"FileMaker was the obvious choice for us in 1992 and we haven't looked elsewhere since. It does everything we have ever needed it to do – and crucially for our music business, does it on a Mac."

Ocarina Workshop

Ocarina Tunes into FileMaker for Family Business Success

The term 'ocarina' (meaning 'little goose') was first used when Italian teenager, Guiseppe Donati, invented a 'submarine-shaped' clay flute in 1853. Today, ocarinas are used in schools throughout the world and are widely recognised as the most effective way of introducing children to musical instruments. An English ocarina has just four holes that can be located anywhere on the body of the instrument, making it well-suited to a child's smaller fingers.

Ocarina Workshop was founded in 1983 by husband and wife team David and Christa Liggins. Former teachers, they have worked with ocarinas for over 25 years, publishing a definitive guide to the instrument in 1992, as well as launching their own specially-designed range of ocarinas in 2005. Today, the company publishes music and educational materials, manufactures ocarinas, and has just launched ocarina-teaching software on CD ROM that can be played on whiteboards to large audiences of children.

Efficient data management has proved vital to Ocarina Workshop's success. "I have always been very database-aware, and started out with an Amstrad PC," David recalls. "In 1990, we upgraded to Apple Macs and were one of the first companies in the UK to publish music books with desktop publishing." It was around this time that David met Arthur Evans of AWE Consultancy – an association of FileMaker specialist developers and trainers who help organisations derive maximum benefit from their business' data. "Arthur arrived at the perfect time because we knew we could do more with the information we were generating."

Fine-tuning operations with FileMaker

AWE Consultancy implemented an Apple Mac-based FileMaker solution that linked Ocarina Workshop's contact database with its sales and stock files, enabling invoices and receipts to be produced electronically (previously, they were hand-written). "I am not a brilliant computer person, but the system was so easy to use that we were soon processing most things electronically. However, we also wanted to improve the accounting side of the business. By replicating some of the work that Arthur had completed previously, we are now able to produce accounts electronically in FileMaker and print-out reports to meet the requirements of our accountants for quarterly VAT accounting and reconciliation," David continues.

Ocarina Workshop's FileMaker application serves as a powerful tool for analysis of operations and is able to segment the database to mail-specific groups, to monitor the type of products customers purchase and assess mailing responses.

Functionality was further enhanced when the company upgraded recently to FileMaker Pro 8.5. AWE Consultancy were again called in to develop additional modules to provide Ocarina Workshop with the ability to analyse day-to-day operations in terms of stock availability and profitability. "Using the newer version of FileMaker, we can view any record in the contact database and obtain a clear picture of a customer's sales history with a single click," says David. "Every single record is upgraded at point of sale and we can take any group of sales to analyse stock availability and profitability – giving us total control of our business."

Growing in line with business

Serving the music trade, educational suppliers and international distributors, as well as selling direct to both schools and private individuals, Ocarina Workshop now operates a multi-faceted business. In addition to family members, it employs part-time staff to help fulfil thousands of orders each year, including large numbers of small orders from the general public. "For every item we offer, we can sell it in 30 different ways," David explains. "Stock items are presented in a whole variety of packages with different prices for different markets. With FileMaker, we can locate every type of component, link it with stock items – even down to what we give away free of charge – and see how this impacts on profit."

Although the company's payroll is not processed within FileMaker, the amounts are logged, together with sales and payments, so that this data can be reconciled with monthly bank statements. The relational functionality of FileMaker also means that users can toggle between sales and contacts, updating them simultaneously – providing cohesive data management across all aspects of the business.

CRM is now a key focus for Ocarina Workshop. Its database comprises more than 21,000 records, including those of both existing and previous customers, enabling fresh leads to be identified following general mailings. The company is currently developing an email facility that will facilitate more selective mailings, and so keep in better contact with music teachers in particular.

"Its Mac compatibility and undoubted functionality made FileMaker the obvious choice for us in 1992 and we haven't looked elsewhere since. Although our business has moved on and changed enormously, FileMaker has stayed the pace and developed with us. More than this, it has been a significant catalyst for growth," continues David.

The Ocarina Archive

Business aside, David and Christa boast one of the largest collections of ocarinas in the world with over 1000 instruments, many dating back over 2000 years. It also houses a sound recording archive with hundreds of entries, a comprehensive ocarina manuscript and music publishing archive and, according to David: "All sorts of other bits and pieces all relating to ocarinas – from postage stamps to cartoons."

"Cross referencing in FileMaker is wonderful for research, and crucial for insurance, as individually numbering and detailing of objects in the collection is essential. If we had more time, we would add photos and more detail on each record. As it is, it's a challenge in itself just keeping track of our growing collection – something that would be impossible without FileMaker," he concludes.

Ocarina Workshop® is a Registered Trademark of David and Christa Liggins.