How this sign language agency improved accessibility by using Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 Premium.
Deaf Essential
British Sign Language is a distinct language in its own right, with a distinct vocabulary and grammar. Deaf people often need access to sign language interpreters, just as someone who speaks French or Urdu might need an interpreter.
Adam Evans set up Deaf Essential as an agency to link people who needed sign language interpreters with professional contractors who could do the job. Since March 2005, when he started the Swindon-based company, it has expanded to provide additional services such as multimedia and training.
The company has just two full-time staff but over 300 freelance interpreters on its books. So, not surprisingly, the first challenge is to manage bookings efficiently. The second business need is to allow Adam, the MD, to work as flexibly as possible. The third requirement is to ensure efficient communications, especially text messages, email and instant messaging.
This is particularly important for the business because Adam is deaf and is, in his words, “really interested in the latest technology to stay in touch".
Solution
Adam turned to Smooth IT, a local Small Business Specialist Partner and Certified Partner, to answer these requirements. It immediately recommended Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 Premium (SBS 2003). Smooth IT installed it and then expanded it to add a booking system and extra communication features.
Smooth IT created a booking system for Deaf Essential. It used Microsoft Access 2003 as a front end to the SQL server built into SBS 2003. The bespoke database, called Deaf Essential Booking System, gave Deaf Essential a robust way to manage bookings with a user-friendly front end.
It linked into SBS 2003’s shared fax service and the built-in email server to send out contractor requests and booking confirmations. When the job is complete, the database plugs into Deaf Essential’s accounting software to help generate invoices. It is much better than the “really, really slow system” they used before.
Adam has a fourteen-month-old child and likes to work from home every morning.
SBS 2003 lets him connect to the office remotely using a broadband connection and can access his work computer as if he was sitting in front of it. “Sometimes in the afternoon, I can put my feet up and have a nap because I’ve done all my work in the morning,” he jokes.
Fax and email are important communication channels for deaf people, but texting and instant messaging are also avidly used. Smooth IT installed a high-end text message system to Deaf Essential’s server, which allows it to send text messages through the email system using Microsoft Outlook 2003.
Given that Deaf Essentials sends so many text messages, “they needed a heavy-duty product to link through Exchange rather than having a mobile phone in the corner of the office,” says Dan Best, Smooth IT’s technical director. Being able to link text messaging into Small Business Server 2003 made their communications much more efficient and flexible.
Benefits
The next step for Smooth IT and Deaf Essential is the use of smart phones. These will connect with the server to pick up email but will also give Adam access to MSN instant messaging and, of course, text messages. “This combination is a complete communication package for the deaf community,” says Best.
“Sales and turnover are definitely growing,” says Adam. Along with that, he still gets to spend time with his family and stay in touch with his contractors. Small Business Server 2003 is the essential business tool that enables him to do it.