Nottingham Building Society implements high-speed network

Aims to improve customer service with network from Virgin Media Business

Nottingham Building Society has increased communications efficienct with its new network

Nottingham Building Society has implemented a high-speed network which it says will improve customer service.

The IPVPN network was provided by Virgin Media and runs across 30 sites; all switches were replaced as part of the upgrade.

The upgrade was intended to support the rollout of new customer service tools, such as a campaign management tool which enables staff to target customers with relevant product-based information.

With speeds of up to 100Mbit/s, the building society is now able to quickly access and exchange information, enabling a faster rate of customer service delivery. It also plans to roll out new tools, such as IP telephony, which will boost staff interaction and collaboration. The network also allows for videoconferencing facilities.

Jack Cutts, head of IT at Nottingham Building Society, explained: "The network has allowed us to enhance our in-house training. We do a lot of computing-based training, and we wanted to enhance that by adding video. The videos make it more real to users, and helps their learning."

Before deciding to go with Virgin, the building society brought in a telecoms specialist to look at the market and help it select the right service provider.

"We wanted the flexibility [in the contract] to be able to change as market conditions improve, and as our requirements change. The solution is a generation ahead of what we need now, so we're future-proofed," said Cutts.

Some 30 sites were connected, and all switches were replaced, but the transition was very smooth, he added.

"We conducted a lot of preparation, including changing the IP addresses of every node on the entire network. That helped with the final migration," he added.

Cutts also stated that Nottingham Building Society is on track to implement the single customer view by the deadline required by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme Reform.