the University of Wolverhampton is set to be rolled out across the entire university.

The School of Applied Sciences at the university called in experts from ACUTEC to improve the way students book time with their tutors.

ACUTEC developed an application which manages the whole system and allows students to book a time and place to meet a member of staff.

Such has been the positive feedback from the 2,200 currently using the web-based system, all 20,000 students will now benefit from it from September 2012.

“It’s hard to believe that many universities still operate on a ‘post-it-note on the door system’ for booking meetings between students and tutors,” said Richard Homfray, Science Specialist IT Manager at the University of Wolverhampton.

“We wanted to use the latest technology to ensure maximum efficiency for the process and we are delighted with the result – it works extremely well for everyone.

“Student appointments are now timetabled, the system books the meeting room and checks the availability of the tutor. The room booking feature is extremely clever in itself as it does so based on the location of the member of staff, which is very convenient and is much more efficient all round.

“It also acts as a record as meetings are recorded so that students and their tutors have evidence of when they have met and what was discussed.

“The system has caught the eye of the rest of the university and now, with one or two tweaks from ACUTEC, could be ready to go live in September.”

Steve Best, of ACUTEC, said it was a great example of where technology could ease the burden on an organisation.

He said: “Some might find it hard to believe that some universities and colleges use such an antiquated system for booking meetings but they do.

“The School of Applied Sciences at the University of Wolverhampton has tackled this head on and we have built them a robust system to handle this whole process.

“We are delighted that it is working so well and that the rest of the university is keen to follow suit and make use of the web-based system.

“It highlights where technology can really be a time-saver when implemented correctly. That is what we have done here and it means incessant calls to set up appointments are no longer necessary – it’s now handled quickly and efficiently online.

“We look forward to working closely with the University of Wolverhampton on rolling this system out.”

Pictured: Steve Best (ACUTEC) with Richard Homfray (University of Wolverhampton)

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Due to organic growth within ACUTEC we are looking to expand our existing sales team by at least two more, both as a Technical New Business Executive and a Technical Account Manager. ACUTEC are also looking for an experienced .NET programmer with SQL expertise.

We are looking for individuals who are passionate about finding the RIGHT solutions for our clients, who want the security of knowing they have an excellent technical team to support the implementation of your recommendations.

If you have a proven track record selling Microsoft Small Business Server, networking installation and infrastructure and are looking to join a growing company who has a reputation to be proud of, you may be the person we are looking for.

Please send you CV to Helen.brewster@acutec.co.uk with a covering letter in the first instance.

A charitable organisation, which supports people with learning disabilities across South Warwickshire, is improving efficiency by investing in IT and continuing a 17-year relationship.

Stratford & District Mencap supports more than 100 people with learning disabilities across the county and has placed IT at the heart of its plans for the future.

The organisation aims to offer tailored support for people’s needs rather than a one-size fits all solution but, in the days of austerity, it needs to run even more efficiently to do that.

So it is investing in a new computerised rota system, which is being installed by ACUTEC, which has provided IT solutions to the organisation for 17 years.

The new system will be integrated into its existing network and will improve efficiency because, currently, that information is captured manually.

Finance manager Peter Dean, who joined Stratford & District Mencap 17 years ago, said the use of new technology is becoming increasingly important and that his time with the organisation highlighted the change in attitude towards IT.

“When I first came here, I was tasked with buying the first PC,” he said. “I picked up the Yellow Pages – of course it would be Google or Yell.com now – and found a company called Computime in Coventry. I had to run the decision of buying a computer past the board!

“Computime became part of ACUTEC a couple of years ago and over the years they have served us extremely well. We have gone to them to say when we need a new function and they regularly come to us to say our system could be improved.

“Originally, we needed to start using IT for accounting purposes to improve efficiency that way. Now, we are adding our rota onto the network and again that will make us work smarter.

“Our managers, most of whom work externally, will now all have access to it wherever they are and that will be a massive help and will improve the way we work.

“Everyone is being asked to deliver the same service but for less money and that is why we must always strive to be more efficient in this way.”

Chris Roche, managing director of ACUTEC, said: “We have been delighted to support Stratford & District Mencap over the years as it does fantastic work.

“They are a great example to many other organisations of their type, in that they recognise just how big a part IT can play and want to use it to its full.

“Like any other charitable organisation, they don’t have money to burn so they have to get the maximum out of their budget and the fact we have a 17-year relationship proves that we deliver.”

As well as enjoying a gala dinner, the nine strong group from ACUTEC also heard from Lord Digby Jones, who was the keynote speaker at the event to celebrate the achievements of the organisation.

The Gala Dinner raised £21,469.23 to support the training of young people to mentor NEET and pre-NEET youngsters.

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The company has bought Stratford-upon-Avon based Chase Meadow Communications to add further telephony expertise to its business offer.

Chris Roche, managing director of ACUTEC, said the firm was also looking to recruit a technical account manager and a technical new business executive to help it grow even further.

He said: “We set out a couple of years ago to grow both organically and by acquisition and we are continuing with that strategy.

“IT and telecommunications have converged in recent years and I have certainly noticed more of our IT clients requesting a full telecommunications package.

“In many instances now, company’s telephone systems are now connected to their PC network so it makes sense for them to look to one provider of both.

“Naturally, they trust their IT provider to telecommunications rather than their telecoms provide to offer IT support.

“We saw an opportunity to takeover Chase Meadow Communications and to add its technical director, Paul Shirley, to our team here.

“That has happened and we are confident this is an area of the market we can continue to expand into.”

Chase Meadow Communications serviced around 75 clients across the Midlands and that will continue.

Chris added: “The ‘traditional’ IT side of the business is growing too and we are looking to recruit further staff.

“We are delighted to be growing in the current climate and that’s because we ensure all of our clients see the value we add to their business.”