McKenzie and Willis Interiors streamlines their processes with ProcessPro
Posted by Angela Alberts on March 28, 2022
How Mackenzie and Willis gained clarity and control with ProcessPro
When processes live in scattered documents and shared drives, it’s hard to know who owns what—or whether the steps are even up to date. For Mackenzie and Willis, a well-known interior design business with six stores across New Zealand, the challenge was visibility and accountability. Julie Free, Learning, Development, and Process Manager, shares how they brought structure, clarity, and real-time improvements to their operations with ProcessPro.
Can you tell us a bit about Mackenzie and Willis and your role there?
My name is Julie Free. I am the Learning, Development, and Process Manager at Mackenzie and Willis. Mackenzie and Willis is a New Zealand-owned and operated interior design business. We have six retail stores throughout New Zealand—five in the South Island and one in the North Island. We offer furniture, home linens, bedding, flooring, and general interior design services in our stores. We have approximately 145 staff and our head office is in Christchurch.
What was it like before using ProcessPro?
Before we got ProcessPro, we had a very simple system to map our processes. We would just use Word documents, write them out, and store them on a shared drive. People would have to access them via the drive and search for the information they needed. Some of the issues with that were a lack of ownership or accountability for processes. You couldn’t tell who had written a process, who the owner was, or who the expert was. So, we had to look at ways to improve this so we could enhance our systems, processes, and overall organization.
What problems were you trying to solve?
The main problems we wanted to solve were improving visibility of our processes so people could easily find them, and attaching ownership to ensure someone was responsible for keeping them relevant and up to date.
“Before we had ProcessPro our processes were documented using word and accessed via a shared drive. This resulted in no accountability and was onerous to manage.”
What have you been able to achieve since using ProcessPro?
We really clarified the structure of our processes—identifying which department each process belonged to. I started working department by department, beginning with our distribution center where all our stock arrives from overseas or around New Zealand and then gets distributed to our stores and customers. We identified which processes belonged to which area and got agreement from everyone on the correct process. That was interesting because people had different ideas of what was “right.” Documenting our processes through ProcessPro gave us visibility and clarity.
Was there one unexpected benefit you experienced using ProcessPro?
A real benefit was the amount of feedback I could gather while documenting. Staff had great ideas and insights on how to improve. Because of our size, we didn’t have to go through a long process to implement changes—we were able to make improvements immediately as we went. That speed was unexpected but really valuable. We could document and improve in real-time.
How has your experience been working with the ProcessPro team?
I found ProcessPro great to work with—really easy to learn. I loved how receptive they were to feedback and improvement suggestions. What’s fantastic is how quickly they respond. If you have a question or need support, they reply fast. They can even log into your ProcessPro account, look at the process you’re referring to, and either fix it or work on a solution quickly. They do regular updates and often implement the suggestions you make. It’s really cool to see features you’ve suggested appear just a few weeks later.
How did you find the initial implementation?
The implementation at Mackenzie and Willis went really smoothly. After meeting with James to discuss our needs and whether it was the right fit, we quickly had a demo site. Since I’d used ProcessPro before, I was able to start documenting straight away and show our team how it would work. That visual made a big difference. Once we signed up, the live system was ready fast, and everything I’d created in the demo was transferred over, so I didn’t have to redo anything. The support and training were excellent.
“We have found ProcessPro great to use, very easy to learn and incorporate into our business, and has dramatically improved how we view our operations.”
If you had to choose one, what would be your favorite feature of ProcessPro?
I have two favorite features. One is what I call the “filing cabinet view,” where you can see all your processes at once, collapse by department, and expand as needed. It’s great for seeing what’s done and what still needs attention. The second is a newer feature where you can categorize notes within processes—like marking them as questions or important—so they stand out better. It really improves the flow.
How likely would you recommend ProcessPro to other organizations?
Would I recommend ProcessPro? Absolutely. I’ve used other process mapping software and know the options, but this was the right one for our business—especially because it’s local, and we get the support when we need it. For businesses of around 100 to 500 staff, it’s a great investment. You might think you can manage with Word documents, but having proper software makes a big difference.
If there was one word you could use to describe your experience with us, what would it be and why?
My one word for ProcessPro is straightforward. I considered words like “easy” or “simple,” but “straightforward” sums it up best. It’s easy to learn, easy to use, the people are great, and there are no hoops to jump through. It’s straightforward, easy to teach, and comes with great support. Highly recommend.
Angela Alberts
My name is Angela and I am the QA for ProcessPro. I work alongside our development team to identify, develop and drive the testing activities to ensure the delivery of a high-quality product. I also work closely with the support team to improve documentation and help material. Our collaboration ensures that customers receive a quality, user-friendly product to help them improve their organizations’ productivity.
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