Vectis Auctions, based in Thornaby, worked with experts from the University’s School of Computing to examine the current systems and practices and look at where improvements could be made.
As part of The Hambleton Group, Vectis Auctions specialises in collectable toys such as Corgi, Matchbox and Hornby, as well as toys related to television, film and comics. Auctions are held on the premises but bids can be placed online.
Joanne Noble and Barry Hebbron, senior lecturers in computing at Teesside University, together with Andrew Gibbon, Projects Developer in the University’s School of Computing, were tasked with analysing the performance of the Vectis website.
'Our task was to analyse the current systems and requirements and build a model of the business processes and the workflows, offering suggestions where improvements could be made and where processes could be streamlined - a sort of business systems health check', explained Joanne.
'Sometimes changes aren’t required to an aspect of a business’s systems, but to have confirmation from somebody impartial can be reassuring.'
Teesside University also worked with two other companies from The Hambleton Group – ArtsBank, based in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, to evaluate whether the website met business objectives and Teesside Caravans, to ensure its website reflected the growth of the business.
Barry said: 'The partnership between Teesside University and The Hambleton Group has been extremely beneficial and allowed us to offer bespoke consultancy to three very different, but successful, businesses.'
Jonathan Goodall, Managing Director of The Hambleton Group, said they would be calling upon the expertise at Teesside University again in the future.
He added: 'We chose to work with Teesside University because of its renowned School of Computing and we knew we could trust the School to provide us with an independent view and unbiased suggestions throughout the project.
'It was a great experience working with each member of the extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable University team - from the initial project meetings all the way up to the final presentation and beyond. The project culminated with an in-depth report which was clear and concise and has provided us with invaluable information which we can now use to help drive our IT plans forward.'
Teesside University has a huge variety of consultancy expertise and experience, with clients ranging from small and medium enterprises to national and multi-national businesses and major public sector organisations.