Laura Clarke, CEO, OA Group went live with PowerBI in February 21 and now manages all aspects of activity, finance and compliance using the bespoke reporting suite we delivered to them.
See what she has to say below...
Stephen Bowler
Stephen was using an older, less flexible reporting tool that mostly focused on calls made, with the rest of his information coming from manual spreadsheets. Our Power BI suite revolutionised his understanding of his data and allowed him to focus attention where value and opportunities were most plentiful. He describes this journey...
Owen Robinson
"We have worked with Stuart Bentley & the Needlestack team on a number of projects and always found the team to be professional and diligent, understanding of our needs and delivering beyond our expectations. Our latest project involved the engagement of Needlestack to source and qualify company and contact data from various different mediums and deliver back in a format that could easily be imported into our CRM. The required data was from a broad spectrum of industry sectors covering an array of job position titles giving us a competitive edge on being able to quickly and effectively make contact with the correct decision makers. In the short time this project has been live we are already reaping the benefits and seeing a significant return on our investment. I would highly recommend Stuart & the Needlestack team."
Cj Harrison
"I first met Stuart as a recommendation during our initial migration to the RDB ProNet CRM system and we engaged him both to advise us on configuration to maximise efficiency within the business, and also to undertake some additional training to get the team up to speed as quickly as possible. Since that time he has also advised us on the set up and integration of Secured Signing within the CRM and I have no doubt will remain a go-to for additional support as we further integrate Secured Signing into our processes.
From the moment we engaged him, Stuart very quickly took on board our unique requirements and came up with practical solutions that can only be seen with a vast understanding of the stored procedures and the possible configurations. Introducing us to elements of the software that had previously been overlooked but are now key to our business, his pragmatic and patient approach to the delivery of services is truly refreshing.
Stuart is calm, reassuring and approachable - exactly what you need when undertaking such a business critical project. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to implement new systems and processes, or tailoring existing systems to better suit their requirements. What he doesn't know, quite simply, isn't worth knowing."
Kevin O'Malley
"Inspiring and motivating, that is what comes to mind if I describe my time working with Stuart.
I have had the pleasure of working with Stuart over a number of months, while working remotely on projects together during the pandemic and while he was on site delivering training in our Irish and UK offices.
Having worked with him on numerous projects, the drive he brings to a group is phenomenal. As for his training, his ability to deliver key information and to keep his audience engaged is second to none.
It doesn’t do him any harm that his Scottish brogue is very easy to listen to, (however his take on an Irish accent is very Tom Cruise, “Far & Away).
I would have no hesitation in recommending Stuart Bentley to any organisation who is undertaking a new technology projects or is looking to deliver top-class in-house training for their staff.
Thank you Stuart for all your help and advice."
Laura Clark
"From the moment we engaged with Stuart to help us implement our new CRM system - I knew that he would get us up and running with no problem. I would describe Stuart as organised, result driven and pragmatic, always guiding us through solutions that work for the business.
For anything IT focused, Stuart is your man and I cannot recommend him highly enough."
Michael Crossley
"Stuart really is an expert in all things RDB / Access Recruitment CRM!
If you are and existing RDB/ Access Recruitment CRM user that wants to ensure you are getting the most from the system or are looking to set up for the first time I would strongly advise that you give Stuart a call.
Stuart has recently helped us to set up a project to move our company over from the desktop version of RDB to Access Recruitment CRM and to set up the new compliance tool .
In a short space of time Stuart was able to work with us to review and understand how we currently use RDB, advise on features that we may not be making the most of and help us make any changes necessary to ensure that our transition to Access Recruitment CRM is seamless.
Stuart has shown us how the new compliance tool works, trained us so we know exactly what we need to do to set the system up and is helping us communicate with Access Group to ensure that we end up with a final product that does everything that we need.
I highly recommend Stuart and I look forward to working with him again in the future."
Chris Myers
"Stuart was engaged by Nicholas Associates Group during the planning and implementation phases of our business critical project to migrate from Bond Adapt to RDB ProNet.
Stuart initially advised on project strategy before becoming heavily involved in the specification of our migrations from multiple offices and business streams within our Group.
