Weekend Office Switch Helps Broadacres Improve Customer Service
Housing group set to improve service for 4,500 residents after Civica Connect’s quick fix

Broadacres Housing Association in Yorkshire has put its customer service on a stronger footing with a rapid transfer to new contact management facilities at its new purpose-built offices in Northallerton. The weekend office and communications infrastructure switch was completed by running two temporary contact centres, together with close technical support from Civica, one of the UK’s leading providers of consulting, software and services for the public sector.

Though Broadacres teams were scheduled to leave the old head office at the end of Friday office hours, they were up and running at the new headquarters in time for Monday working hours. Civica Connect’s support ensured that the existing main contact centre infrastructure could be shut down over the weekend with operations transferred to the new contact centre during that time as part of the final adoption of the association’s new offices.

Despite a demanding revised completion schedule, Civica Connect was able to complete the implementation of a new integrated communications hub on time.  The new set-up comprises a BT telecommunications infrastructure for Internet and WAN, virtual private network (VPN) for the association’s local offices with ADSL back up for the leased lines.  The Civica team impressed Broadacres with its expertise and problem-solving abilities during the project’s early stages and the final transition to the new facilities.
 
Through the new communications hub, Broadacres will improve communication with customers, reduce infrastructure running costs and improve online access for its personnel at local branches in Thirsk, Stokesley and Easingwold. Civica also secured the new hub by installing security and mail filtering software. 
Broadacres Housing Association’s ICT manager, Matt Dowdy, said: “Civica Connect’s technical support, ability to liaise with BT and sheer persistence during the move was absolutely outstanding – they really went the distance. We had had a quite a few changes to the programme schedule but they were able to bring the new offices into operation within the tight schedule we required. Since the move we haven’t had any technical issues, so we are right on track for reaching our improved customer service targets in our overall corporate plans.”
Improved customer service and operational efficiencies are vital requirements for Broadacres as part of its longer term drive to improve performance in the management of over 4,500 properties.  
David Roots, managing director, Civica UK, said: “Civica is an expert in providing integrated front and back office connectivity systems for different public sector organisations. Our expertise in improving underlying business processes and very strong customer service skills is helping housing groups like Broadacres to make greater system efficiencies while improving local services to their customers.”.