Computing Awards for Excellence: Private Sector Project of the Year - The Shortlist

Bradford & Bingley

Bradford & Bingley (B&B) can now resolve 80 per cent of all lending and savings complaints within three weeks, thanks to the implementation of its complaints handling and resolution management system (Charms2).

Working with CDC Software, B&B harnessed customer feedback to achieve improvements and demonstrate the company’s continued commitment to the Financial Services Authority’s “Treating Customers Fairly” guidelines.

Since it went live in late 2006, Charms2 has improved efficiency by 13 per cent, absorbing additional work and saving about £100,000. B&B has also successfully accommodated the endowment mortgage time-barring process without any additional spending on IT.

Jimmy Choo

Footwear specialist Jimmy Choo worked with supplier Vc-net to install an infrastructure capable of supporting the company’s global business and accommodating future development.

Jimmy Choo now boasts a high-performance multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) network which provides consistency throughout the organisation, simplifying training and easing staff movement.

High-definition boardroom videoconferencing runs video between the five main Jimmy Choo offices across Europe and the US, enhancing relationships and maximising collaboration.

Frequent business travellers are able to set up instant multipoint video meetings via the web site that Vc-net has provided.

Internal call costs are down by about 80 per cent and travel time and costs have also been reduced.

Littlewoods Shop Direct Group

Littlewoods Shop Direct Group undertook one of Europe’s largest retail integration programmes to merge Littlewoods Home Shopping Group and Shop Direct Group into a combined operating environment.

A single virtual call centre was created, bringing all call centres under central control and providing round-the-clock coverage of specialist areas of activity, regardless of geographical distribution.

The group also developed a new returns system, which accommodated the combined volume of returns following the merger of the two separate groups. And a one-stop-shop was introduced, consolidating the tasks of operators processing returns.

Productivity at the return centres has increased by 20 per cent and the company can now measure individual operator performance.

National Australia Group Europe

The task of consolidating National Australia Group’s two UK banks initially seemed hugely demanding, as obsolete hardware and outdated kit conspired to damage staff morale and ultimately hit business.

But the convergence project aligned products and processes across the UK, enabling the successful migration of 1.2 million customer accounts and £10.6bn of assets and liabilities. Yorkshire and Clydesdale Banks now operate a single retail banking platform.

The experience helped the development of new working relationships, prompted a better understanding of the business and provided inspiration for other technology projects. Now equipped with a simplified, forward-thinking technology platform, National Australia Group Europe is poised for further growth.

Network Rail

Under Network Rail’s maintenance handhelds project, signalling maintenance technicians are equipped with Motorola MC9000 devices, which were chosen for their suitability in a variety of environments while boasting sufficient battery life.

Technicians now have jobs sent to their mobile devices and can close off work in seconds, rather than having to pass the forms back to the office for manual data entry.

Network Rail has almost eliminated the need for depot data entry, replacing its traditional office with an electronic audit trail. This has saved £1m a y ear as well as 1.5 million A4 sheets of paper.

Specsavers Optical Group

The Specsavers retail system has eradicated a number of mundane tasks, freeing up staff time equivalent to £20m a year.

In-store waiting times have also been reduced now that less data is captured at the tills. The manufacturing process is no longer dependent on the precision of handwritten data, saving between £8m and £10m thanks to improved accuracy.
The delivery process is also faster, as lens orders can be fed into an automated supply chain system as soon as the details are validated.

Specsavers is now capable of entering any global market quickly, as the system can be adapted to incorporate multi-national variants.

Swinton

Two acquisitions in the past five years have made Swinton the UK’s largest high-street insurance chain.

The company needed an IT infrastructure and a team that could support the needs of an organisation positioned for expansion in a changing industry.

Swinton initiated the delivering excellent customer service (Decs) project, which focused on producing measurable improvements. This involved introducing service level agreements and operating level agreements.

Customer satisfaction rates have risen from 48.7 per cent to 82.1 per cent, and while call rates have increased by 20 per cent, response times are down 10 per cent, without the need for extra staff.

Trader Media Digital

The Auto Trader new car comparator is one of the most successful projects in the history of the Trader Media Group, moving the organisation into a new area of classified advertising.

The comparator allows online consumers to choose and define search criteria to specific needs, delivering a more lifestyle-based search. And the company can now provide statistics to advertisers while preventing fraudulent click activity.

Through revolutionising the method of search, the project aimed to reinforce the Auto Trader brand’s position as the first-choice destination for automotive buyers. A survey has revealed that 97 per cent of consumers would recommend the product.

Visit www.computing.co.uk/awards for all the details of the shortlists and how to book a table at this year's awards ceremony.