Upgrading the CRM system within a utility business, helping customers and OFGEM compliance

 

A utility company, distributing gas to around 1.9 million homes and businesses across its network, needed to upgrade their CRM system to handle non-urgent smart meter customer problems. This was due to an OFGEM directive and needed to be implemented by a date given by the regulator.

 

Working for the operations director, we led the delivery of: 

• An updated CRM system 
• New business processes
• A company-wide staff training programme for the system and processes.

 

The project resulted in the organisation maintaining regulatory compliance as the project was on time and within budget.

Moving from paper timesheets to a project app for use by utility field engineers

 

Improving sustainability was vital to our client, a utility company. They wanted to move from using paper timesheets to a mobile application, for use by their 2500 field engineers.

 

They were managing the delivery of the project, which was being undertaken by a vendor, but delivery was stalled as the app would not run on all phone models within the organisation.

 

Working for the IT director, we delivered a troubleshoot package, carrying out a gap analysis that informed our recommendations. 

 

The team implemented our recommendations, unblocking the project, helping them to meet their sustainability goal, and reducing administration costs, with less data input needed.

Implementing a new Point of Sale system within a chain of electrical retail outlets

 

An electrical retail company, with five national stores, were implementing a new Point of Sale system themselves, with a vendor delivering the project. Costs and timescales for delivery were increasing.

 

Working for the IT managers we brought the skills and time to: 

• Troubleshoot 
• Re-plan 
• Re-cost the project.

 

We provided hands-on leadership to successfully complete the project on time and on budget, using our revised plan. Additionally, the impact on the day-to-day operations was minimised.

Working with a charity to introduce professionally managed IT infrastructure

 

We were approached by a local charity who needed to engage a Managed Service Provider for their IT infrastructure. We worked with the office manager to define requirements and lead their supplier selection process.

 

The selected supplier was able to meet current usage plus cope with future needs. Additionally, the selected supplier provided 24hour expert support, meaning less downtime, alongside a secure shared network.

Streamlining project management systems to enable significant cost savings

 

Our client, a small engineering firm with ten employees, did not have a clear and consistent approach to quoting for work, or an understanding of their resource capacity.

 

Working with the two directors, a gap analysis suggested that they needed a simple framework to manage projects.

 

We introduced project management techniques allowing them to:

• Budget track material and people resources
• Monitor live status dashboards and take corrective action immediately.

 

Better resource control has given approximately 10% savings; material purchases are optimised and people are utilised more effectively.

 

Managing the IT software purchase and implementation within an estate agency chain

 

Our client, an estate agent with offices around the South, needed a new CRM system but were uncomfortable delivering an IT technology change.

 

Working with their head of customer services, we gathered and finalised the system requirements identifying that a bespoke system was the correct way to proceed. 

 

We provided hands-on leadership to deliver the project including managing the vendor, resulting in the project completing on time without additional vendor costs.

Introducing an Enterprise System to a finance company

 

Implementing an Enterprise System to unify working practices and consolidate customer records was vital for the growth strategy of our client.

 

After six months of working on the project themselves little progress had been made. The MD approached us to carry out a gap analysis.

 

Following board level discussions we were asked to provide the hands-on leadership needed to get the project on track for completion.

 

Our involvement culminated in a single process and system being implemented across the business, enabling easier integration with any future acquisitions.