picture of call centre staff

Waitrose slashes IT support queues

New software needed to handle growing IT infrastructure

Written by David Friedlos

Supermarket chain Waitrose has installed business management software to reduce IT support queues exacerbated by its rapidly expanding IT infrastructure.

The retailer employs more than 36,000 staff and supports 1600 IT users in the head office and 300 remote users operating 2,300 devices.

The IT department handles at least 500 support calls and 900 incidents a month but had problems measuring performance and communicating problem resolution to users.

It deployed Touchpaper’s business management software and put in place monthly service level agreements (SLAs).

‘If SLA warning levels are reached, incident statuses change to orange and then red within our Touchpapwaitroseer system and the team gets an instant picture of where its priorities lie,’ said Waitrose network manager Chris Wallace.

‘This has helped us to ensure that we provide the right level of support for priority incidents and we are now reaping substantial benefits in terms of efficiency and customer satisfaction.’

The software has exceeded its SLAs every month, including at least half of recorded incidents fixed the first time and 70 per cent fixed the same day.

User satisfaction has risen from just 61 per cent to 91 per cent, improving the perception of IT within the company.

The software is scalable to meet future growth at Waitrose, part of the John Lewis Partnership. The company has already embraced remote technology, which translates to 70 per cent less IT desk visits.

What do you think? Email us at feedback@computing.co.uk

Further Reading:
Retail sites fail availability test
John Lewis installs system to streamline its human resources
Waitrose back on track for chip-and-PIN

Tags:

reader comments

related articles

 

Fuel-saving traffic lights make it onto the dashboard

Black box-style device to monitor bus drivers' performance and tell them where they are going wrong 31 Jul 2008

Computing Awards for Excellence 2008 - the winners

The best individuals, teams, departments, companies and projects in UK IT have been rewarded at the Oscars of the IT industry 06 Nov 2008

More competition in water market to drive green investment

Defra-commissioned report claims water monopolies are allowing utilities to rely on unsustainable sources 18 Nov 2008

related whitepapers

today's top stories

Technology and privacy

Watch part one of a two-part Computing roundtable debate on the importance of putting data privacy issues at the heart of your IT plans 01 Dec 2008

Got the Knowledge?

Last week the civil service published a new strategy to help government seize the opportunities and meet the challenges of managing knowledge... 01 Dec 2008

Q&A - ntl:Telewest Business managing director Stephen Beynon

The cable provider's chief talks about the future of next-generation broadband access in the UK 28 Nov 2008

Computing podcast - Standard Life's offshoring plans; and the prospects for government IT

The insurance giant outlines its new outsourcing strategy; and we ask if the government's economic bailout will affect its IT plans 28 Nov 2008

India will remain open for business - but that's not the real story

One of the duties I have to fulfil as a director of the National Outsourcing Association is to talk to the media... 28 Nov 2008

Advertisement

Newsletter signup

Sign up for our range of FREE newsletters:

Existing User

Newsletter user login:

Advertisement

Jobs

Related jobs

Job of the week

Job alerts

Sign up here

Find your next job

IT Salary Checker

Check salary here

Advertisement

White papers

Search white papers

Top categories

VPN, Extranet and Intranet Solutions

WAN/ LAN Solutions

Network Security

Interoperability-Connectivity

Grid/ Utility Computing

Latest poll

Will the terrorist attacks in Mumbai affect your offshoring plans?

Will the terrorist attacks in Mumbai affect your offshoring plans?

Is India becoming a risky destination?

Previous poll results

Latest audio and video articles

Padlocked CDVideo

Technology and privacy

Watch part one of a two-part Computing roundtable debate on the importance of putting data privacy issues at the heart of your IT plans 01 Dec 2008

Podcast imageAudio

Computing podcast - Standard Life's offshoring plans; and the prospects for government IT

The insurance giant outlines its new outsourcing strategy; and we ask if the government's economic bailout will affect its IT plans 28 Nov 2008

Latest in-depth articles

ntl:Telewest's Stephen BeynonAnalysis

Q&A - ntl:Telewest Business managing director Stephen Beynon

The cable provider's chief talks about the future of next-generation broadband access in the UK 28 Nov 2008

cowboyFeatures

Guns for hire

David Neal explores the world of interim CIOs and discovers why more firms are turning to them to spur on IT-led change 27 Nov 2008

Advertisement

Primary Navigation