Barfoots of Botley is a family-owned business who grow, process, and pack a variety of speciality vegetables in the UK and abroad. We recently spoke with Rob Hill, the Head of IT for Barfoots of Botley at Sefter Farm, near Bognor Regis. While he wasn't part of their initial decision to install Tensor, he has been managing their Tensor system for the last 9 years.
We initially discussed the seasonal nature of agricultural businesses, and the fluctuating headcount of 'anywhere between 300 and 800', of which about half are on the Tensor system full time. Tensor's Time and Attendance, Access Control, and Fire Roll Call systems can manage up to 100,000 employees.
I asked Rob why Barfoots of Botley continued to trust Tensor after so long, and he explained that they review the systems that they use, by asking the following questions: 'Is it still fit for purpose... are we getting good value for money and good support, and do we think the system is being developed in a way that aligns with our technology strategy — and our plans for the business?'. We asked him if we were providing this and his response was 'yes, definitely'.
When Rob took over from the previous member of staff responsible for Tensor, Rob said he found the system and the card ordering processes 'nice, easy, and straight-forward'. He did mention that he didn't think they were using their Tensor system to its full potential, but they were doing a review with the account manager soon, which would also be used to address matters with aging hardware.
In terms of Barfoots of Botley's plans to expand or upgrade their system, Rob explained that they had extended it a few years ago, but they were looking at upgrading their system. They are 'not expanding it into new areas but changing the way we're using it.' Some of these plans included 'doors to turnstiles and Facial Recognition biometrics, as opposed to just fingerprint.'
I asked Rob about his experience with the Helpdesk, and while he hadn't contacted them himself, his team had. 'I think the support desk is good, I think it functions well. We get quick responses, no complaints!'
Finally, I asked Rob if he would recommend Tensor to other companies. His response was that he would and went on to cite the system and hardware as 'very robust'.
'It meets the needs of the business now and is continually being developed in line with our technology strategies!'
Thank you very much to Rob and Barfoots of Botley.
Barfoots of Botley
Sefter Farm,
Pagham,
Bognor Regis,
Sussex PO21 3PX
info@barfoots.co.uk
+44 (0) 1234 268811