“One of the things that stands out most about working with you is your ability to remain calm, confident, and thoughtful, even when dealing with complex or challenging IT projects. You have an impressive depth of knowledge, but what makes you particularly effective is your ability to explain complex technical concepts in plain English, making them easy for clients and non-technical people to understand.
You take the time to genuinely understand your clients, their businesses, and what they are trying to achieve rather than simply focusing on the technology itself. It’s clear that you invest significant effort into research and preparation so that you have a strong understanding of the client’s needs and objectives before recommending a solution.
We have always found you to be intelligent, highly professional, approachable, and focused on delivering practical outcomes. Your ability to bridge the gap between technical complexity and real-world business needs is a real strength and one of the reasons clients enjoy working with you.”
— Michelle Thompson and Clair Holland, Thompson Construction & Engineering
“I wanted to provide some feedback on the work you’ve done with Shaw’s over the past couple of years.
Sarah Bennett from Teal Software was engaged by Shaw’s in 2024 to design and build a Microsoft Power Apps solution, which we called Shawly, to replace our legacy workshop application. A key requirement was to create a solution that could integrate with our existing ERP system; something our previous workshop application was unable to do.
Shaw’s is a fast-paced and constantly evolving business, and at times defining the scope, requirements and stakeholders can be challenging. One of Sarah’s real strengths has been her ability to cut through the noise, understand how the business actually operates and identify what the team genuinely needs from a solution.
Sarah has always been extremely accommodating and nothing has ever been too much trouble. At the same time, she has been prepared to challenge our thinking and ask the right questions to make sure we fully understand what we are trying to achieve, rather than simply building what we initially think we need.
The end result has been an exceptional solution. Shawly has effectively extended the capability of our older ERP platform and, through Power Apps, has given Shaw’s a much more effective way to manage and improve our workshop operations.
Sarah continues to support Shaw’s with the ongoing development of Shawly, while also helping us explore the opportunities available through AI and automation. She recently facilitated a workshop with our team demonstrating the capabilities of Microsoft Copilot, and we are already seeing people identify and implement efficiencies as a result. She has also taken the time to meet with different areas of the business to understand their processes and identify where AI, automation or improved systems could add value.
What we particularly value about Sarah is that she doesn’t approach technology for technology’s sake. She takes the time to understand the business problem first and then works with us to find a practical solution that will genuinely improve the way we operate.
We have really valued Sarah’s contribution to Shaw’s and would have no hesitation recommending her and Teal Software to other businesses looking for someone who can combine strong technical capability with a practical understanding of business needs. ”
— Jonty Taylor, Shaw's Wire Ropes
“Working with Sarah is fun! That might not sound very professional, but when someone listens carefully, turns your ideas into better solutions, and always delivers on time, that’s my definition of fun.
Sarah has helped us build the structure we need to keep growing our business. She is flexible, open-minded, and incredibly efficient at solving problems. What I appreciate most is that I always learn something from her. She is a great teacher who shares her knowledge in a simple and practical way.
I would recommend Sarah without hesitation. She is a pleasure to work with and has made a real difference to our business.”
“There were areas where we’d got stuck in our ways because that’s how we’d always done it. Sarah is great at taking the initiative and helping us explore options. She doesn’t present roadblocks. There’s always a solution to make things better.”
— Beau, Shaw’s Wire Ropes
“One great thing about Sarah is she’s able to take our ideas and translate them into better ways of operating. She doesn’t simply implement what we ask unquestioningly. She contextualises our requests and thinks about how they fit with the big picture.”
— James, IT Manager, Shaw’s Wire Ropes
“Sometimes you explain things to people and you can tell they’re not on the right page. It’s not like that with Sarah. She totally gets what I’m talking about. She understands.”
— Virginia Fleming, General Manager, Aotea National Leasing
“Overall Shed HQ is going really well, its exceeded both mine and Jason’s expectations for functionality and ease of use. We’re stoked with the change, and can’t wait to add further capability”