Intro
In 2004, a group of IT professionals at Global Textware began developing our own project management tool. It started out as a rather simple solution to replace managing projects in the old-fashioned Excel spreadsheet. We later hired IT staff to work on the development of the system into a professional tool fr our employees. It would not only be a tool for project management, but also for vendor management, invoicing, HRM, quoting and reporting.
Over time, we implemented efficient workflows for translation project management and set up connections to CAT tools and client systems. However, as time went on, our system became outdated and slow and could no longer support the developments required to future-proof our business.
We had to make a difficult choice – either build an entirely new platform or use an existing system in the translation industry. We chose the second, and XTRF became our new solution.
Why we chose XTRF
As explained above, Global Textware is used to using a system that is tailored to our company’s needs. The first requirement for our new tool was for it to incorporate all our organizational processes, from vendor management and quoting to invoicing and translation project management. The second was that we wanted a solution that suited our needs for automating translation and project management activity. We’re always looking for more efficient ways to organize our processes and consider this an essential requirement for the future development of our company.
XTRF is a comprehensive solution for a professional translation agency such as ours. All the departments will be able to use one integrated platform. Our sales department will have optimized tools at their disposal for quoting and client management. Vendor Management will have a complete database of our freelance translators, with all the features we need. The finance department will be able to manage all invoices and payments in an efficient manner. Management will be able to generate useful reports regarding recent trends in our company. Above all, our linguists and project managers will be able to work with an efficient workflow for project management.
XTRF is also customizable. The workflows and processes Global Textware has developed over the last 25 years, as well as the way we collaborate with our vendors and clients, are at the core of our business. With XTRF, we will be working together to ensure we combine the best practices of Global Textware with the possibilities that the TMS offers. For example, the automation processes we have set up in cooperation with our clients are helping us offer faster services and closely coordinated workflows. We believe that XTRF will provide us with the opportunity to make these automations even more efficient.
Last but not least, we believe that XTRF is a better, safer, faster, and more stable system when compared to our old platform. We have confidence in the professionalism and know-how of the XTRF team because the tool was conceived and developed within a translation agency. The test phase showed us that XTRF has keen insights into what goes on in the translation industry and offers excellent ways to deal with the challenges that we encounter as translation agencies. That makes it all a lot easier.
We are looking forward to working with XTRF!
Global Textware team
