G4S Transitions To Microsoft Dynamics CRM

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G4S Transitions To Microsoft Dynamics CRM

In May 2013, security and business processing outsourcing provider G4S was notified that it had been awarded the contract to take over the running of the UK government’s Child Maintenance Options call centre service, established to provide impartial support to help separating parents to make informed choices about child maintenance.

The contract with the existing provider would terminate on September 28th, and G4S needed to be able to commence delivery the next working day. More challenging still, dramatic changes in child maintenance processes and procedures were being introduced, with the service set to become the mandatory ‘gateway’ through which all future child maintenance agreements would be processed.

“It was something of a ‘perfect storm’, for which we had just four and a half months to prepare,” explains Jon Adams, director of strategy and operational improvement within the central government service division of G4S. “We needed a very rapid mobilisation indeed.”

The use of Microsoft Dynamics CRM as the backbone of G4S’s delivery platform had already been decided upon, although no implementation partner had been selected. Nor had the detail been finalised of how Microsoft Dynamics CRM would interface with the system to be delivered by the chosen telephony provider, Huawei Technologies.

“We had sought other proposals, but eBECS quickly impressed us with their grasp of what needed doing, and their willingness to fully engage with our timescales,” explains Adams. “The ‘go live’ date wasn’t negotiable, and it was vital that the service saw a smooth transition to G4S as the provider.”

That, in turn, would require eBECS to work closely with a number of organisations: G4S itself, telephony provider Huawei Technologies, the nominated IT support partner Aegis, and the sponsoring government department, the Department for Work and Pensions.

The plan: roll out a ‘core’ capability, available to meet service obligations on Day One, and then build out from there, adding the management and reporting capabilities that were necessary to demonstrate compliance with Department for Work and Pensions’ performance requirements.

Tight integration

A key requirement of the Department for Work and Pensions when awarding the contract for the running of the Child Maintenance Options call centre service was that callers’ details be automatically available to customer service agents on screen.

In addition, eBECS was to provide a ‘post code lookup’ facility, automatically presenting customer service agents with callers’ address details.

Explains Jon Adams, director of strategy and operational improvement within the central government service division of G4S:

“The need for a fully-integrated call centre not only required eBECS and the chosen telephony provider, Huawei Technologies, to work closely together, but also for the two respective technologies to work closely together as well—which was the first time that this had been attempted.”

Results 

The Child Maintenance Options call centre service went live as planned, with G4S customer service agents answering telephone calls from 8am on Monday September 30th 2013. Two months later, the service became the official Child Maintenance ‘gateway’, allocating callers a mandatory unique case reference number. Still further policy-driven changes, introduced in July 2014, then drove even higher call volumes to the service.

Specific benefits of using Microsoft Dynamics CRM include:

* Highly extensible design

As a fully-functional, best-of-breed CRM solution, Microsoft Dynamics CRM is readily extensible, and capable of handling and automating the most complex business processes and workflows. eBECS specialists worked closely with G4S and the Department for Work and Pensions to develop processes, scripts, and screen designs that maximised flexibility while optimising agent productivity.

* Fully-integrated customer service

As a high-profile government service helping people to deal with highly stressful personal circumstances, integrating the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Huawei Technologies allowed G4S to offer a seamless call centre service, yet one meeting the highest standards of confidentiality and impartiality.

* Improved process compliance and reporting

When awarding the Child Maintenance Options call centre service to G4S, the Department for Work and Pensions specified a number of contractual metrics in terms of call handling response times, process capabilities, and call volumes. A full suite of reporting and management metrics, contained in an 80-page monthly report, allows G4S to fully demonstrate target compliance and avoid the imposition of penalties.

* Secure data handling

As is vital for a government-provided service handling highly sensitive personal details, Microsoft Dynamics CRM conforms to the highest security standards. In addition, a requirement of the contract was that data storage meet the government’s own IL3 security specification, involving accreditation to standards based on ISO 27001, but with more stringent requirements.

* Rapid implementation

As a proven solution with a long pedigree and extensive body of live installations, Microsoft Dynamics CRM is capable of delivering a fully-functional—yet high-quality and reliable—advanced CRM capability on an aggressive and demanding timescale.

Solution overview

618,000 Staff
G4S is the world’s largest secure outsourcing group. Head quartered in London, it employees more than 618,000 people in over 120 countries.
eBECS
Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Business Intelligence
Business Process Outsourcing
UK

Testimonial

"As a high-profile government service undergoing challenging changes, it was important for us to select a low-risk option, implemented by a safe pair of hands. Microsoft Dynamics CRM, delivered by eBECS, met both objectives."
Jon Adams
Director of strategy and operational improvement

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