Tracing its lineage back nearly 90 years, Visavvi has grown into a premier provider of audiovisual integration across the UK. The company, now part of IT services giant SCC, handles large-scale corporate, educational, and government projects—think video walls, auditoriums, boardrooms, and town halls.
But it wasn't always seamless. Before embracing D-Tools System Integrator (SI) software, Visavvi’s sales and operations ran on outdated Excel spreadsheets—a recipe for broken formulas and quoting errors.
“Quotes were going out with incorrect figures,” recalls Sandra Ruscoe, Sales Operations Manager at Visavvi. “It was how everyone used to do it, but it just wasn’t reliable.”
"We can run the sales support team with fewer members of staff because it’s so quick for us to produce quotations and turn around proposals.” -- Sandra Ruscoe, Visavvi
Visavvi began using D-Tools SI about 10 years ago, initially drawn by its ability to centralize quoting and documentation.
“We were first attracted to it by the ability to use this not only as a quoting tool, but also as a means to track projects and products and produce first-class documentation,” Ruscoe says.
D-Tools SI’s integration with Visio allows Visavvi to create schematics and elevations that can easily be converted to CAD—aligning perfectly with client expectations. The platform also became a centralized hub for all project documentation, enabling project managers to quickly access drawings, costings, and supplier data.
Speed, Consistency, Fewer Staff & Business Intelligence
One of the most tangible benefits for Visavvi has been workforce efficiency.
Ruscoe notes, “We can run the sales support team with fewer members of staff because it’s so quick for us to produce quotations and turn around proposals.”
Where five or six people were once needed, now just three handle the load—an annual cost saving of approximately £60,000, according to Ruscoe. Templates are a major driver of this efficiency.
“We can quickly set up a template for various room sizes—small, medium, large, boardroom—and easily replicate that when a new building or room is needed,” she says. “We just update the costs and clone the whole thing over. It makes quoting much faster.”
D-Tools SI has also empowered Visavvi with data-driven decision-making. The software’s Business Analytics tool lets the company track quotes, monitor margins, and identify top-selling manufacturers and products. It even assists in inventory management—enabling staff to find unused or canceled stock and reallocate it to new projects.
And when it comes to international projects, SI’s multi-currency quoting features shine.
“We undertake numerous projects across Europe and further afield,” Ruscoe explains. “Being able to switch currencies quickly—whether GBP, USD, or AUD—is very useful.”
Real-World Impact: A £1.2 Million Project Simplified
D-Tools SI isn’t just about spreadsheets and stats—it shines in real-world, high-stakes projects.
“We had a £1.2 million project with lots of locations. The client needed the quote split by funding source. Instead of creating multiple quotes, we used the filter tool to break the project down by area, then ran reports for each. But the project stayed unified in D-Tools, so we could manage it as one job,” she explains.
That unified approach simplified everything—from matching purchase orders to project tracking and reporting. “At any one point, we can see where we are in the project lifecycle,” she adds.
Advice to Integrators: Put in the Front-End Work
To companies evaluating D-Tools SI, Ruscoe’s advice is direct: “It’s a great tool and can offer many advantages—not only for quoting but for other project-related needs. Put in the work upfront. Make sure your product catalog, customer data, and contacts are accurate. That will make everything faster and more efficient.”
She also stresses the value of training: “There are lots of shortcuts and tools—like the Gantt charts, resource charts, and business analytics—you’ll only get the most out of it if you learn the system.”
Visavvi didn’t just replace spreadsheets—it gained a streamlined workflow, tighter resource management, and substantial cost savings. With D-Tools SI, this AV integrator is building on a rich history with a sharp eye on the future.