Stuart’s knowledge of RDB ProNet has been gained over many years was proven to be invaluable to Nicholas Associates Group allowing the Project Team to deploy the new RDB ProNet system across the group in the way the business wanted to with very little disruption to the business operations as a result.
In summary Stuart assisted Nicholas Associates Group in the below key areas:
* Impartial views, helping guide Nicholas Associates to what we initially required in Phase 1 of the project.
* Helped manage our new Software Partner by providing advice and guidance with key decision making.
* Stuart’s expertise & experience helped accelerate the project deadline (allowing us to save valuable project time) and allowing the business to make informed decisions, i.e. not taking a blind alley route in our decision making.
* Assisted in providing some structure & focus to the project with Scoping, Business Analysis, Spec writing and creation of Data Transfer documents.
* Assisted to minimise expensive bespoke development costs with expertise and in depth knowledge on the RDB standard system.
* Stuart delivered the initial system configuration and templates setup ready for our data and delivery to the business allowing a running start with familiar processes.
* Challenged the Nicholas Associates Project Team, our new Software Partner and the status quo.
* Delivered advanced “train the trainer” sessions, the sessions were specific to our Operational teams i.e. batch Timesheet sessions, providing our Systems Specialists with lots of good content for the training courses that were delivered to our front and back office staff.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Stuart (Needlestack) to other businesses who are embarking on a similar journey."
Nick Jenkins
"Stuart was engaged by Stafforce to assist myself with the implementation of our business critical project - namely a full migration from Bond Adapt to RDB ProNet. Stuart initially helped to steer the project strategy before becoming heavily involved in the specification capture of our data migrations from multiple offices and business streams within our Group. Stuart’s knowledge of RDB ProNet was proven to be invaluable to Nicholas Associates Group allowing the Project Team to deploy the new RDB ProNet system across the group with very little disruption to the business operation. One of Stuart’s strengths is having an impartial view coupled together with his overarching knowledge of the system. Stuart challenged the Nicholas Associates Project Team, our new Software Partner and the status quo where necessary. He delivered advanced “train the trainer” sessions to help our System Specialists to gain more system knowledge. I would have no hesitation in recommending Stuart (Needlestack) to any business who are embarking on a similar journey."
Chris Myers
"Having gone through the pain of choosing the right CRM system to help us grow our business, we chose RDB ProNet from the Access group.
Stuart had been recommended to us by the Access Group to run the project as he has been working with RDB for 22 years.
I would highly recommend you do the same as after all, he is the expert; having been their first client, and then implemented the product as a client on several occasions before becoming an independent consultant helping recruitment companies like ours around the globe. Stuart will adapt and configure the system to suit your needs, and then train staff on how to use it. More importantly, Stuart will plan and manage your data migration; supporting your user acceptance testing process as well. Stuart acts as a client champion between us the client and the Access Group the software suppliers.
Stuart came to our office to train all of our staff and hold their hands through the implementation phase and Go Live. He made all of our staff stand and swear an allegiance to RDB (RDB is everything, everything is RDB). He’s one of the good guys out there, who genuinely wants people to be able to walk away knowing that he has delivered. He also knows recruitment as well as programming and software, so was full of ideas to aide our business
This has been the biggest business decision we have had to make in the 15-year history of the company to change our CRM system, and with thanks to you for your knowledge and support coupled with that of my dedicated management team, it has been such a smooth transition.
Thank you so much Stuart."
"When we took the huge decision to change our CRM system to Access RDB, Stuart was recommended to us as an external project manager with extensive knowledge of the system and a track record of successfully delivering similar and larger projects. The decision to work with Stuart proved to be the right one, we were fairly inflexible with many of the demands placed on the project as we wanted to optimise the system to fit our commitment to compliance and quality working practices, Stuart listened, understood and worked diligently to deliver what we asked for, using his knowledge to find ways to manipulate the system to avoid expensive bespoke development.
Stuart is a pleasure to work with, his calming influence led us through a very successful project implementation."
Stuart Kennedy
"We migrated to RDB and didn’t realise the amount of customisation that was required to get the system anywhere near what we were shown at the Demo. Having had a poor customer experience with RDB I was recommended to Stuart and haven’t looked back since.
