Meet Our Head of Technology & Development, Dan Hough

· At Flow, we’ve got a team of experts on hand to support our clients with their wide range of challenges.

· Dan Hough, has been working with us for 13 years, bringing knowledge of the IT and technology industry to help us deliver better for our clients.

· Having recently finished his project creating a new single-access internal system to optimise our operations, he shares his insight into his role with us.

As the penultimate instalment of our Meet the Team series, we chatted to Dan, our Head of Technology about his13 years at Flow and what his day-to-day role looks like as part of our insight into how we deliver better for our clients.

What does a day in the life look like?

My days are always busy! The role can be really varied; I could be working on solving a problem with our 3PL portal or solving an issue with one of our internal systems. It’s constantly engaging and challenging though, as no day is ever the same.

What’s our secret to being successful?

I’d say the secret is having great staff, who are all knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of our services from Fulfilment to 3PL, and a company-wide attitude to deliver better for all our clients and suppliers.

Why do you think customers choose to work with us?

We always go the extra mile for each and every one of our clients, without exception. Our team loves a challenge, and we often find that the more complex they are, the better.

Why would a customer want to work with us?

Our clients come to use because they need help solving challenges that they’re facing with their internal systems or current suppliers. No matter the challenge, if clients come to us, we will succeed in solving it. Even if it requires creating bespoke machinery or creating some new software, just for one project, we’ll create it so we can deliver better for them.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I’m very lucky that I work among a team of friends, which I have a huge respect for. I work somewhere where I genuinely enjoy coming to work and spending time with people I get along with – it’s not every day you find a role like that.

What’s been your favourite project to work on and why?

I’ve just finished a project on creating a new internal management platform for us, which now runs the entire Flow operations from one central system, and it’s already working extremely well.

What does the future hold for the industry and Flow Group?

The industry is on a continuous shift now, as Fulfilment, Print and 3PL services across our industry change to meet the growing demands of eCommerce and changing audience habits. I’d expect that we’ll continue to grow and expand our service offerings, as well as pivot into supporting new industries.

As a team, we have a vast level of experience and skill sets across our services, and we’ll just continue to build on these and provide expert advice and guidance for our clients.

If you could pass on your most valuable piece of business advice, what would it be?

“Details ALWAYS matter”

You can’t let standards slip for the sake of it; clients and their audiences will always pick up when something has been done to cut corners. Our motto is to deliver better, and that means we always have to have high standards across our processes.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

It would have to be Haribo, I’ve got a sweet tooth!

What gets you up in the morning?

The only thing that can give me a bit of energy is tea -lots and lots of tea.

Do you have any hobbies or fun facts that you’d like to share?

I’m a musician currently in the process of creating my next album, and I’m touring at the moment with a few bands, including the UK’s #1Smiths tribute band (even though I don’t like the Smiths!).