Case study

Established in 1990, The Cotswold Group is the leading supplier of claims validation services to the UK financial services sector. Acting on behalf of these clients, their field based staff visit claimants at home, collecting information for validation purposes.

In addition to placing the majority of their telecoms services with Total, and implementing BlackBerry in its conventional email/mobile format, the group has embraced mobile technology to the full in order to improve efficiency and meet the legislative requirements of their clients.

As David Phillips, Chief Operating Officer at The Cotswold Group explains: ‘We sought to streamline a number of our paper processes, in order to expedite the methods we use to send forms from a field investigator back to our offices and negate the need to input data on return to the office.’

‘By replacing paper-based procedures with BlackBerry, Bluetooth digital pens that connect our existing paper processes to our enterprise systems and bespoke electronic forms, our field staff are now able to provide a secure and improved service to our clients. Forms are now emailed back to our offices, using the digital pen/BlackBerry combination and then immediately integrated with our systems’

Indeed, updating their administration in this way has also given the group a competitive edge, allowing them to meet strict data protection criteria and adhere to the specific time frames required by many of their clients.

As for cost, David was pleasantly surprised: ‘The technology isn’t excessively expensive and both BlackBerry and digital pens have been simple to integrate too. Both of these factors have allowed us to experiment with what will work best for us.’

‘I am delighted with the outcome, as well as the resultant savings achieved by spending less time on data input. Moreover, I was astonished to find the savings we are making far exceed our rental costs.’

‘Due to the success of the automation we shall be exploring, with Total, additional ways to implement the mobile data solution to further improve our services and are currently developing a BlackBerry application ourselves. This all helps us to move further towards our vision of a paperless environment, where ourselves and customers will be able to upload and download information via a secure FTP extranet site.’

For more intricate reports, field operatives are still able to take advantage of technology with Mobile Broadband dongles, as reports can be typed and emailed back, as well as printed off and signed in situ, all before the next appointment. And, as David points out, whilst saving time and providing a better service is key, the reduction in paper is also good for the environment.

As for continued savings, David previously had little time to look at paper billing, which used to arrive by the box load but now finds he can quickly download, sort and interrogate an array of information regarding all his communications from Total’s online billing platform, YourView.

‘The management information contained in the systems reports are extremely helpful’ says David ‘For instance, viewing by cost centre makes analysis so straightforward. I can now easily charge back mobile phone use and identify overuse; which in turn has encouraged users to be more responsible. We have also been able to restrict certain calls from users, such as premium rate services which has brought our bills down significantly.’

Ongoing support for the group has also been consistent, not only in developing new procedures, but in the receipt of regular review from their Field Account Manager to identify areas where savings can be made and the prompt resolution of any issues.

‘I would certainly encourage other businesses to explore the possibilities and benefits of streamlining their services with mobile data technology and not be put off by cost, because you may well find, like we did, it needn’t be expensive and should be, at least, cost neutral’ concludes David ‘And what’s more, with Total’s input and the effort they make getting to know their customers, you can be sure you’ll find a value-add solution that fits.’