Sorting IT out

Outsourcing any business process is a daunting prospect, but outsourcing IT is all the more difficult when IT underpins every aspect of the business

Outsourcing brings with it a wealth of advantages, not least the ability to concentrate on core business functions and access specialist skills, but it must be complemented by transparent management processes in order to attain the higher performance levels promised.

Tower Hamlets Community Housing (THCH) is an expanding, ambitious organisation, that aspires to provide the best possible service to its tenants. Efficient processes, prompt customer service and cost-effective adaptation to new technologies are all indicative of any strong organisation, especially housing associations. All of these factors require a well-organised approach to successfully executing the organisation’s IT projects, which was achieved through outsourcing their IT requirements to Sovereign Business Integration.

To outsource or not to outsource?
THCH was established in 2000 and provides over 2,800 high-quality homes for rent, lease and shared ownership. Employing 81 staff in three area branches including a new head office, its development programme is expected to generate around 100 more houses per annum.

In order to streamline the practices inherent within such a large organisation spread across multiple locations, IT has been critical. Furthermore, there were ambitious plans to explore new technologies that would improve their service offering.

The plans to expand their IT functionality, including a telephony move to Voice over IP, an exploration of Customer Relationship Management systems and an Electronic Data Recording Management system, required experience and specialist knowledge. Lacking the requisite resources in-house, and reluctant to hire new resources due to cost, THCH actively sought an organisation with the requisite system familiarity to whom they could contract out their IT.
Sovereign was approached due to its extensive housing sector experience, and its experience within THCH’s geographical area. Furthermore, the projects that Sovereign specialised in were of similar size, scope and duration to those which THCH intended.

Harneck Chilemba, Finance Director at THCH, comments, “What was most impressive with Sovereign was that, while many of their competitors focused solely on a successful technology implementation, the Sovereign team could transfer their knowledge from all the sectors they have operated within to their work for us. This supplemented their impressive housing record, while ensuring the projects were focused on our requirements.”

Getting stuck in
Sovereign’s immediate priority was to take over the helpdesk, managing incoming customer calls and handling the backlog of customer queries. All calls were directed automatically to the Sovereign team and every one was successfully taken, recorded and solved within pre-arranged timescales. Furthermore, within two months almost all the long-standing backlogs had been resolved. Perhaps most importantly, ever since Sovereign’s involvement the number of initial problems has halved.

Whilst managing the IT expansion, THCH was planning an office move, and although Sovereign’s involvement was not originally planned, it was clear that they had an interest in ensuring a smooth transition. In the event, it proved essential that Sovereign was involved, as days before the proposed go-live at the new site (by which time all partners and customers had been told of the move), THCH’s email and network provider announced that they would not be able to transfer the service to the new site on time due to unforeseen difficulties.

To avoid extended downtime, Sovereign immediately implemented a wireless connection from the old premises to the new. This quick thinking and flexibility ensured that THCH experienced minimum loss of contact during this crucial time.

“We were so fortunate that Sovereign were on board when we moved our offices.” Mr Chilemba says, “Had it not been for their proactivity, then the move would have been a disaster, with repercussions lasting for weeks, not to mention the potential financial cost. Without doubt, their involvement was the difference between completing the move on time, and failing.”

Looking to the future, Sovereign has made a strong impression upon which it is determined to build. Having immediately dispelled the usual outsourcing reservations, Sovereign has established and maintained a solid relationship with THCH such that outsourcing, as a solution, is very likely to be extended into the foreseeable future.

“The primary argument against outsourcing IT is the presumed lack of control over a department that underpins every aspect of your business.” Mr Chilemba adds, “However, Sovereign showed that a personable and professional approach can ensure an external organisation can easily merge with our processes and ensure full visibility.”