Stuart’s level of knowledge with RDB is second to none and he is a lovely guy to work with.
If you are looking at implementing RDB, speak with Stuart first. I cannot recommend him highly enough."
Spencer Wade
"Stuart recently helped us at Borne Resourcing Ltd during our database transition.
At the start (and the whole way through) Stuart was calm and reassured us of his role, the process and the learning steps we would ultimately take as a business during the work. Stuart was excellent in assisting with building and writing scripts for templates, amongst other things, and gave us plenty of food for thought and ideas as to how to get the best out of our database. He eventually did the work in less time and budget than initially stated and has gone out of his way after the Go Live date to either fix some issues or change some things to best suit our business (even scheduling a call on a Saturday), which was greatly appreciated. His knowledge of RDB is excellent and his track record of delivery meant that we were best prepared for Go Live. I would highly recommend to others if you want the job done properly. Stuart also came to our office to train our staff and did it very well - and yes he had all of our staff on their feet preaching their commitment to the new system! He’s one of the good guys out there, who genuinely wants people to be able to walk away knowing that he has delivered. He also knows recruitment as well as programming and software, so was full of ideas to aide our business. Cheers Stuart."
John Kelly
"If you are embarking on implementing RDB ProNet from the Access group then I highly recommend you use the services of an expert, which Stuart ; having been their first client, and then implemented the product as a client on several occasions before becoming an independent consultant helping recruitment companies like ours around the globe.
Stuart will adopt and configure the system to suit your needs ; and then train staff on how to use it. More importantly Stuart will plan and manage your data migration ; supporting your user acceptance testing process as well.
Stuart acts as a client champion between us the client and the Access Group the software suppliers; something which every implementation needs ; let’s say on our implementation he’s had his work cut out for him.
You’ll like Stuart as he’s a jovial fellow but also has a wide range of eclectic interests which he happens to be very good at. And most important, he cares. Cheers Stuart."
Dean Lewis
"Having stepped into a new role, I inherited a situation whereby RDB ProNet had been partially implemented for various group companies. The Access Group recommended Stuart as someone who could work alongside myself to complete the system implementation.
During the project, Stuart has provided on-going training (of which the feedback has been excellent), he has given system and technical consultancy, and also worked alongside myself to re-architect and streamline some of our business processes.
Having worked with him for some time, I can say his RDB knowledge and expertise are second to none. Moreover, he's a pleasure to work with, and is always helpful and approachable.
Thanks for your help and support, Stuart. Highly recommended."
Tim Sutton
"We worked with Stuart on the implementation of the Access RDB system. Throughout the entire process Stuart was exceptionally helpful and nothing was an issue. He was very patient with those in the group who needed more guidance and has also helped out after the fact by making himself available to run through some bedding in. We thoroughly recommend Stuart and would be more than happy to work with him again in the future."
Louis Urbanowski
"Stuart and I have been working together on RDB Projects with our Clients for a number of years. Stuart is incredibly knowledgeable, experienced and comprehensive with his approach to our Client's projects. In terms of getting to the heart of the issue he is frank and honest in dealings, and also in understanding the stress a systems move brings. If you have any apprehension about how to run a project like this then Stuart really is a brilliant partner to have working with your business."
Jon Underwood
"When we made the decision to move to RDB, Stuart worked with our project team providing support and guidance. This was a massive change for our business and Stuart was always professional and helpful no matter what we threw at him. He worked on our data migration, produced numerous video guides, rolled out training for our staff and was always on hand with operational advice. Thank you to Stuart for his work in the successful implementation of RDB."
Martin Walker
"Following a lengthy process deciding which CRM would support our growth over the next ten years, Stuart was recommended to us by the Access Group, as someone who could assist with the implementation of RDB. On our first meeting with Stuart, I remarked that I wanted to be able to say that “we couldn’t have done this without him” at the end of the process.
And quite simply, we “couldn’t” have managed without his knowledge and expertise on the RDB system.
From a technical perspective, Stuart is extremely knowledgeable and understands the system fully. Well, he has had 20 years of working with RDB, and this shows.
