E-maginative - Case study: Nationwide Building Society

e-maginative deliver process efficiency and improved customer service at Nationwide through the exploitation of server and desktop technology.

Like many organisations Nationwide had upgraded its Branch and Head Office desktop and server systems as part if its Year 2000 programme. Given the scale of investment, the board wanted to drive additional value from this new technology.

Nationwide embarked on a major programme of change to exploit and increase the usage of the investments it had made.

Process automation

Central to this was the exploitation of intranet-based technology at both Branch and Head Office locations, including e-learning, computer-based training, automated e-mail routing, e-forms, workflow, browser access to legacy mainframe applications and the development of common web services.

The programme had the following objectives:

• Improve intranet usage through better publishing, navigation and search functions
• Deliver e-forms and workflow functionality for core branch customer processes
• Deliver a range of e-learning solutions for Branch and Head Office staff including a learning management system and computer-based training
• Provide browser access to key mainframe systems in order to improve customer service and deliver efficiency benefits
• Improve customer service through automated e-mail routing and response
• Develop core web services that could be re-used by other initiatives wherever possible.

e-maginative delivery

Our programme delivered:

• Significant improvements in intranet search and navigation through upgraded search engine technology
• An easy-to-use content publishing tool that enabled content publishers to easily tag pages with relevant search information
• An intranet, catalogue-based learning management system that provided staff with direct access to computer-based training and online booking of training courses
• A wide range of computer-based training
• Automated e-forms and workflow, authorisation and routing for a number of key branch transactions
• Browser access to a number of core customer systems, enabling staff to provide in-branch information direct to customers rather than via Head Office
• A rules-based automated e-mail system that scans e-mail and routes it to the appropriate department
• Core web services that can be re-used across the organisation.

e-maginative provided core programme management and programme office support, matrix-managing the internal Nationwide programme team.

What made the e-maginative engagement a success?

• Establishment of a clear business objective
• One joint programme team focused on delivering the business objectives
• The programme was run as a business change project, not a technology project
• Strong business communication across all departments
• Departments and key Nationwide staff across the business actively involved in the programme

The result? Major financial and efficiency benefits across the entire Nationwide organisation.

Core methods employed:

• Prince II
• Managing Successful Programmes.

Core supporting technologies:

• Microsoft Windows Server
• Internet Information Server
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Citrix, Abode forms
• ASP
• Web Services.