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2020: Our Story
Matt Wiles • January 23, 2021
In a year of ups and downs, Infoserve evolved in more ways than one. We summarise our own 2020 achievements, below.
It was a difficult year for many people. We think you will be tired of talking about COVID19 or the challenges we all face, so we'd like to focus - if we may just this one time - on our own achievements and how we helped hundreds of small business owners in 2020.
We've had many questions from friends and business owners alike, asking how we've evolved, our team and where our Darlington office (see picture above) has gone! Well, here's a nice bullet point timeline, below:
March 2020
- At the end of March, when everything went a little bonkers, Infoserve made the swift decision to move all of its employees to a work from home (WFH) operation. The safety, comfortableness and mental health of our team are paramount.
- We had never done this in a full time capacity before, so the operational transition had to be slick.
- Microsoft Teams was immediately introduced to provide employees with a platform to effectively communicate with each other, feel in touch and generally become the 'virtual office'.
- Within 24 hours, over 40 employees were working from home, setup with all systems, ready to go.
April 2020
- At the very start of April, our Operations Manager, Matt Wiles, launched a daily webinar to offer support for business owners in what was a very challenging and scary time for many.
- Joined by his marketing team, Matt's daily webinars quickly became very popular, watched by thousands of businesses. The advice they gave was free and extremely valuable. Glowing reviews started pouring in: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.infoserve.com.
- The webinars became so intense that the team had to move to a weekly format! Since April, Infoserve has delivered over 50 free webinars. Most can now be found on our Help Hub.
May 2020
- After a challenging April, Infoserve incredibly had one of its strongest months on record. What we found in May was that many businesses were quickly adapting to the changing landscape, moving to eCommerce or looking to actually grow their marketing budgets. Our advice was simple; in challenging times, do the opposite with your marketing. Do more. Even if it is with another agency — we just strongly believe that good marketing can grow a business, even during recessions. Indeed, we saw the big brands doing the same. The likes of Apple were launching more products in the space of 6 months, than ever before.
Summer 2020
- Our advice to business owners started to pay off; the results we were seeing were incredible. Many of our clients were seeing double, triple the enquiries and bookings, thanks to an increased focus on marketing.
- We were so overwhelmed with the thank you's, reviews and feedback that we decided to put together some case studies of what we were seeing. Eventually, these case studies would be sent off to Microsoft and consequently get Infoserve into the final for the Microsoft Advertising Partner of the Year Awards, a highly prestigious and unique position to be in.
September 2020
- We launched 'Help Desk'. A dedicated team there for any business owner who needs our support. Simply call us and we'll help, with none of the typical 'sales pitch' that you find elsewhere. Help Desk is a big investment from Infoserve, designed to continue the free support we provide through webinars.
- Infoserve launched its brand new website, right here! Infoserve.com is radical and demonstrates our capability to change direction, be different and understand what website visitors want.
- Work from home was proving very successful. Our team was working even closer together than ever before, embracing technology and providing even better support to business owners.
- Infoserve's head office is based next to Leeds Bradford Airport. A vast office spanning two large floors, capable of sitting 60 people. We therefore made the decision to move all of our employees - from Darlington and Leeds city centre - to head office, albeit for now; virtually!
- WFH was continuing but head office became a central hub for meetings and face to face communication. It worked perfectly.
October 2020
- Throughout 2020, Infoserve had pressed forward with what it had been planning for many months before; a higher-end 'agency style' marketing provider. Our core offering caters for SMBs but we had increasingly been successfully in providing more advanced marketing, such as brand identity design and content, high-end bespoke websites that rival the best in the world, PPC campaigns that brought industry-leading results and advanced SEO (search engine optimisation). We also believe that we have some of the best digital marketing consultants in the world. Hefty claims, we know, but our unique partnerships and results speak for themselves.
- During 2020, Infoserve quietly launched its 'bespoke' marketing for businesses on a large budget. Businesses who want to turn over millions of pounds. Businesses who are serious about their brand, design and return on investment. With dedicated and precise project management, end-to-end support, we leveraged our very best talent in design, content and ad management to deliver incredible results.
Winter 2020
- The year was coming to an end. Looking back on a challenging year, we were blown away by our our results and growth. Some say it's one of our most successful years on record, and we've been around since 1999!
- We ended the year (well, it was the start of January when we found out) on a massive high; being nominated as a finalist in two categories for the Microsoft Advertising Awards in Europe. In one of the categories, it is just Infoserve and one other company representing the U.K contingent. With many agencies spread across Europe, we are humbled and over the moon to be awarded such a prestigious position (and badges!).
We recognise that it was a challenging year for many. Indeed, even within Infoserve there were people who found it incredibly difficult. To all of our team, and those who have worked with us during 2020 (you know who you are); we wish everyone a very happy 2021 and hope it is filled with good health and happiness.
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