The Client
For over two decades, Hilary Skewes & Co has been bringing together world-class musicians to record scores for film, TV, and video games. A self-described “fixer”, Hilary coordinates everything from booking musicians and studios to managing schedules and budgets for major recording projects.
“I love my job — I get to work with the best musicians in the world.”
The Challenge -
Endless manual admin and sulky spreadsheets.
Managing complex orchestral bookings demands meticulous organisation. A single project might involve coordinating up to 100 musicians across multiple sessions, over several days. Previously, Hilary’s team relied on spreadsheets and manual processes to track availability, responses, and bookings.
“We managed bookings via an Excel spreadsheet on Google Drive. But we could only access it one at a time, and it would often sulk,” Hilary recalls. “When it worked, it was fine. But when it didn’t, it was soul-destroying.”
All related admin tasks — updating musicians’ details (across two separate databases), preparing contracts and seating charts, and creating and sending invoices — were also done manually. It was laborious and hugely time-consuming.
“Each session day generated two full days of paperwork. I desperately needed to streamline that. I spent so much time double- and triple-checking to make sure nothing slipped through the cracks.”
“I was getting busier and busier, and the sheer volume of paperwork was starting to impede our other work.”
The Solution -
A bespoke booking system that streamlines everything.
Hilary had explored off-the-shelf booking systems, but none met her business’s unique needs. She turned to CmdShiftR, impressed by their work with the Musicians’ Union.
“From our first meeting, James understood what we needed. He listens and makes a point of understanding your business.”
CmdShiftR’s background in the arts sector proved invaluable. “It was a massive benefit that James already knew the industry and how it works. That was a shortcut to getting things right quickly.”
CmdShiftR built a bespoke booking and admin system tailored to Hilary’s workflows. It transformed operations by integrating data and automating key processes:
- Simplifies bookings by clearly showing available, unavailable, and unconfirmed musicians per session
- Automates invoicing, generating and sending at the click of a button
- Generates contracts and personalised schedules for musicians
- Creates seating charts, pulling data from the confirmed bookings
- Provides live updates for real-time oversight of bookings and admin.
Beyond the technical expertise, Hilary values CmdShiftR’s responsive, personalised service.
“What I love about CmdShiftR is that they’re so responsive, even out of hours. If something isn’t working, they’re on it straight away. They’re very accessible, cheerful, and easy to work with.”
The Results
The impact of the new system has been transformational.
Tasks that once took days now take minutes.
“Sending invoices used to take my bookkeeper a full day. Now we just press one button, and it generates all invoices and emails at once. To this day, pressing that button gives me joy!”
The efficiency gains eliminated the need for a part-time admin assistant working at least one day a week, saving time and money.
“We’ve definitely reduced costs by streamlining our processes.”
The musicians benefit too. “They love it because they don’t have to fill in all the paperwork. The system auto-fills everything, so they just check and sign.”
For Hilary, the biggest win is peace of mind. Confident in the system’s accuracy, security, and efficiency, she no longer needs to double-check everything — freeing up time and headspace for the core business.
“The system has taken layers of stress out of our processes. And our efficiency contributes to our good reputation.”