Q2Q turned 18 this month, quite a milestone for something that started as a break away team of three guys rolling out their own Retail Warehouse Management Platform, providing day to day IT support for half a dozen businesses all owned by the same person, and working in a rather cramped back room of one of the businesses they were supporting.
Back in 2004 the dream was to change the way IT support was available to SME’s, focussing on delivering a plain speaking, honest and affordable approach. The service they delivered was so good that the word started to spread and gradually they took on new, independent clients.
Fast forward to 2022, we’ve been settled in our new home in the centre of Lancaster for seven years, we have signed up over fifty contracted clients, the team will be thirteen strong when our next techie starts, we’re expanding the office space again, and we’re showing no signs of slowing down!
In many respects the business is unrecognisable to what it looked like 18 years ago, however the heart of its purpose remains unchanged; Be honest, be clear, always do what’s right for the customer, and go above and beyond whenever possible. We now have a team that between them have over 300,000 hours of IT experience, quite an impressive statistic!
We crafted our internal value statement many years ago, based on five key words that we felt described who we were and what we believed in:
“To work collaboratively with each other and with our customers, ensuring we give 100% clarity in all situations, taking full responsibility for every issue whether that be externally with a customer helping their business to grow, or the internal development and growth of Q2Q, always delivering efficient solutions, in a fun and positive working environment”
Every year we check in together as a team and challenge whether the statement still applies, and if we’re living and breathing it daily. It makes me very proud when the view is unanimous, that the statement is as valid today as it was when it was created – a testament to it being a true reflection of what we all believe in.
Listening to Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast earlier this year I heard something that resonated with me, and decided to steal some of the quote which ended up as a statement that we’re simply calling our daily goal, to remind ourselves why we’re here:
“At Q2Q our goal is to show up as the best version of ourselves, and do everything in our power to make a meaningful contribution to both our colleagues, and the customers we support”
So… what will the next 18 years look like at Q2Q?
Unusually, I don’t set firm financial budgets at the start of the fiscal year, and I don’t have a specific long term revenue goal that I am aiming for. Instead, I set a forecast of what I believe will happen based on the information I have, in conjunction with our client base’s growth plans, with an assumption that we may take on one or two new customers that year, and anything extra is a welcome bonus.
However, I do set very rigid targets based around learning new skills, internal process development, introducing additional preventative measures, adding new technology, and measuring customer satisfaction.
My belief is that if we get all these things right, the business will continue to grow naturally. Virtually all the new clients we’ve taken on in the five years that I’ve been leading the team have been via referrals from existing customers, which feels like a huge achievement, and a great recipe for continued growth.
Here’s to the next 18 years!!
If working with a tech support business that has over 300,000 hours of IT experience is something that fills you with confidence, or you simply want to talk about the challenges within your business, get in touch with us – the kettle is always on at Q2Q IT!
