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Case study
Situated in the picturesque Scottish Highlands, Campbell’s of Beauly is a family run country tailor and outfitters which has been operating since 1858. A thriving retail business and busy tailoring workshop, the business has grown significantly over the last eight years and new systems and integrations have been installed to ensure the business runs efficiently.
Now keen to explore ways to get the most out of their customer relationship management (CRM) system to improve processes, increase productivity and open up the online shop to international trade, Campbell’s of Beauly hosted a student placement during summer 2023, with funding support from the Northern Innovation Hub’s (NIH) Technology Placement Programme.
Nicola Sugden, director of Campbell’s of Beauly, explains: “We have three platforms to sell products - two physical shops and the website. We knew there were better ways to extract and manipulate our data to streamline reporting, and we had the opportunity to incorporate the use of our new CRM handheld device to eliminate the printing and paperwork involved.
A student placement afforded us the time and support to consider the opportunities available through digital technology.Nicola Sugden, Director, Campbell’s of Beauly
“Bringing student Bogdan on board for a 12-week placement afforded us the time and support to consider the opportunities available through digital technology. We gained new insights and a better understanding of how technology can save time and generate new talking points by presenting our data in different formats.”
With opportunities for both parties during a student placement, Nicola said: “I would highly recommend the Technology Placement Programme to other businesses and students as both employer and employee can learn from each other.
“The student can step into ‘the work world’ and gain an understanding of teamwork, how a business is run and more generally, the workplace dynamics.”
Committed to nurturing the next generation of talent, this was Campbell’s of Beauly’s third student placement hire. Highlighting the particular benefits of taking up a placement with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the doors this can open, she continued: “Those who’ve taken part in a placement here have had full access to the owner so while they gain insight from the project they are working on, they are also exposed to so much more. They get the opportunity to shadow those working in the organisation, take part in different business conversations and topics, and absorb all they can - the opportunity to ask questions at their leisure is a big advantage.”
The NIH Technology Placement Programme offers organisations of all sizes in the Highland Council area up to 70% funding for a student or graduate placement to help businesses keep up with the pace of technological change and accelerate growth through innovation.
Find out more about the Technology Placement Programme or explore how else we can help you.
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