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Poole based mobile technology company Grapevine Telecom predicts a £0.5million increase in profits over the next 3 years following the successful completion of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Bournemouth University's Institute for Business and Law.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships is a national government funded scheme that enables businesses to deliver 1-3 year projects of key long term strategic importance by accessing University expertise and facilities.
Grapevine Telecom provides cost-effective and reliable mobile communication solutions to both large and small organisations across the country. The company exclusively uses Vodafone and works with almost 1,000 local client businesses to ensure that they can access the best tariffs and rates.
The KTP between Bournemouth University and Grapevine developed and implemented a strategic marketing plan to reposition Grapevine in the face of uncertainty and radical technological change in the mobile telecommunications market.
The partnership delivered a systematic review of Grapevine's product/service portfolio, market opportunities and competitors, to identify a clear focus and strategic direction. The key outcomes from the KTP for Grapevine were increased growth, increased products and services targeted at customers, increased new sales leads and an overall increase of Grapevine's profile across the South West region.
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Former KTP Associate and now Grapevine's Business Development Manager, Paul Lappage.
The success of the KTP has had significant benefits for all involved; the company, the University and the associate employed under the programme.
Brian Vockins, Managing Director of Grapevine Telecom explains the positive impact on the business; "The KTP project coincided with and contributed towards two years of excellent growth and expansion at Grapevine. It was pivotal in shaping our direction and many of Grapevine's operations and relationships have been positively influenced as a result."
As Paul Lappage, the KTP Associate and now Business Development Manager at Grapevine explains, the task was challenging and continually rewarding: "It was valuable to go into a small company, draw on lots of support both internally and externally, and take a positive, hands-on role from day one. Lots of work went into highlighting where Grapevine could really deliver in terms of the service it provides to local businesses, and stressing this across all areas of its marketing."
Paul continues; "It's testament to a successful outcome that I was offered a permanent position. The opportunity for professional development and experience was second to none. Given the industry, it's a role that never gets dull and as I work with a great team at Grapevine, I had no hesitation in carrying on the good work."
One aspect of development that Paul benefited from was the opportunity to study for the postgraduate professional diploma with the Chartered Institute of Marketing. This was successfully completed over the two years.
"Undertaking this sort of partnership is a very important part of the work undertaken by Bournemouth University to support local businesses" explained KTP Centre Manager Dr Martyn Polkinghorne. "We view this partnership are being the start of a relationship between the University and Grapevine, and we are therefore exploring other ways of working together which may even include a second Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme" |