Stuart’s work ethic is second to none and whilst I was aware he was managing ten different clients at the same time as our implementation, he always treated us, as if we were his only client. Always responding quickly to our “demanding” and often out of hours requests. Nothing was ever too much trouble for Stuart, and we regularly had catch up calls on an evening or weekend.
Following the initial system set up by Stuart, he then spent three days over live date, at our Head Office, to ensure all went according to plan. No matter how many questions he was asked by people, he was always very patient and very engaging. So much so, that the team keep asking when he is coming back..!
It’s now just over 2 weeks following live date, and we are operating normally as a business. I really thought implementing a new CRM would impact on our business for 2-3 months, but thanks to Stuart’s help the transition has been extremely smooth.
In summary, I would whole heartedly recommend Stuart if you are thinking of implementing RDB, or if you are looking to get the most out of this vast system. Thanks Stuart “we really couldn’t have done it without you”.
Stephen Hughes
"Stuart initially assisted us in our migration to RDB ProNet at the end of last year. His assistance with this helped us streamline the overall migration process significantly reducing the costs to our business, but also helped us address other numerous issues such as removing redundant data.
Following the migration process Stuart joined us again at Go-Live for a couple of days onsite training, however it was much more than this. We are a small close team with a broad spectrum of ability when it comes to IT. Stuart's relaxed yet knowledgeable approached to helping the team both understand the importance of utilising the new CRM system, as well as reinforcing the training provided by FirstChoice on how to use the software definitely accelerated the process of us all getting to grips with a new way of doing things. Stuart also helped us tailor the product to our specific needs showing a good understanding of our specific business requirements paired with his extensive background in recruitment and software.
I would highly recommend Stuart to anyone migrating to RDB, he can provide you with as much assistance as you require, which will ultimately save you time and money. Stuart also offers, on-going assistance for the specification and implementation of future projects, which I am sure we will be making use of in the future.
Thank you for your support Stuart and speak soon."
Ian McPherson
"Stuart has recently supported Enterprise as project manager on our RDB database project. This is one of the biggest changes to our operational model in recent years and so a successful implementation was critical. Without Stuart’s support throughout the project and his technical knowledge we would have struggled to deliver the result we have to the business
Stuart is incredibly professional in all his business dealings but also has a great personality and an easy way about him which hugely assisted both myself and the team when we were having to action some fairly challenging processes and timelines. Stuart came out from sunny Scotland to train our staff and we were similarly impressed with his ability to engage the wider team in the change process.
We have enjoyed our working relationship and will be continuing to use him."
Samantha Holder
"Engaging Stuart is like having your own in-house RDB expert for the duration. He immediately identified how we could instantly enhance the database and provided excellent insight into using all the RDB features to best effect in gaining new business. He was an absolute joy to work with - understanding quickly and easily what we were trying to achieve and making it happen. High value consultancy with instant results. We will be collaborating again."
Leigh Skinner
"During a recent migration to a new CRM provider, our new provider recommended the services of Stuart Bentley to assist in the complicated process of migrating 40+ users and significant data to our new CRM. Stuart was invaluable in assisting us to scope, migrate and implement the new CRM on time and within budget. Stuart has an encyclopedic knowledge of RDB and a logical approach to translating our processes and systems so that they were easily accommodated by the new CRM. We also utilised Stuarts expertise in formulating and delivering a highly bespoke introductory training program, where he trained all of our staff on the key things they needed to be able to use the new CRM. I would highly recommend Stuart to anyone migrating to RDB as an essential part of the migration process. He will save you time, money and possibly your sanity!"
Gemma Newby
"Stuart was introduced to MPI Ltd by First Choice Software, for me he has been the vital link between what the software can do and what I actually want it to do in order to best benefit our business in the long-term. This project has taken a year to come to fruition and Stuart has been incredibly supportive (and patient) with us! I highly recommend his 'go live' support on any project too, invaluable to ensure a smooth transition."
Ricky Martin
"Stuart has been a breathe of fresh air for me. I have spoken to a significant number of suppliers from various backgrounds since setting up HRS and one thing Stuart has always demonstrated is the ability to care about my business, my consultants and I. With his background in engineering, recruitment, software and people made Stuart the perfect person to help optimise the way we use our systems. His knowledge of RDB and their products was second to none and I am already seeing great value in his support with my business in just the first few days.
