Bristow & Sutor, a firm based in the West Midlands that collects payments on behalf of local authorities, has rolled out personal digital assistants (PDAs) to more than 150 bailiffs in an effort to improve their time management and make it easier for them to collect payments.

Previously, bailiffs would begin their day in the office, where they would be assigned a number of case files for the day –­ usually about 30.

They would be provided with hard copies of maps and would then have to try to work out the most efficient route between cases.

Each local authority has slightly different guidelines for extracting payment, so a bailiff would be required to carry a crib sheet ensuring he was following the correct protocol and method of calculating the fee owed ­ – all of which had to be done on the spot.

When it came to extracting payment from people, bailiffs had to ring the payment through to a processing team at the firm’s headquarters in Redditch, and then wait for a return call to confirm clearance. The new PDAs have made things easier.

The bailiffs can have their cases stored on the devices and electronically added, removed and updated. The devices also contain a satellite navigation system that plots the best route between cases and instructs them in the same way as a sat nav.

They also calculate fees and provide the individual authority guidelines for that particular case.

In addition, they have an in-built card-payment machine, so bailiffs can extract payment without ringing back to the office, saving time and staff back at the company’s headquarters.

The system means that the firm can provide evidence of a visit should a member of the public falsely claim a bailiff had not called on them. “It gives us GPS data and a time stamp to check that the bailiffs are where they say they are,” said Bristow & Sutor managing director Andy Rose.

And when it comes to giving feedback on contracts, the system offers greater accountability and security, which helps with compliance. Electronic tick-box forms have replaced hand-written notes, which had proved difficult to read in the past.

The devices also transmit automated real-time alerts to the office base. Should no activity occur after a certain amount of time, an alert is issued that a worker could be in danger.

The firm also operates a client web service so that customers can view the progress of their particular cases online.

Bristow & Sutor operates its own in-house IT system, which made the switch to PDAs much easier, but it did need help from vendor Cognito to help with the external units.

Many of the bailiffs did not have experience of using mobile technology and there was some resistance to the devices.

But now almost all have been persuaded of the benefits and Rose estimated the firm is now turning over between nine and 10 per cent more cases than before it introduced the technology, giving a full return on investment within three years.

The changes in work patterns also mean that Bristow & Sutor can recruit labour in local areas, as well as those who live near its head office.

“This kind of technology is definitely becoming more affordable and suitable for smaller businesses,” said Ovum analyst Tim Renowden. “The price of devices will continue to fall too, but customised software will always be an expense.”

Multifunction handhelds to help police with their inquiries
Devices that perform more than one IT function are becoming increasingly common. The Association of Chief Police Officers is currently tendering for devices that can read credit and debit cards, passport chips and fingerprints, as well as contain a camera capable of capturing someone’s face to run through facial recognition technology.

Such bespoke mobile technology is not cheap – the tender is for 150 devices at £800,000 – but they do allow officers to perform a number of functions at once.

“The more functions a device has on it the better,” said project manager Dave Gunning. “They won’t necessarily all be used, but at least the capability is there.”

The police will use the devices in air and sea ports to check the identity of those coming in and going out.