Sencia Group Case Study

Clients under heavy demand sometimes need properly planned ICT in a hurry. When leading employment training organisation Sencia were looking for more efficient communications for their workforce, they came to PGL with a detailed requirement – and only six weeks to achieve it in.

Sencia had been tasked by the government with improving access to benefits for claimants across the country, helping them to open bank accounts and to understand the importance of what is available to them.

With teams in different locations supporting and training claimants, a key requirement was to offer this highly mobile workforce a robust communications platform to send and receive information and statistics on ‘sign ups’.

When Sencia came to us in November 2004, it was with the knowledge that the entire solution would need to be implemented for January 1^st 2005 in order to meet very specific government targets. And that solution would have to achieve an equally important aim of being more cost-effective than their current system.

After looking at how the organisation communicates, how data was shared, the platform it used and formatting parameters, we came up with an ideal, comprehensive communications solution with many additional benefits for Sencia.

We organised the procurement of 50 Blackberries, 10 mobile phones and 10 new laptops, fully configured and ready to use. Then, we educated all managers and field team leaders in their operation.

The new comms platform was implemented in January 2005, right on schedule and in time for Sencia to hit target for the government, and to begin their essential public service.

PGL performed all ‘snagging’ tasks for the teams in the field, so the hassle of dealing with manufacturers was eliminated.

Now, we ensure that mobile phone usage is analysed so that we can look for more cost-effective contracts.

For Sencia - we reviewed calls and data exchanged six months into the project, before re-structuring the mobile plan – and saved the company £2,200 per month on their company bill.

As Sencia’s benefits project was finite, it was essential to them that they were not tied into a lengthy mobile phone contract. So, at the same time as re-negotiating Sencia’s contract, we arranged it that there would be no extension to its original terms; the contract was still cancellable by Sencia after 12 months if they wished.

Our relationship with Sencia is a lasting one, because PGL has fitted mobile ICT around their specific needs, contributing to their successful completion of an essential project. We’ve recently added another 20 Blackberry devices to Sencia’s ICT infrastructure, as they take on the delivery of further government training programmes.