Case Study: Towergate Partnersip

Case Study: Towergate Partnership

An expanding business with multi-site branch offices, supported by disparate telephone systems and no effective method of monitoring and recording call traffic created a number of communications challenges for the Towergate Partnership. The answer? A new IP telephone network and an integrated call recording/logging solution from Liquid Voice.

Towergate Partnership is a group of specialised insurance and brokerage companies with 120 offices across Britain. The partnership provides high quality financial services to major UK industrial sectors in addition to providing a range of consumer, household and vehicle policies.

“Our business is large and multi-site, with regional offices dedicated to specific markets and areas of operation. Each business unit has its own high quality back-office and customer service processes and operates to specific priorities,” says Martyn Cranfield, Group Telecoms Manager, Towergate Partnership Ltd.“Good communication and a seamless flow of information throughout the organisation is vital”.

With over 4,000 employees, the company handles more than 250,000 inbound and
outbound telephone calls each month.

“A large, multi-site organisation requires a great
deal of management oversight and control; with 120 offices nationwide, it’s vitally important that our managers know exactly what’s happening – when, how and why – in order to maintain business efficiency and high levels of customer service”.

The Challenge

Towergate’s 120 UK offices have historically been supported by a variety of leading-brand telephone systems, creating a range of practical challenges.“We wanted consistency throughout the organisation; to lower costs and simplify the supply and support chain,” says Martyn. “Having audited and improved total call costs andnumber of lines and extensions used, we chose to roll out a new Avaya IP communications platform across the business.

“After our first unhappy experience with a ‘legacy’ system, we also needed a new, more
powerful call recording and logging solution - fully integrated and centrally placed - to deliver
high quality and consistent monitoring and reporting of telephony usage across the
partnership. Our existing call recording system was expensive, very complex, emperamental
and inflexible. This, combined with different phone systems, created many problems.
“In addition to our practical requirements, compliance with FSA and other regulations was
a key factor driving our strategic approach to communications, call recording and reporting”.

The Solution

To compliment its new IP comms network, Towergate required a seamless, integrated call
logging and recording solution; easy to use at branch and department level; flexible and
reliable, providing quick and easy access to realtime and historic data that can generate a range of high quality reports for use across the company.“In comparing leadingbrands, the Liquid Voice call recording solution stood head and shoulders above the rest. It offers all the power, functionality – and more – that we need while delivering very clear cost benefit. We saw a product demo then staged a month-long inhouse trial during which we rigorously tested the product.

“We were delighted with the results as it quickly proved it’s worth, paying dividends within the first week of use. Our managers found the system very quick and easy to use and it
delivered powerfully on all the practical, commercial and compliance issues we required”.

The Installation

Towergate adopted the Liquid Voice solution in phases over a three-month period, beginning with one office then rolling out to other UK branches. “Purchase to installation took under two weeks, was seamless and low-impact with no disruption to existing operations. It all went in very smoothly with no problems. The system is so easy to use that complex training is simply not an issue; knowledge is quickly shared around the organisation where appropriate and, because the benefits are so clear, everyone quickly ‘bought into’ the system so there’s no ‘change management’ issues to contend with. Installing and rolling out the Liquid Voice solution has, by far, been the easiest IT-based installation we’ve ever done”.

The Benefits

Towergate use all main functions of the solution including call recording and call logging. “The integrated nature of the product delivers powerful features. We’re using call logging more and more as managers discover the benefits of such monitoring and reporting in
addressing their own business priorities.“The Quality Module is extremely useful, helping to
ensure that we maintain high levels and standards of business process and customer service. It’s now used as a core part of our staff training and incentive programs. Variances and anomalies can be quickly identified and addressed to improve service and performance. Transactional quality and procedural standards have definitely improved since adoption of
the Liquid Voice call logging/recording system. Reports take little time to generate and provide high quality data.“Towergate now enjoys real-time oversight and control of call traffic, trends and costs across our organisation that we simply did not have previously. Since installation we’ve no problems or failures of the system. Indeed, it seems that with every passing month we’re discovering new features and functions that provide very real practical help across our business.

Customer Care and Tech Support

Towergate worked closely with Liquid Voice during the selection, trial and installation stages and speak highly of the vendor support. “Pre and post-installation help and support where needed has always been very responsive, quick and knowledgeable. Liquid Voice has worked closely and well with all our other suppliers and providers during installation and changes. There have been no technical or operational problems whatsoever since adoption. All we’ve had to do is ‘tweak’ the system to our individual requirements. Help and support, where needed, has been excellent”.

The Future

Towergate began by using Liquid Voice call recording/logging at five main branches and plan to roll out the system to other offices across the organisation.“We’re very, very pleased with the solution. It’s a powerful, proven and easy-to-use product that comes at a very affordable price. Liquid Voice does everything it says on the box – and a lot more! Features and
functions are such that we are confident the solution will provide all the headroom we need for future expansion”.

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