What a year 2023 has been for the team at Parallel!
As we reached our three-year anniversary at the end of the summer, there was so much to celebrate, and I couldn’t be prouder of the team and everything they have achieved this year.
2023 was our third year in business, and watching the company grow from a dream to a reality into the driving force it is today has been one of my greatest achievements.
When I started Parallel in the middle of the pandemic, I received a few raised eyebrows – whilst other companies were scared for the future and unsure about how the world would look, I saw a huge opportunity to really start changing the face of the managed print services industry.
I’ve worked in this industry for over 25 years, working for some of the biggest names in the business, and I knew it was crying out for a company that actually put customers first. It’s been an industry full of smoke and mirrors, bad customer care and inflexible contracts that leave customers feeling frustrated and annoyed that the service that was supposed to streamline their operation was actually causing them more headaches.
I wanted a genuinely customer-centric company. At Parallel, I wanted to reinstall the faith in our clients that it was possible to manage print services contracts that improved workflows and saved money whilst being flexible enough to adapt to the changing needs of their business.
Even the name Parallel and our tagline, ‘when only perfect alignment with your business will do’ are aimed at proving to the marketplace what this business is all about. 2023 was the year that we’ve proved that to our customers, peers, and competitors.
The year has seen us win some really prestigious contracts- we’ve added new clients and strengthened our relationship with our existing customers, including Bunzl PLC – it was the year I was proud to announce to the world that we have never lost a customer in three years of trading (now three and a half years 😊).
This year, we were excited to share some of our customer stories with the world and have shared case studies around our work with Bunzl PLC, Airbox and Gama Aviation. Hearing how our services have improved these clients’ businesses put the biggest smile on my and the team’s faces.
In the summer, we rewarded the team with our third-year anniversary party, where we ate, drank, and celebrated all the success the team has contributed since we began. The team continues to grow, and we’ve made some great additions this year, which will strengthen our service offering further in 2024.
As we approached the third anniversary, we also launched our new website – this has been a big investment for the business. I am so proud of how it looks; hearing the feedback from some of the industry’s biggest names has been incredible. The new website is full of information and offers our clients an online support portal, making their lives even easier. I want to thank the team at Pixel Beach for taking my ideas and making them into a site that showcases this wonderful business.
I can’t finish this blog without mentioning the cherry on the cake of 2023 – being shortlisted and winning the Reseller of The Year Award at The Print IT Reseller Awards – just being nominated was absolutely incredible, but to win the award is testament to everything we have achieved as a team, I couldn’t be more proud of the guys and girls that put everything into making Parallel the business it is today. I want to take this opportunity to thank every single one of them.
I also wanted to thank all of our customers who’ve entrusted us with their print management and allowed us to tell the stories of what it has been like working with us – what a year – what a team – I can’t wait to see what 2024 brings!