North East Chartered Accountancy firm Mullen Stoker has seen demand for its IT services rapidly increase as more and more people are required to work from home.
Whilst many companies have been operating a flexible working policy since the coronavirus outbreak first hit in the spring of last year, the continued and tighter restrictions have forced even more employers to look at their day-to-day operations.
Since the Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a third national lockdown to try and prevent the continued spread of the virus, as the vaccines to treat the most at risk are gradually rolled out, several companies have decided now is the time to undertake a full review of their IT systems to ensure a streamlined and efficient service is maintained by all staff.
Gary Stoker, who heads up Durham-based Mullen Stoker’s IT department, said: “Since the very first lockdown in March 2020, many businesses have had to implemented more flexible working policies. This sees business’s implementing IT solutions they hadn’t fully considered previously, and having staff either fully or partially working from home,”
“This new way of working has presented many advantages to these businesses in these unusual times. Many are seeing increased productivity from staff, and in some cases, reductions in their monthly overheads.”
“Following the second four-week lockdown late last year, and more recently with the announcement of the third lockdown which as we know includes the closure of schools, we’ve again seen a rapid increase in calls from businesses that are keen to ensure their IT systems are properly and securely set up for home working.
“This includes things like bespoke software solutions, so for example, we’re working with one company that has reviewed its administrative processes and felt the existing set up wasn’t as robust or streamlined as it could be. We’ve helped them implement a system which is much more automated and accessible, so that whichever member of staff needs to access it, wherever they are, the process is simple, fool proof and continuous.”
Mullen Stoker was founded 11 years ago has enjoyed year on year growth. Although primarily recognised as a Chartered Accountancy firm, the company has a glowing reputation for its IT services and has a dedicated department within the business which manages all clients within this area.
Gary added: “Over the past couple of months we’ve definitely seen an upsurge in the number of calls we’re taking from businesses that are realising home working is here to stay, and feel they need to invest in the proper infrastructure and systems to enable them to continue operating efficiently.”
Mullen Stoker is based at Mandale Business Park in Durham and was founded by Neil Mullen and Gary Stoker. It now employs 14 people.
Despite the challenging economic conditions caused by the global coronavirus pandemic, the company is confident that it will enjoy further growth in 2021, which could include opening a second office in the north of the region.
