The Company
Henry is a London decorative artist, bespoke surface designer/finisher & colourist. He fronts a small friendly team of London’s finest decorative artists & artisans through his company HVART LTD. The business was established in 1988 and the majority of the team has now worked together for over two decades helping Henry to create some of the world’s finest interiors.
HVART work predominantly for London Interior Designers & Architects to create beautiful classic & contemporary surface designs and finishes in both paint and plaster mediums.
Tell us about yourself & your firm… what sets you apart?
Over the last three decades Henry & the team has completed commissions throughout the UK, Ireland & Scotland and internationally in Jersey, Gibraltar, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Montenegro, Sweden, Egypt, Lebanon, Seychelles, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, Kenya, China & Russia.
Henry & team have been instrumental in the environmentally friendly water borne paint movement in the UK & since 1996 he has been trading as a ‘Green’ business believing in looking after the planet, themselves & their clients. It is their policy to use as few solvents as possible. Due to this they became the innovators of the ‘HV’Art Lacquer Paint’ system.
How many clients/jobs do you have?
We average 100 clients a year.
How did you hear about NextMinute?
I first heard about NextMinute from a contractor we work closely with. He described a system that could help me keep on top of my jobs and allow my team to work closer together, so I had to try it out!
The Solution
Why did you decide to opt for NextMinute?
One of the main reason we decided to go with NextMinute was because of the bespoke nature of the system. The support team have tailored our system to match what we were already doing. There has been no need to learn a whole new way of working.
Another reason we went with NextMinute was so that I could keep control of what was happening within the business without countless hours of sitting behind a desk. My team can add their own information from their phones, like timesheets and photos, and I can focus on growing the business.
Finally, NextMinute has allowed me to start to organise the business to allow someone else to come in and help me. Before, we were relying on emails and spreadsheets and it would have been impossible for someone else to come in.
Tell us about how your business worked before NextMinute?
Excel sheets and panic.
Was there a particular problem NextMinute helped solve for you?
One of our problems was information falling through the cracks when we’re busy! Now, when a client requests something, we can make a note against the job and follow it up when we get back to the office. It’s also improved our accuracy on jobs sites. Not only can the guys accurately record their time but we can store photos against the jobs and then repurpose them for our social media.
I love that I can be on the tools and invoices can still be sent by the office team. Before, we were constantly waiting for each other in order to get anything done.
Has NextMinute helped improve the working relationship with your clients / accountant / staff or team?
Yes, definitely 100%. My relationship with my team has improved as we no longer have to bother each other when chasing for information or timesheets.
NextMinute is only part of the next step in business optimisation. What else are you doing to make your business work better for you?
We are currently building an interactive checklist for our jobs to ensure all of our customers are given the same level of service from our team.
