Why Bluechilli Relies on Clarity Software

Company Background

Founded in 2009 by Steve O’Flaherty and Carl Wheeler, Bluechilli is a Birmingham-based creative digital marketing agency with a broad range of in-house capabilities.

The company combines creative strategy and digital services with extensive print production expertise.

Steve explains:

“We are quite a unique company. We like to think we're different because not only are we a design agency, we're also a printers.”

Its services include large-format printing, digital and litho printing, merchandise, websites, animation, video, photography and social media.

With such a varied offering, Bluechilli needs to manage different types of projects, customer requirements and production processes.

Keeping everything connected is particularly important when work moves between creative teams, account managers and print production.

Company issues

Before Clarity, Bluechilli had spent 13 years working with an ageing MIS system.

Rather than helping the business operate more effectively, the software had become a basic administrative tool.

Steve recalls:

“Very complicated, very clunky, didn't really help the business in any way. It was just a means to an end to getting quotations and invoices done.”

The challenges went beyond the software itself.

Customer information, job descriptions and production details were spread across different locations, creating disconnected ways of working.

As Carl explains:

“Before Clarity, everything lived in different places. Client details in one place, job notes, descriptions in another place. So nothing talked to each other.”

For a business delivering both creative services and print production, this lack of integration made it harder for employees to access the information they needed and manage work efficiently.

Bluechilli needed a system that could support the different parts of the business while making everyday tasks simpler for the team.

Proposed solution

One Connected System for Customers, Quoting and Production

Bluechilli first explored Clarity in early 2022.

Following a demonstration, Steve and Carl immediately recognised the potential to improve how the business operated.

Steve recalls being “absolutely blown away by the functionality of the system.”

The business adopted both Clarity Go and Clarity Pro, allowing employees to use the cloud-based functionality of Go while retaining Pro's advanced print estimating capabilities.

Clarity Pro supports Steve when preparing quotations for large-format and litho printing. At the same time, other employees can see job information live.

Beyond operational improvements, Bluechilli believes the software has had a positive impact on its commercial performance.

Carl says:

“We do believe that it's helped us win more business.”

By making customer information easier to access and allowing employees to manage work more independently, Clarity has helped Blue Chilli establish a more connected approach to its operations.

Ongoing support

Hands-On Training and Support When It Matters

For Blue Chilli, the experience of introducing new software wasn't just about functionality.

The support received during implementation and beyond was an important part of making the transition successful.

Steve explains:

“The team at Clarity were absolutely brilliant. Hands-on training, and always on the end of the phone if we need support”

When the team encountered difficulties, Clarity provided additional visits, telephone support and Microsoft Teams calls to work through issues.

Rather than being left to navigate the system alone, Blue Chilli had access to practical guidance as employees became familiar with the software.

Steve says there was always someone available to help and concludes by recommending Clarity to other businesses in the sector.