A lot of midsize businesses have the same problem: it’s hard to see around obstacles to better performance – especially from an inside perspective. What’s often needed is a fresh vision, a way to see around the corners. And this is the case even for firms, like Atria Design, who specialize in fresh visions and off-the-wall solutions.
Atria Designs founder & CEO Samuel Kassis started off in the building design industry back in 2005, and after 11 years, he judged the time was right to start his own firm. Atria Designs has since grown to a team of 10 doing interior design, along with a sister company called Fallow Landscapes that does landscape design. Today, Atria Designs are a passionate, innovative, multi-award-winning business who do building and interior design for some of Australia’s best builders and developers, across both commercial and residential projects.
Like many businesses that grow rapidly from small beginnings, Atria hit some speed bumps. Luckily, Samuel was well aware of them. “I guess one thing I’ve learned over eight years is trying to be a proactive rather than a reactive business owner. The more proactive I can be, the smoother the process is going to be for growth. I knew I was going to hit a fork in the road where if I want to continue to grow, I really need to get the right people alongside me,” Samuel explains. “I’d rather start it now and then enjoy the benefits later, than just continue what we’re doing.” It was the perfect time to explore new directions, Samuel says: in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, Atria had a “bit of a staff shift.” With a mix of new and old hands aboard, Samuel was ready to take the time to explore what would really work for the business.
To do this, he turned to James Hickey, of JHC Consulting Group.
Samuel had two main goals for Atria Designs’ engagement with JHC Consulting: he wanted better business data, and more actionable reporting. In the building and design service space, this is more easily said than done. When working with physical products and a range of other specialists, it can get complicated very quickly. Materials become unavailable or more expensive, builders have to juggle their own commitments and clients, and then there’s always the weather. A certain amount of flexibility has to be built into a building design firm’s business practices, and this can make time-tracking and reporting particularly difficult to nail. But it has to be done, or a lot of money can slip through the cracks. JHC’s approach was making sure that the right people were using the right processes – and that Atria had the right software to power them. That’s why he suggested they continue with WorkflowMax.
There were a number of reasons for this, James says. WorkflowMax is familiar software: the Atria team had been using it since it was owned by Xero. And with the transition to new owners BlueRock, James was sure that good things were in store for new and old WorkflowMax users alike.
“The new WorkflowMax by BlueRock shows significant promise,” James says. “The improvements in the tech stack and integration capabilities have been particularly impressive. The ability to link with platforms like Power BI enhances the reporting and analytics functionalities, which is a big step forward for users. What’s more, BlueRock has improved WorkflowMax by enhancing its integration capabilities, providing more robust reporting options, and streamlining the user interface. These improvements make it easier for businesses to manage their workflows and access critical data in real time, which aids in better decision-making and efficiency.”
Migrating software isn’t always as easy as it should be. Problems often arise less from the actual migration process than by having old workflows baked into out-of-date or just plain wrong data. For the migration to work well, these errors need correcting – but at the same time, historical data needs to be preserved. For Samuel and Atria Designs, this was very much the case – but the situation was complicated by the fact that the Xero edition of WorkflowMax had been set up wrong.” I’ve had consultants in the past that came alongside WorkflowMax, who didn’t understand our business and what we were trying to achieve – or even how we actually bill and invoice.” Their work, he explains, is a bit different from the typical architectural firm, and that was crucial.
Luckily, they had JHC on hand to understand their business processes before encoding them in software.
“James was the first one who fully understood how we flow, how we function, and what we’re all about,” Samuel says. “He came in, met the team, and they opened up to him very easily. We told the team to just be as blunt and as honest as they could, because the only way you grow is when you’re brave enough to listen to criticism.”
This empathetic, people-and-systems-first approach not only worked – it paid instant dividends. JHC’s strength, Samuel says, is in data management and presentation. After understanding the people, systems and processes, data can be ingested, cleaned, and put to work.
“One of the benefits of having James on board through the migration from the old WorkflowMax by Xero to the new WorkflowMax by BlueRock is that he really understands data,” Samuel says. “James discovered we weren’t really using the old WorkflowMax to its full capability, but he was able to say ‘this is the best program for you guys, because we can see all the benefits of where it’s going to go.’ So we kept with it, and had him help us through the transition process, which was really beneficial.
Samuel and James agree: this careful approach meant that the pain of migration was minimized, and benefits were realized sooner than they’d otherwise have been.
“Overall, the integration project with Atria went quite smoothly,” James says. “We successfully migrated data from WorkflowMax (WFM) by Xero, to new WorkflowMax with integrated Power BI for advanced reporting, and streamlined several operational processes.”
