Attracting clients, reducing costs and staying busy in a slow economy

Stewart Thorley tells how Caddie Architectural CAD software has helped his business thrive despite the recession and a broken arm...

Q. Stewart, can you firstly tell us a little about your business and the work you do?

ST. I run a one-man architectural practice in Crewe, Cheshire dealing with everything from domestic extensions to housing developments, through to industrial, retail and warehousing, via doctors surgeries and ecclesiastical, the work is very varied as you can see. These days I draw everything myself using my Caddie CAD software, whereas previously I used to employ two additional staff making three of us in all. Having made the move to Caddie, I'm pleased to say that I now produce more work on my own than we used to as an office, which for me is great because it gives me more direct control, and saves me a considerable amount of money too.

Q. So your work covers a very wide range of building types as well as differing types of construction; do you advertise widely for work or would you say there is a particular reason why your clients choose you in preference to others?

ST. I firmly believe that it's the quality of my drawings that brings clients to my door, keeping me busy, and shielding me from the effects of the slow economy, whereas others around me are struggling for work, even despite expensive advertising campaigns.

Q. What is it, would you say that sets your drawings apart from those of your competitors?

ST. First and foremost, drawings need to communicate, and it's the presentation I'm able to deliver using Caddie that allows clients to understand my drawings, even from a layman's perspective, as well as making them attractive to the Planners. But drawings need to work on a technical level too, and Caddie allows me to produce drawings that are both technically accurate, and easy to build from, providing my clients with value for money in a very price and value conscious world. And it's when those prospective clients come to my office that I see the value of Caddie particularly, because in a market that's stacked with competition, they always want to cast a critical eye over the quality of my drawings. I always derive pleasure when I learn of the recommendations that bring new clients to my door too, whether it's from past clients or maybe even comments from those at the local Planning Authorities and Building Control, where my work has been rewarded with a 'Highly Commended' under their Partnership scheme.  Wherever the recommendations come from, it's always the quality of my drawings that are at the top of the list.

Q. Caddie would seem to be quite a key component in the success of your practice, what made you choose Caddie over other systems? 

ST. I learned to draw on the drawing board, and as those coming from the same background will know, the drawing board gives you a total freedom to communicate and express your ideas through the style of your drawings. Caddie provided me with the same freedom to design, as well as incorporating the same basic drawing techniques I was familiar with; Construction Lines for setting out, lines of varying widths to create that sense of depth within drawings, and so on, the logical stepping stones I needed to migrate to using CAD. I also found Caddie really simple to use, something that became an absolute essential for me when an accident left me with a severely broken right arm. With Caddie I found I could still carry on drawing even using my 'wrong' hand, something I had to do for many months, and it was this user friendliness that saved my business, allowing me to continue working whilst my arm recovered.

Q. Where there any other factors that made you choose Caddie?

ST. Another key factor for me in choosing Caddie was the backup and support. As with anything new, whether you're buying a new piece of software or upgrading your mobile phone, the key to success is how quickly you get answers to any questions you have. Some people like to read manuals, others prefer to watch 'How to' videos, all of which you have with Caddie, but for me the difference was the personal support. In fact I recall my surprise when the guy who sold me the system actually came good on his promise to come in to my office and set up the system for me when I said I wasn't too confident. It's nice to know that Caddie isn't just a load of empty promises, as with so many other things these days. And right from day one, no matter how trivial the question seemed, the support was always patient and helpful, even offering advice on how I could save myself some more time by introducing me to new tools. And now using Caddie's Remote Assistance facility, the support guys can link directly to my machine through an internet connection allowing them to show me exactly how to do the things that are holding me up.

Q. Having become proficient with CAD, would you say that Caddie still provides you with that edge you need to keep ahead of the competition?

ST. Having used Caddie for a number of years over a wide and varied range of work from conversion works on churches and pubs, to bespoke housing, commercial, and agricultural buildings, I'm happy to say that the system always delivers everything I need in a CAD system. It's easy to use, and the tools it provides me with for drawing everything from walls to steelwork, give me the flexibility I need to get the job done, quickly, simply, and without fuss, something I'm sure many users of other systems would love to be able say. And as Caddie continues to evolve, with each new version making things faster and easier, the support provided is always patient and extremely helpful, never making me feel inadequate and enabling me to get to grips with the latest time saving tools.
Using Caddie also saves me a fortune too; it's not so long ago that Local Authority submission required expensive printing facilities and spending time stuffing envelopes with countless prints. Whereas, now I can produce a perfect PDF copy of my drawing and submit everything electronically without ever leaving my seat. The PDF's I produce with Caddie are also ideal for my clients too, since it enables them to view their drawings on their own PCs, notebooks and even phones, printing whatever copies they need, and emailing them around to builders to get quotes.
Caddie has also enabled me to free up valuable office space too. By saving my drawings electronically I've managed to liberate two entire rooms that were previously crammed wall to wall with drawings, space that doesn't come cheap these days. And because I can keep multiple backup copies of all my files, my drawings are safer too, leaving me less exposed to risk from leaks, fires and all the other things that can wipe out the records of past jobs.

Q. How would you sum up what Caddie means to you and your business? 

ST. All in all, Caddie offers me the perfect solution to my CAD needs, it's simple to use yet flexible enough to enable me to do all my work on it without having to invest in and learn other packages, which enables me to produce drawings I'm proud to say are mine. For a guy like me working on his own, Caddie provides me with the backup I need to help me get the job done; their support has a personal touch that always makes me feel that my questions are important, and it's like having your own personal iT guru on tap every day.

Advanced Computer Solutions (Europe) Ltd

Advanced Computer Solutions are global providers of CAD solutions for the Architectural and Engineering industries. ACS own, develop, market and support…