Thinking outside the box

22 Jul 2022

Published in: Member News

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How two unrelated companies got their act together during Covid

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As you might think, a payroll company is very boring and repetitive.  The work is steady, no drama, completely uneventful.  

That's where you would be wrong.  When Covid first hit the UK and businesses were being forced to close down, companies like payroll providers suddenly went from no drama, to hosting charge of the light brigade overnight, or that's how it felt.

Our clients were calling in wanting help with HR, furlough and they were all calling and emailing at once.

Not only did they want help with HR and furlough, they also wanted Covid stickers, PPE and asking if we knew anywhere to get them,

That's where a small unknown print service called Alben Supplies steps in.  Alben supplies had just started in earnest and straight away were forced to close.  How do you get new customers when you aren't allowed out and even if you were, your target market is shut?

Simple, you find a company with an established client base.  

Easier said than done you might think, but due to a long standing friendship and a chance meeting while out getting toilet roll before it all sold out, the seeds of Crystal Print Services Ltd was born.

Under Crystal HR & Payroll Ltd, Alben Supplies immediately went into overdrive, almost becoming a 24/7 operation over night.

Now two years later and the panic of "social distancing" stickers and signs is all over, Crystal Print Services Ltd is born with a client base already in tow.

It's early days in the life of a company and a new start to boot, but I wanted to share a little good news that came out of the pandemic for us.

Where we will be in another two years remains to be seen, but it is an example of how two completely unrelated businesses can come together and make a go of it. 

So while the initial chance encounter came about by accident, the rest we are working on and the story is evolving every day.