2B Graphics Partnership Limited is a multi-disciplined graphic design consultancy, specialising in the design and production of corporate brand identity and promotional literature, packaging, signage, exhibitions and website construction - from concept to realisation.

Established in 1995, they have built up an enviable reputation for service and quality working together in partnership with a strong client base. They deal not only with local, but also national companies, tackling each project on its individual merits, and pride themselves on working quickly and efficiently with all their customers.

They are situated in the North East of England at Stocksfield just 15 minutes from Newcastle upon Tyne in rural Northumberland. Their office is based amongst farm outbuildings that once served as cattle byres.

Partners in Your Business Success
As their name suggests they see themselves as 'partners' in their clients' business and strive to produce excellent design work that effectively meets clients' needs and objectives. They work closely with senior management to explore and develop concepts to meet the brief which has been constructed and agreed together.

One of their clients, Wellburn Care Homes, are a North East based company whose success has been built on a commitment to the principles of 'care without compromise' and a desire to constantly improve the services provided. Wellburn Care Homes are committed to the highest standards of care for residents and to the provision of excellent facilities. Their homes are beautifully cared for and their staff are committed to providing the best possible care in a warm, friendly and stimulating environment.

Their website was developed by 2B Graphics in 2006/7 to work with and support other marketing activities, primarily to improve the quality of information available to prospective clients and to help them make a very difficult decision in respect of a home for their loved ones.

2B Graphics recommended they used a 'Find My Nearest' type search on their website and they immediately realised the benefits for their customers. The search was used within specific web pages giving location and direction information.

It was agreed the addition of a 'care home finder' would be extremely useful for users of the website, and after a search of the Web, 2B Graphics came across Allies Computing in the organic Google listings and were impressed with the ability of the PostCoder Web Nearest service. Jamie Haldane, of 2B Graphics says "For me to set something up myself would require a great deal of time, with the added pressure of a tight deadline, so this provided me with a simple, quick, effective solution. PostCoder Web Nearest stood out as the most professional product".

2B Graphics found the examples for Google map integration very useful, and were developing in languages such as HTML/XHTML, XML, AJAX, PHP and Javascript.

Customers and employees who have seen the service working on the website have all been very impressed with its accuracy and ease-of-use.

"The service that Allies Computing's staff has provided has been excellent. All correspondence has been polite, informative and accurate. We have not had much need for technical support due to the simplicity of the product but a brief problem at the beginning was dealt with quickly and efficiently", Jamie Haldane.

2B Graphics Partnership and Wellburn Care Homes both expect the use of the website and the integrated 'Find My Nearest' service to become more important as the company grows and the website becomes more popular.

UKphotoevent is a new service that makes photographers easier to find, who have the suitable skills, and who are located near to the event to minimise travelling. There is a growing market for event photography but there are 2 main issues in locating a photographer:

• If a photographer is found but then not available, the client has to search again to find a different photographer, taking up a lot of valuable time
• A photographer may state on their website that they will work in a certain place, but they are actually located in a completely different area

UKphotoevent sought to resolve these 2 issues when designing their service. With the PostCoder Web Nearest service from Allies Computing Ltd they added a search facility to their website making it possible for the client to have a list of suitable photographers with the correct skills with just one click, so saving huge amounts of time and effort.

Without Allies' Nearest facility there probably would be no UKphotoevent in its present format.

"I view the Nearest search facility as the key enabler of what we set out to achieve. In many ways the business is being built around the 'Nearest' search" says Mike Weeks from UKphotoevent.
"From a client perspective there is no searching through lists or endless clicks. With one simple town or postcode entry, followed by a click, clients have a list of photographers in front of them straight away."

The initial enquiry was made to Allies^® because the demonstration on the internet worked and seemed like the best solution to the requirements that were originally considered. There were 2 companies originally approached. Allies^® replied promptly and gave the requested information. During the trial period the support team provided accurate and useful information that helped to produce an implementation of the Nearest system that did exactly what was required.

As a new start-up it is easiest to attract other users if they can see and understand what the business is trying to achieve. For UKphotoevent it is the principle that the nearest photographer will appear at the top of the list and that list placement cannot be purchased. Interested photographers can see this working and easily understand how it can meet the needs of their business.

A further benefit is the management of the database of registered photographers. In principle it can be achieved anywhere that access can be gained to the Internet. The management is simple and can be done at any time online. This means that UKphotoevent do not have to worry about making contact with Allies^® at any particular time of day when they can be better involved with other tasks.

Customers are already seeing the benefits. "One click and I found you - it saved me endless searches on Google" says a happy UKphotoevent customer.