Key milestones, such as understanding meeting structures, linking Google Analytics to the website, and finalizing the migration checklist, were completed on schedule.
“If we didn’t have James, I could tell you now, we would be bashing our head against the wall,” Samuel says.
The results have been huge for James and the entire team at Atria Design. They now have clean, clear data with which to make business decisions. They’re getting precise measurements of time, jobs, and finances. “As a business owner, it’s made it a lot easier to forecast, and answer questions like ‘Do we need another staff member? What’s our average turnaround time on jobs? Does the team need help to be more efficient, or do we need another set of hands?’ All that sort of stuff,” Samuel says. “And it’s been really good seeing that data in a very simple way.”
“They can now access comprehensive data insights through Power BI, which was not possible before,” James says. With new WorkflowMax, they have a unified workflow for managing quotes and invoices, linked with their sales processes, and they can generate real-time reports for better decision-making. “Additionally, the marketing calendar integration with Canva and enhanced training materials for new systems have improved their operational efficiency and strategic planning,” James says. “The team is now really well-equipped to use the new systems effectively, and the ROI for Atria is substantial.” The team, he says, will see significant time savings across job management and project delivery timelines, thanks to the streamlined workflows and automated processes. There will be quantifiable savings where it’s most visible, James adds – the bottom line of the balance sheet.
“Financially, they can expect increased revenue from improved strategic decision making, while cost savings will come from optimized operations, as well as reduced need for additional software solutions,” James says. “They’ve quantifiably reduced the time spent on job management tasks, improved project delivery timelines, and they’re increasing sales and revenue from having better strategic alignment across the business.
Meanwhile, Samuel says that with WorkflowMax by BlueRock fully implemented in the business, it’s finally approaching its full potential.
“The thing I do love about WorkflowMax is the sync with Xero,” James says. “For the job scheduling side of things, sending your invoices through to Xero, it all makes sense. It all works smoothly.”
If they didn’t have WorkflowMax, it’d be a different story, he notes. There’d be a huge amount of manual workarounds for job tracking. “It’s great for our team to track their time, and input time data straightaway. For job tracking, it’s really great.
For both Samuel and JHC, a big positive of the migration from old WorkflowMax to WorkflowMax by BlueRock is that the user interface has, at long last, been polished to a bright shine.
“Migrating across to the BlueRock WFM has been a bit of a shift because things look a little bit different, but it’s a lot more user-friendly. It’s a lot prettier, let’s be honest. It looks really nice and efficient, and you can tell they’ve put a lot of effort into making it cleaner and better.”
With the move to the new WorkflowMax complete, and the first phase of workflow and process transformation concluded, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was time for Atria Designs and JHC Consulting to down tools – but it’s not. In fact, it’s just the start.
Samuel is keeping James on board as a consultant because, as he says, “We’ve got the keys to the car. Now, teach me how to drive the car. To read and understand the data — and make sure that WorkflowMax is up and running the way it needs to be, and to be as efficient as it can be for my business. I’d be cutting myself off at the legs if I didn’t continue the journey with JHC.”
In fact, Samuel’s only regret from engaging JHC is that he didn’t do it sooner. Atria’s staff are thrilled with the change in operations: not only are they more efficient, but they’re happier in their jobs. The investment has paid off in spades. “After what I’ve been able to do now, I wish I’d engaged someone like James sooner. Being able to really understand your business, your output, and being able to track data well, I wish I’d had those tools earlier,” Samuel says. “I can tell you now, there would have been a lot less heartache with both staff members and clients.”
For his part, James and the team at JHC say they’re very happy with how the project went with Atria, and they’ll continue to recommend the new WorkflowMax to clients. WorkflowMax, James says, can help businesses like Atria by providing a comprehensive solution for job management, time tracking, and reporting. It streamlines operations, enhances data visibility, and integrates seamlessly with other tools like Xero and Power BI, leading to improved efficiency and better strategic decisions.
“And from meeting the leaders, I can see a major commitment to continuous improvement, which is essential for staying competitive,” James says. By integrating with tools like Xero and Power BI, WorkflowMax offers a comprehensive hub for your tech stack, enhancing reporting and analytics capabilities. It streamlines your workflow and saves you time and money. Whether you’re in engineering, architecture, or professional services, WorkflowMax helps you manage your projects efficiently and make data-driven decisions to drive growth. “Plus, with the right consultant, you can customize the setup to perfectly fit your business needs, ensuring you get the maximum ROI,” James adds.
“WorkflowMax is a cost-effective, all-in-one job management software that can transform your business operations.”
Founder, JHC Consulting
Founder & CEO, Atria Designs
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