Staring into the answer to business problems

Companies are losing out by not using their computer systems effectively, according to Gravitas, a Stockport-based company that uses IT skills to solve business problems. The company firmly believes that most companies are not benefiting as they could from even the most common tools available to them. As a result they spend too much time, effort and money on often repetitive tasks when they could streamline the way they do business, and transform the day-to-day data they gather into information that could help drive productivity and profitability.

This problem affects companies of all sizes, and it’s often the smallest and the largest who can benefit most: the largest because even a small percentage improvement in profitability and efficiency can impact the bottom line; while small companies are always struggling to maximise the effectiveness of often limited resources. Gravitas’ clients range from the leading credit card company to a small high-street employment agency, and cover just about every business and industry sector, including the public sector.

Gravitas MD John Spencer loves the variety of tasks the company has to tackle: ‘No two days are the same — one day we could be designing a thermodynamic calculator, the next helping a care-sector charity through complex decision-making processes. But the aim is always the same: to build improvements into some aspect of the way an organisation operates. Often we find many companies simply aren’t aware of the advantages that can be delivered by the potential of their computer and IT systems.’

The tasks Gravitas has handled include creating and maintaining a marketing analysis database for one of the UK’s biggest providers of credit cards, and developing an enhanced quality control information system for world-leading glass cord manufacturer NGF (Europe). ‘We’re developing a system for NFG that will allow it to provide customers with detailed product quality specifications, which will help its competitiveness,’ John says.

It’s not only big organisations that provide the most rewarding challenges for the team, John is enthusiastic when he says they simply enjoy finding ways of solving problems: ‘For example we recently helped a small, specialised company become more efficient by developing a system that more accurately processes candidate suitability. Seeing the benefits of this in action is really fulfilling.’

Most of Gravitas’s work involves manipulating existing data that’s produced by computers and turning it into information organisations can use to build business and cut costs. It’s the use of standard tools, many already used on a daily basis by most companies, that’s at the heart of Gravitas’s success. “Excel is a good example. Most companies are familiar with it for running budgets and expenses, but they’re surprised when they see the power of its data handling capabilities. Because we use the most popular office tools to solve problems, it often eliminates the need for customers to invest in expensive new equipment or systems.

The company also delivers a wide range of non-IT related services to a wide range of sectors from charities to local government.

For further information, please contact John Spencer on: 0161 480 9595