Thank you for your support Stuart as I would definitely recommend you to others and will be back in touch about more business soon."
Owen O'Neill
"Stuart was recommended to us by First Choice Software to assist with a Data Migration to RDB Pro. Despite being very busy Stuart made the time to speak with us on the phone and then fly down to spend a day with us to understand our requirements.
Stuart then provided FCS with a copy of the data we required within 48 hours, in a format suited to the new system. All in all he saved us a lot of time and potential trial and error mistakes.
I would recommend his services should you need someone to assist with streamlining the Data migration process."
Daniel Ward
"WRS have been using RDB since 2008, we realised that we were not using it to it's full capability and not getting the results expected. Stuart was recommended to us by First Choice Software. Stuart assessed our current usage and questioned what we wanted from RDB, he was then able to customize RDB to our needs. Once all the changes were made Stuart then trained over 50 of our employees on how to use RDB to it's full potential. We are already feeling the positive impact and will continue to use Stuarts services in a training and development capacity."
Roy Snart
"Stuart has implemented RDB in numerous companies over the years that I have known him, with great success.
Stuart was FCS's first commercial customer way way back in 1996 so his history with RDB and First Choice Software is longer than most of our staff.
I'd highly recommend Stuart to any company that wanted to sharpen up the systems and practices regardless of whether they have ProNet or not. Obviously it's better to give the man the right tools for the job (RDB) but almost any business can be improved and Stuarts eye for the detail and the obvious that has been missed is second to none.
Top bloke - your money will be well spent."
David Bloom
"Stuart set up and trained our team on RDB from First Choice.
His service was excellent. His deep knowledge of the system and the challenges faced by recruiters having been one himself has given us a big leg up transitioning to the new system. Stuart will be working with us again for sure."
Melvin Day
"Stuart ran a very successful data migration process and subsequent configuration for us. He quickly built strong relationships with our team and his expert subject knowledge enabled us to utilise RDB ProNet effectively, having a direct positive financial impact on our business."
Gary Noble
"Having used RDB pro for some 10 years we made the decision to finally upgrade to the latest RDB pro net with some trepidation. How glad were we though to have been introduced to Stuart Bentley, not only to help manage the project and define the spec of the data migration but to be on site when the software went live to floor walk amongst the consultants dealing with all the issues and training needs.
We engaged Stuart for 3 days work prior to migration and 3 days post go live, Stuarts delivery was exactly what we were expecting and his help and knowledge around ProNet was invaluable. Most of the work prior to migration involved the creation and definition of the migration spec. The rest of the 3 days involved providing Stuart with all of our templates, contracts and documentation to integrate into ProNet making full use of the software functionality.
Following go live Stuart was on site for 3 days – it was at this point the true value of using Stuarts services really came to the fore. Stuart took the stress out of the situation and worked with us to rectify issues with the data and communicate it to FCS, whilst at the same time answer the numerous shouts for help from the consultants all of which were new to ProNet. In hindsight we could have done with having Stuart onsite for 5 days rather than 3!
The financial investment in utilising Stuart’s services will pale into insignificance when you realise that Stuarts knowledge and technical knowhow with regards to ProNet is absolutely invaluable to a successful transition and migration project!"
Margaret Walker
"I have worked with Stuart for a short period of time at Frontier International (UK) Limited, although I have worked with him previously. In all the time I have known Stuart, I have found him to be a true professional who has a wealth of knowledge and understanding in his field of expertise. He builds strong business relationships by utilising these combined skills. He is a truly inspirational manager and I wish him every success in his new venture."
Julian Farmer
"Stuart provided some RDB consultancy services for Quantum, our database had grown out of control and was proving difficult to manage and utilise effectively.
He spent a number of days analysing and making recommendations and suggestions on how we should be using the system to it's optimum. We pretty much took on board all of his recommendations as they made perfect sense, as a result the database was seen as an asset to our organisation and utilised much more effectively. I would use his services again if the need ever arose."
