It started with one pair of old speakers. One pair of old speakers that were rented for parties, to clubs, to bands…to whomever needed one pair of old speakers. That was then.
Nearly three decades later, Cardiff, UK-based Stage Sound Services employs more than 70 people and is one of the most trusted production resources for the legendary London live theater industry. After Stage Sound Services recently posted about its three millionth Flex scan, we wanted to learn more about their success.
General Manager, James Lewis, who has been with Stage Sound Services for nearly 14 years didn’t hesitate when we asked him to share the biggest reason for the company’s growth. “Tech support. React quickly.” Because Cardiff is two-and-a-half hours outside of London, Stage Sound Services knows that reliable, fast customer service is the key to the company’s spotless reputation.
“Our job is to get our customers what they need,” James further explained. “In addition to running vans back and forth between Cardiff and London every day, we understand the importance and value of constant, transparent communication. Frankly, this is where Flex comes in.”
Even with 70 people and a massive warehouse, Stage Sound Services runs lean. The key to being able to manage thousands of assets is knowing where they are at any given moment. “It’s been an evolution. With our small team, we all knew where everything was, but as we grew, we weren’t even sure if things were barcoded.” This is a growing pain that we hear about over and over again. “Flex helps us do a much better job tracking when jobs aren’t returned on time, and reminds us when items are about to come due.”
James continued, “And perhaps the surprise advantage of Flex is how it helps us with any financing audits. When the auditors want to know exactly where the assets are, we can show them instantly. Flex makes audits easy. It didn’t used to be like that.”
James told us that, “Flex is the backbone to the company now. We can’t do anything without Flex.” Of course we love hearing that. But perhaps the most powerful part of our discussion wasn’t about what Flex is doing right for James and Sound Stage Services-it was learning how we can help Sound Stage Services succeed even more. As we get ready to launch our Customer Advisory Panel-this is exactly what we want. This is how we get better…together.
After a couple of difficult years, the London theater scene is back in full force and Stage Sound Services, (and sister companies, including Stage Lighting Services, which also uses Flex) is running at full capacity. We’re proud to celebrate their success and look forward to helping implement many new ideas as Flex continues to innovate and evolve with our customers.
Because…Your Success Is Our Flex.
Flex is proud to have worked with Stage Sound Services, and its customer service focused team since 2012.
