P HO T O G R A P H Y BY I S H NA JAC OB S & P E T E R B U R G E
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aring to be different, 10 years ago a regional IT solutions company named itself after a fruit; a fruit with immense health benefits and which thrives in our fair clime. A decade on, BlueBerry is an iconic brand and a multiple award-winning Te Tau Ihu (top of the South Island) business success story. Healthy and definitely thriving. Looking back on the first 10 years of this character-filled business, founding director Richard Butler enjoys a welldeserved moment of pride and reflection. The doors opened in 2008 to a team of four with international experience working for large corporates, such as DLA, Goldman Sachs and GlaxoSmithKline. The vision was to deliver a customer-first experience, making big-business IT know-how relevant to local small-medium businesses.
Regional recognition came fast to this young disrupter, with BlueBerry winning a Chamber of Commerce Emerging Business Award in its foundation year. The vision was becoming a reality. Meanwhile, as early adopters of Cloud technologies, BlueBerry gained national recognition as one of Microsoft New Zealand’s most successful early partners in the new world of Office 365. Building on its early award success and embedded professionalism, BlueBerry was recognised again by the Chamber in 2011 for Service Excellence – an award BlueBerry take the most pride in. “Service excellence was always our primary focus,” says Richard, “We care about our customers and take ownership of our work, so to be recognised as a regional service leader is hugely satisfying.”
“Our customers’ business needs and goals come first, and it is up to us to know everything about the technology available to help them achieve those goals.” A L L A N W I L L O U G H B Y, G E N E R A L M A N A G E R
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Customer Jodie Keenan from Richmond Office Products Depot articulates how BlueBerry’s customer service works for her. “BlueBerry has been part of our team for seven years and quite simply we couldn’t do without them. No matter what happens, they calmly help and are always available. I can’t stress enough how good their support is, they are honest and reliable; we enjoy working with them. The service they provide is as important as the people who provide it; they are a good bunch of guys.” However, Richard was one to never rest on laurels, knowing from the start that as you grow it is important to take stock, take a breath and look ahead, making sure your growth, exciting as it is, doesn’t undo all the good done. Having experimented in local, national, and even international, opportunities the focus was to be ‘The Region’s Favourite IT Provider’. The Marlborough office opening in 2014 cemented this position, as Blueberry continued to deliver exceptional service and client experience across Te Tau Ihu. Richard says consideration was also given to what should be core business
Photo credit Ishna Jacobs
Making a difference every day