Clive Weston is the practice manager at Cymon Allfrey Architects, a Christchurch-based architecture firm specialising in all aspects of design, including residential projects, commercial buildings, apartment complexes and retail premises. Which cloud-based technologies do you use in the business?
WorkflowMax, Xero and Dropbox are all vital cloud-based technologies that we use on a daily basis. WorkflowMax is the backbone of our business. It describes the nature and complexity of work we are doing and then captures the progress of these
jobs through the office, as well as recording all the staff time and associated costs. The program allows us to store all of our job information, making access to material easy. Come invoicing day it automatically feeds the invoices created into Xero. Once they're set up correctly, Xero and Workflowmax automatically communicate with each other making invoicing and reconciliations painless and smooth. Using Dropbox allows us to share large files effortlessly and store our vital information in one secure place.
What impact has using these technologies had on the practice?
They have been invaluable resources for our practice as they have allowed us to access information with ease. The integration of WorkflowMax and Xero has saved us a lot of time and stress, because when we need to locate information we find it all in one place. The time spent producing and editing invoices on invoicing day has been cut to a third of what it used to be before adopting these programs. Using Dropbox has also enabled staff to access important files from outside the office if they are away from their desks.
What have been some of the challenges you've experienced in terms of embracing the cloud?
Like every new system it takes time to learn the way it operates, although most of the programs are intuitive and pretty straightforward to use. The investment is minimal as all you need is an internet connection (ADSL is fine), and to pay the relatively modest monthly charges. There is no hardware to purchase - it all operates in your web browser. The basic Dropbox is a free service, and the more referrals you give to the service the more free storage you get.
How have you gone about deciding which technologies to go for?
