Anyone walking into the futuristic new offices of Businesswise Solutions is in for a shock.
The Lancashire-based company has become one of the poster boys of the energy sector since being launched from a kitchen table by current directors Frazer Durris and Dean Cockett in 2010.
Fast forward eight years and a lot has changed. The business has enjoyed 30-50 per cent revenue growth year-on-year for each of the last five years and is on track to grow turnover to £5 million turnover by 2020.
The company has invested heavily in technology, evidenced by the launch of its interactive visionary new energy centre where visitors are invited to immerse themselves in an energy journey like never seen before.
The tech you can’t see is arguably even more impressive. The energy expert utilises a bespoke, inhouse CRM system to digitally track customer progress alongside their dedicated trading desk taking direct feeds from Reuters to track markets in real time.
Customers have access to data via a dedicated portal where they can view consumption patterns across multiple sites. They also use electronic bill validation software to support manual invoice validation processes
Rather than just monitor energy consumption of a whole factory their technology can monitor usage right down to a single machine or device.
Managing director Durris (pictured below, left) was heavily involved in transforming the empty 10,000 sq ft shell in a ground-breaking energy centre and inspiring workplace for its growing team.
“Energy has long been a fractured market, offering a poor, outdated service,” he said. “It is our aim to change this perception.
“We want this to be a space where we can educate customers about the opportunities available to them; disrupting the market using better buying and management methods, new technologies, data and artificial intelligence to their advantage.
“Focusing on long-term goals and not short-term profits, we’re looking to grow our team from 40 to 60 by 2019, in order to deliver our ambitious targets.”
The space was officially unveiled at a launch event where Burnley Football Club director Brendan Flood and Dennis Mendoros, former MD of Pendle’s multi-million pound aerospace firm, Euravia, shared stories about their business careers to an invited audience.