Lewis & Hickey Architects
Lewis & Hickey Ltd is a leading UK firm of architects and design consultancy, offering architectural and interior design, electrical and mechanical engineering, 3D visuals and project management. They have offices across the UK and in Prague, with clients including the Royal Bank of Scotland and Marks & Spencer.
Although they're over 100 years old, they're far from stuck in their ways when it comes to embracing new technology. L&H use lots of Skype's key features, like instant messaging, free calling, calls to phones and cells, video and conference calling, and SkypeIn – online numbers for new clients can call to get in touch.
"Now we have Skype, the amount of time our teams spend talking with one another has increased enormously."
Keeping costs down
"We have clients and teams across the UK and internationally. We rely on teams sharing ideas and keeping in regular contact with our customers. That can come at a high cost. But since we started using Skype, the amount we're spending on cell phone and landline phone calls has dropped significantly", said Benoit Mareschal, Director, Business Development for Lewis & Hickey.
L&H had invested in a specialist ISDN video conferencing facility but was frustrated that it wasn't being used. Benoit explains, "Partly because it was too difficult to use and always had to be booked in advance. Skype has made a real difference. You can conference call from your desk whenever you like. Skype conference calling gets used much more than our specialist system ever did, plus it's free!"
"As we work on projects, conferencing calling between teams and new customers is an important part of the design and consultation process. Now we have Skype, the amount of time our teams spend talking with one another has increased enormously."
Better ideas thanks to Skype
Skype helps L&H's teams be more creative. "We run a creative business. Using Skype encourages instant reactions from the team and more and more people are using it for testing or discussing ideas they have. People seem much more comfortable asking informal questions of one another. Skype is such a natural way to communicate. This is important because often the answers to seemingly trivial questions help you get on with your job faster."
With Skype, if we can't remember when we spoke to a customer or what was agreed, we can easily go back over the conversation chat and check."
Saving important business communication
"More and more of our business decisions are now made using Skype. It is vital that we track and file these important conversations. Skype helps here too", said Benoit. L&H ensures staff use Skype to save information on discussions, online chats and file transfers. This is a way of maintaining that all important virtual paper-trail.
But Skype is not just helping his team at work; Benoit believes it is helping at home too. "We have a diverse and multicultural work-force at our company and they feel much closer to their families thanks to Skype. Many of us use it to keep in contact with friends and family too."
Skype revolutionizes office design
L&H is at the forefront of a revolution in workplace environments. Benoit explains, "In recent years we've lead a major change in how work spaces are designed. The notion of the traditional office has changed forever. There is a growing demand from staff and employers for more flexibility and mobility. This requires a complete re-think aound the design principles of the office."
Benoit continues, "We are now taking our experiences [with Skype] and suggesting them to our customers. It's very exciting. We see ourselves at the forefront of a radical rethink in the whole idea of what an office is and how we communicate with one another."
