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redPepper Marketing is a well-established marketing agency based in Colchester, UK, founded by Michelle Tennens. With over a decade of experience serving clients across various industries, redPepper has built a strong reputation for delivering strategic marketing solutions that drive real business results.
The challenge: outgrowing a legacy system after 12 years
redPepper Marketing had been using the same platform for over a decade. What started as a suitable solution for their smaller team had become a significant bottleneck as they grew and evolved their service offerings.
The legacy system limitations
For 12 years, redPepper relied on Solve360, a platform that had served them well in their early days but was now holding them back from reaching their full potential.
"We had for the last probably 10 to 12 years used a platform called Solve360 that's very outdated now," explains Michelle Tennens, founder of redPepper. The system's age was showing in critical areas that modern agencies require for efficient operations.
Critical operational gaps
No resource planning capabilities
As redPepper grew, one of their biggest challenges became resource management. The legacy system provided no visibility into team capacity or workload distribution.
We were struggling because as we've grown as an agency, we didn't know what capacity we had within the team and who's was working on what.
— Michelle Tennens, Founder & CEO
This lack of visibility was causing the agency to miss deadlines and struggle with project allocation.
Limited project visibility
The team lacked real-time insights into project progress and deadlines.
Visibility and deadlines and percent progress and being able to move seamlessly tasks from one member of the team to another became more important.
— Michelle Tennens, Founder & CEO
Manual time tracking
The platform's time tracking was entirely manual, requiring team members to write in their hours rather than using modern timer functionality. This led to inaccurate time capture and made project profitability analysis difficult..
The solution: why redPepper chose Bonsai
After a year-long search evaluating multiple platforms, redPepper selected Bonsai as their new operational foundation. The decision wasn't made lightly, as Michelle emphasizes:
We didn't take this change lightly. We benchmarked many solutions before choosing Bonsai: it had to tick all the right boxes.
— Michelle Tennens, Founder & CEO
Comprehensive platform approach
Unlike point solutions that only addressed one aspect of their needs, Bonsai offered an integrated approach to agency management.
Bonsai has so much more, all within one platform.
— Michelle Tennens, Founder & CEO
Superior resource planning
The resource planning capabilities were a game-changer for redPepper. The platform provided the visibility they desperately needed into team capacity and workload distribution.
Intuitive design
Coming from an outdated system, the modern, clean interface was immediately appealing.
From my point of view, Bonsai's interface feels calm. I want information, but not too much.
— Michelle Tennens, Founder & CEO
Modern time tracking
The built-in timer functionality was a significant upgrade from their manual process.
The results: transformational improvements across operations
redPepper has experienced significant improvements across all areas of their agency operations.
Effortless resource planning
Real-time capacity visibility
The team now has complete visibility into who's working on what and when. Resource planning has moved from guesswork to data-driven decision making.
No more guesswork. Every team member is right where they need to be.
— Michelle Tennens, Founder & CEO
Improved task allocation
The ability to seamlessly move tasks between team members has eliminated the bottlenecks that were causing missed deadlines. The workload view allows managers to see capacity in real-time and redistribute work as needed.
Better project forecasting
With clear visibility into team capacity and project timelines, redPepper can now accurately forecast their ability to take on new work and plan resource allocation months in advance.
Enhanced project visibility
Crystal clear progress tracking
Project managers and team members now have real-time visibility into project status, deadlines, and progress. This has eliminated the confusion and missed deadlines that plagued their old system.
Streamlined task management
The modern task management interface allows for easy collaboration, file sharing, and progress tracking. Team members can see exactly what they need to work on and when, improving overall productivity.
Better client communication
With integrated project tracking and reporting, redPepper can now provide clients with accurate, real-time updates on project status and deliverables.
Operational excellence
Integrated time tracking
The built-in timer functionality has dramatically improved time tracking accuracy. Team members can start and stop timers directly from tasks, ensuring accurate project profitability analysis.
Streamlined workflows
By consolidating multiple tools into one platform, redPepper has eliminated the inefficiencies of switching between systems and manual data entry.
Modern, intuitive interface
The clean, modern design has made the platform easy for the entire team to adopt.
Bonsai's interface is a breath of fresh air, and was easy for everyone to learn.
— Michelle Tennens, Founder & CEO
Bonsai's support and feedback implementation
Proactive communication and engagement
Unlike many SaaS providers who disappear after onboarding, Bonsai has maintained consistent communication and engagement with redPepper. The team has been genuinely impressed by the ongoing relationship and responsiveness to their needs.
Community-driven development
Bonsai's approach to product development stands out through their willingness to take on customer suggestions and work collaboratively with their user community. This responsiveness to feedback ensures the platform continues to evolve in ways that genuinely benefit users.
Exceptional customer care
The level of support has been a complete revelation for redPepper. Rather than the typical "charge and disappear" approach common in the industry, Bonsai treats customers as genuine partners, with nothing seeming like too much trouble when it comes to helping users succeed.
I've been really impressed with how the team didn't just onboard us, but has stayed in touch. No feedback ever seems like too much trouble. It really is a complete breath of fresh air.
— Michelle Tennens, Founder & CEO
Team Adoption and Satisfaction
Smooth Transition
Despite changing systems after 12 years, the team adapted quickly to Bonsai's intuitive interface. The modern design and logical workflows made the learning curve much shorter than anticipated.
Improved Team Morale
Moving from an outdated, frustrating system to a modern, efficient platform has improved team satisfaction and productivity. Team members no longer struggle with clunky interfaces or missing functionality.
Enhanced collaboration
The integrated nature of the platform has improved collaboration between team members, with better visibility into each other's work and easier handoffs between tasks.
Bonsai is wonderfully uncluttered and being able to give different types of views means that everyone in the team can look at tasks and workflow in a way that matches their preferred style.
Personally I’m a fan of the Board view whereas other’s prefer List view or Gantt.
— Michelle Tennens, Founder & CEO
The bottom line
After 4 months, I can confidently say Bonsai was the right choice for redPepper.
— Michelle Tennens, Founder & CEO
The transformation has been comprehensive, touching every aspect of their agency operations:
- Effortless resource planning with real-time visibility into team capacity
- Enhanced project visibility with clear deadlines and progress tracking
- Streamlined operations through integrated workflows and modern tools
- Improved team satisfaction with an intuitive, modern interface
- Better client service through accurate project tracking and reporting
For redPepper, Bonsai didn't just replace their old system—it transformed how they operate as an agency. The comprehensive platform approach eliminated the need for multiple tools while providing the modern functionality they needed to serve their clients effectively.
This internal move has made us more efficient and better equipped to serve our clients. I'm proud of our team's adaptability and look forward to the continued growth this change will bring.
— Michelle Tennens, Founder & CEO
After 12 years on the same platform, redPepper's bold move to Bonsai has positioned them for continued growth and success in an increasingly competitive market.
