Starting my business wasn’t easy. I had served my time as an apprentice, far too much time if you ask me. I was a skilled chippy, ready to take on the world’s carpentry needs. Well, that is what I thought anyway. I had spent years learning the finer points of dowel joints and had planed more than my fair share of planks.

But the reality of being a modern day woodworker soon dawned on me. My days were long and unsatisfying. I would wake at 6am, jump in the work van and start the long journey to collect my team. Our ‘jobs’ varied. One day we were fitting cut-price kitchens in new build or student houses. The next we were building the things from scratch. Working in a gang, I was often out in the rain doing soulless work to get my weekly wage. I would arrive home long after my kids had gone to bed.

My mind was full of projects but my schedule never allowed me the time. I had often thought about becoming self-employed. I could work on projects that interested me and create one-off pieces of furniture. The concept was exciting but the process seemed too daunting. I had no experience of dealing with customers. I definitely couldn’t afford anyone to help me.

The solution came, unexpectedly, at my brother’s wedding. My brother is one of those high flyer types with a well-paid job, a big flat and a shiny car. Most of his friends also seem to have been replaced with similarly high-flying, heavily scented suit wearers. It was then that I discovered the secret. It seemed a lot of them had one thing in common. It enabled them to be in touch with their customers even whilst enjoying the celebration! It can be explained with one word. Outsourcing. Now I know that to a lot of people, this is a dark and dirty word. It conjures up images of entire offices closing down. Employment shipped en mass to distant foreign shores. Customer service standards slipping.

That, it seems, is not the case.

An accountant mentioned Norango, I mean if anyone is good with their money then it is an accountant! He was beyond happy with the service that they provided and even happier with the service provided to his customers by its state of the art cloud contact centre. The proof, as always, is in the pudding (which we had eaten in physical form about an hour before), so we put it to the test. He handed me a card and I dialled his office number.

Within seconds I was talking to a member of his team. They took my details and knew about his movements over the next few days. They were even able to make an appointment for him to call me at a specific time to discuss my needs. Connecting to his online diary, they were able to provide me with a time and location. They even gave me specific parking details and a description of the building to make my life easier. They answered the call in his name, asked all the pertinent questions about my needs and gave me an appointment to take things further. All while he sipped champagne at the reception!
A few moments later he showed me his screen. His diary had been updated by the helpful receptionist who had dealt with my query. He was even given the option to change the appointment, at the click of a button, to a time of his choice!

“It’s all about the CRM” he said with letters that were alien to me. After several long and overly computery moments, it was starting to become clear. His clicking a button automatically updates his receptionist. They, in turn, can contact me without wasting time with endless phone calls and updates. Everything is stored in the cloud and nothing has to be duplicated. His phone connects to Norango, it connects with him, they all work together.

Then I discovered the cost.

I was prepared to hear a horrendous figure; an amount that would keep my self-employment dream on the shelf for another few years. This, it seemed, was not the case. The rest, indeed, is history.

My brother recently celebrated his fifth wedding anniversary. I celebrated almost five years of self-employment. Four and a half of them have been spent with Norango. I wasn’t even sure who deserved a gift more!

Since the very beginning, they have been there, doing so much more than just answering the phone. Their flexible, value led solutions have given me the ability to grow my business as and when I want to. It has even allowed me to enjoy precious family holidays without the worry of work in the background. They really do exactly what they claim to.
I started on my own. Just little me, a van, tools and Norango. At the beginning, it was a blessing to just have someone there to answer the phone when I was busy. They gave me the chance to complete my work and have a full diary of prospective clients waiting for me at the end of the day! They are my office, my digital cloud-based companions, there for me and my customers. They represent my business and they increase my revenue. It’s a simple fact that Norango has more than paid for itself and that lonely van is now part of a fleet of four. With complete control and no contract to adhere to I would urge anyone who wants to grow their business to give it a go.