COMMUNICATION
COLLABORATION
WATCH DEMO
COMMUNICATION
COLLABORATION
WATCH DEMO
– Kim Davies
When you run a specialized, high-stakes IT services company, communication isn’t just a support function — it’s critical to delivering results.
That’s something Kim Davies, Co-founder and Director of Pitchfork Solutions, knows firsthand. With a small, expert team operating across time zones and client industries, keeping everyone aligned, informed, and connected is non-negotiable.
Pitchfork Solutions is a specialist Progress OpenEdge DBA, Development & Applications Support Services company based in Australia.
Founded by Kim Davies and Nigel Allen, the team brings over 100 years of combined experience in IT.
We got to speak to Kim about challenges his team faces and how they overcame them.
From managing international partners to adapting to fast-moving tech changes, Pitchfork Solutions faced multiple challenges that many remote teams will recognize.
Working from home can be isolating.
Email isn’t always enough to maintain human interaction, which is why Kim invested early in tools that support real-time communication:
“Because this was a founding goal, we invested in remote technologies — VoIP phones, chat and video conferencing apps such as Pumble. Emails can take too much time, so using chat or video conference can speed up that process while also allowing for human interaction.”
With partners and customers across the US, Europe, and Asia, communication across time zones was a logistical challenge:
“All of our partners from the US, Europe, and Asia have a great breadth of experience in their fields and, like us, embrace the remote working technologies, which help break down any barriers. Also, working in Australia with a global customer base, you get used to managing the cultural and timezone issues, which have helped us be successful.”
“Geek-speak” doesn’t always land with clients — and Kim knows that:
“One of our key strengths has always been our ability to keep the technical explanations simple and in plain language. Geek-speak is fine with the right audience, but we pride ourselves on communicating to the business people the benefits of the technology.”
Their philosophy is to keep technical communication plain and simple:
“You have to keep it plain and simple in terms they will understand, thus allowing them to make informed technology decisions.”
Before using Pumble, the team relied on Slack for communication and Clockify for time tracking. While they found Slack useful, it became more complicated and expensive over time.
Kim first discovered Pumble through their experience with Clockify, a time tracking software made by CAKE.com, the same team that’s behind Pumble.
Their satisfaction with Clockify gave them the confidence to try Pumble:
“Our satisfaction with the product from a number of aspects gave us the confidence to investigate and then roll out the Pumble app.”
They started using Pumble in early 2021, and when the paid version was released, they upgraded immediately:
“We started with Pumble not long after it was first released, early in 2021, if I recall correctly. And then, once they released a paid version with greater features, we upgraded and have been very happy.”
Pumble solved several pain points for Pitchfork Solutions — from simplifying remote collaboration to improving communication speed, structure, and accessibility.
The team at Pitchfork Solutions uses Pumble across desktops, phones, and tablets, and everything stays synced — which is crucial when working across multiple time zones and devices.
Kim even mentioned this as his favorite Pumble feature that’s been the most helpful to him and his team:
“It’s the support for multiple devices. We all run Pumble on desktops and phones and, in some cases, iPad/tablets. The ability to have real-time sync across all platforms has been a great asset.”
Furthermore, Kim emphasized how Pumble made it easier to work with global partners by enabling asynchronous communication that feels natural and organized.
He said that Pumble greatly improved their communication flow:
“Pumble has greatly improved our communication. We have used it to cross the multiple time zones and countries our team resides and operates from, which has reduced the distance and increased the communication flow.”
With organized channels and threads, everyone knows where to find relevant information.
This keeps communication streamlined, especially in a team of specialists working on different tasks.
We asked Kim how they organized their channels and what are some of their most used ones, and here’s what he had to say:
“We have multiple channels — Customer, Project, as well as General and Social. Different team members participate in each channel, depending on their role and function. DMs are also useful when maintaining some privacy between members.”
Pitchfork Solutions supports billion-dollar companies that trust them to manage sensitive data. It’s no surprise they value communication tools like Pumble that take security seriously.
“Most of our customers are billion dollar businesses, and they recognize that the information contained within their databases and applications is their business. It stands to reason they require the best support and services to help manage and protect this information. That is where Pitchfork provides the peace of mind in maintaining the accessibility and security of this data.”
Pumble aligns with this mindset, offering SOC 2 and ISO/IEC compliance, reassuring Kim’s team that data privacy is always prioritized.
Secure business comms in PumblePitchfork Solutions has built a strong, global business powered by experience, passion, and clear communication.
With the help of Pumble, their team can:
For remote-first teams who value simplicity, privacy, and connection, Pumble might be exactly what you need.
Get started with Pumble