Case Study

Sending photos and videos from smartphones isn’t just a social pastime; many businesses now rely on it to work smarter and get more done. One such company is Blackwell Contracts, a family-run construction company based in Cavan.

Smartphones are ideally suited to building work, because supervisors often need to visually inspect progress. They're also important to keep everyone in contact of course, whether on site or in the office. Blackwell Contracts started using WhatsApp for Instant Messaging around four years ago. Now, it uses WhatsApp’s group feature to share photos and videos among staff, supervisors, customers and even architects or insurance companies. “We take a picture or walk around and take a quick video. It’s become second nature to us,” says Stephen Gregory, Blackwell Contract’s Managing Director.

The company has a voice and data plan from Three for eight company smartphones. Stephen says Three’s unlimited data price plan has allowed the company to manage its costs as it grows. The allowance is especially important given the large file size of high-resolution photos and videos.

Connectivity you can count on is vital for businesses that manage multiple projects across different sites. Blackwell Contract’s work covers Cavan, Westmeath, Meath, Louth, Dublin, Waterford and Kildare, while its head office is located between Bailieborough and Shercock in Co. Cavan. "Even in such a rural location", Stephen says "Three's coverage has always been strong." He has also noticed an improvement in network speeds in recent months. “We commute a lot, often going through rural areas. I would be on my phone 90% of the day, that’s a fact, and I never get a dropped call,” Stephen confirms.

Over the past six years, the company has grown by more than 20% annually. Stephen is sure this is helped by how the company uses the mobile voice and data plans from Three to manage costs and reduce administration time.

Fast upload times also mean that Blackwell can do more in the working day. “It enables us to take on more work without having to take on extra resources, because supervision happens quicker and remotely. You don’t have to go on as many site visits because of the ability to send pictures,” says Stephen.

“I would never have thought mobile voice and data would help us so much. It really has developed our business and allowed us to expand so much more.”

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