"I'm no 'techie' but I find creating my own databases using FileMaker so easy and efficient. But when FileMaker 8 came out with its upgraded platform I worried it would be difficult for me to adapt to, so I shopped around. It didn't take long for me to come back to FileMaker and, just by spending that little extra time, we are now realising the benefits of a more powerful and function rich database. I couldn't run my business without it."

WOW Creative

FileMaker Delivers the WOW Factor!

WOW Creative is an eight person design and marketing agency, based in Swindon. It delivers a host of design and marketing campaigns for clients as diverse as The Sunday Times, The Learning & Skills Council and sailing holiday specialists, Sunsail. Managing Director, Natasha Acres, started the business 9 years ago, underpinning the whole project with FileMaker 4.

Natasha taught herself how to use FileMaker in a previous role. "I used to work for a company managing print schedules. This could be an admin heavy task and we initially used a paper-based system for the various HR and business processes. This just didn't make any sense and we wasted a lot of time. The business purchased FileMaker – and I instantly fell in love!"

"I'm certainly not a 'techie', I'm a designer, but found building applications with FileMaker incredibly easy. Initially, I simply used the online help tools which were more than sufficient to teach me the ropes and my abilities developed from there."

When it came to starting her own business, FileMaker was an obvious choice. According to Natasha: "They say creativity does not go hand-in-hand with organisation, but I was committed to changing this perception. To do so, I needed to ensure WOW had a set of defined processes in place, not only to control costs and manage the company in the most efficient way, but to offer clients the highest level of professionalism and service."

Natasha needed a way to keep track of job banks, staff, invoices and purchases and found that it made complete sense to do all of this with FileMaker. Furthermore, its multi-platform capabilities were essential for WOW, which, as a design agency, utilises both Macs and PCs.

"I bought the guide book and found it so easy to understand. I built a contacts system which drives estimates, the estimates drive the job bank, and the job bank drives the purchase orders and invoicing." Everyday use of the database keeps WOW's creative team organised and helps them to track every single aspect of work they undertake so that the client knows exactly how their time and money is being utilised.

"Can you imagine having to tell a client that the job will cost them twice as much because you didn't keep track of your time properly?" Natasha exclaims.

Natasha says the wonderful thing about FileMaker is that the more you use it, the more you see what it is capable of. This, and the added beauty of FileMaker being straightforward enough to update in-house, without paying for an expensive IT or database freelancer, is of incredible value to WOW.

"If I do get stuck," continues Natasha, "I simply check the online forums for hints and tips. This is an invaluable resource to see what other people are doing – which naturally gives me more ideas of the kind of new applications I can build to further streamline the business."

Natasha was tempted to shop around after a platform upgrade was required with the introduction of FileMaker 8. "There were a couple of options I looked at " but all lacked the functionality and ease of use I have with FileMaker. It wasn't a difficult decision to go back! While the upgrade took a little while, our database now runs so much more efficiently and I'm delighted I decided to make this time investment."

Such is the success of Natasha's database in ensuring that her service levels are maintained at all times that she is in discussions with a number of other creative companies to adapt the system for their organisations. Not bad for a non-techie! She is currently looking into expanding the database into the marketing arena and FileMaker will continue to support WOW for many years to come.