SME success in G-Cloud as Optevia takes to the stage with Microsoft at Think G-Cloud 2013

Posted on May 16, 2013 by TimVernon

SME success in G-Cloud as Optevia takes to the stage with Microsoft at Think G-Cloud 2013

Today it has been confirmed that Optevia, in conjunction with Microsoft, is presenting as part of the main conference agenda at Think G-Cloud 2013. This event will take place on Tuesday 18th June 2013 at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

We will be presenting  an overview of our recent customer successes contracted via the G-Cloud framework.

Think G-Cloud 2013 will provide a timely reminder of the Government’s preferred cloud strategy for the wider public sector. Denise McDonagh, G-Cloud Programme Director and CIO, the Home Office, will be giving the opening keynote – ‘G-Cloud, the journey has only just begun.’

Throughout the main agenda a small number of selected speakers, including Optevia, will compliment the main themes  of the event.  We encourage our customers to attend  as there will be ample opportunities to have your voice heard during the extended Q and A sessions, so please make this conference a must for all those keen to explore the benefits of the Government Cloud.

Optevia will be available throughout the day on the Microsoft stand to discuss with you how our products and services can help you with your business issues and challenges. Do come along and say hello.

For more information, or to register, visit: http://thinkgcloud.com

 

 

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust Selects Optevia

Posted on March 27, 2013 by TimVernon

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust has selected public sector CRM specialist, Optevia, to support its Stakeholder Engagement team to capture the Trust’s members and stakeholders as well as associated activity to better provide targeted health and wellbeing services for 1.5 million residents. The new CRM system will be built upon Microsoft Dynamics CRM, customised by Optevia.

Lancashire Care is a Foundation Trust and is keen to engage with its 14,000 members, which include service users, local residents and staff. The Trust needed a way to capture its members’ details and manage engagement with its stakeholders, such as GPs and MPs.

“The Trust had a contract with an external partner to manage its membership database. The increasing scope and complexity of our stakeholder relationships meant that we needed a more comprehensive database solution which extended beyond membership. The Trust worked with Optevia to develop a new solution that was fit for purpose,” said David Keddie,Stakeholder Engagement Manager. “We now store all information in our Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution and have benefited as the functionality is more advanced, we have greater control and the cost of managing it is lower than previously.”

The project has taken approximately six months to complete. The Trust continues to work with Optevia and looks to its other projects for inspiration and innovation. One example isCumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which has recently deployed a dashboard tool that can automatically transform its data into simple graphics for presentation purposes.Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust will also follow suit and use this reporting technique to share intelligence and analyse what services they can improve for its members.

“We’re delighted to help Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust to improve the management of its communications process with its members and stakeholders,” said Tim Vernon, Managing Director at Optevia. “This CRM system allows the Trust full flexibility and can continue to customise the platform to fit its exact needs, future proofing the investment.”

Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Selects Optevia

Posted on February 27, 2013 by TimVernon

Optevia CRM solution captures the Trust’s stakeholder engagement activity to ensure improved healthcare services 

Public sector CRM specialist, Optevia, today announced that Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has selected Microsoft Dynamics CRM to support its GP Stakeholder Engagement team to capture all activity with its stakeholders and in turn deliver high quality healthcare services to its 500,000 residents in Cumbria.

The Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust recently created the GP Stakeholder Engagement team to work in collaboration with its stakeholders, namely GPs, to gain feedback so action could be taken to improve healthcare services across the six districts in the region. The GP Stakeholder Engagement team needed a way of capturing the information generated at every point of engagement and a way in which to analyse the data so steps could be taken to support the stakeholders fully.

“We found ourselves awash with data from our engagements and realised it was time to step away from the  ‘old way’ of capturing and presenting back information.  Spreadsheets and Word documents were time intensive, cumbersome and not effective for our purposes,” said Tom Bell, GP Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. ”We chose Optevia as it could customize the Microsoft Dynamics CRM to fit our exact needs and they were willing to incorporate an intuitive dashboard reporting tool that many others couldn’t. We can now record all data onto the system from any device, on the go, avoiding replication of work and the dashboard can automatically transform the findings into simple graphics for presentation purposes, really bringing the results to life in an impactful way.”

The data can now be uploaded onto the CRM system and tracked on progress to ensure that all actions are completed. A simple example would be that if a GP were to feedback that a current leaflet displayed in a surgery was out of date then the GP Stakeholder Engagement team could tag as an action to update the literature, track progress and deliver the new leaflet to the surgery, ensuring a seamless process.

“We’re delighted to help Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust fulfill its unique need for a Stakeholder Engagement tool,” said Tim Vernon, Managing Director at Optevia. “This CRM system ultimately allows the Trust to stay competitive in the marketplace. With CCGs governing budget, being able to demonstrate the value of what you are doing and the impact you have had becomes a really powerful tool. By adding this extra layer of intelligence with a full audit trail, will in turn future proof strategies to improve services in the region.”

Optevia to speak and present at Healthcare Strategy Forum

Posted on February 8, 2013 by TimVernon

Optevia to speak and present at Healthcare Strategy Forum

 On 30th April-May 1st we will be exhibiting and speaking at the Healthcare Strategy Forum and will also be showcasing the flexibility of Dynamics CRM in the healthcare space.

It is exciting times for the role of technology in healthcare, not least as a result of Jeremy Hunt’s – Secretary of State for Health – NHS digitization mission announced earlier this month.

Mr Hunt clearly intimated, or even stated, the important role of data management in the NHS to facilitate better patient care – after all, what ever changes we make to the health system in England has to be to the betterment of patient experience and care.

His article in The Guardian titled ‘Better data means better care in the NHS’ sets out how patient data transparency will equate to an improved healthcare system and trust in the NHS. Needless to say the role technology has here is paramount.

But of more interest to me is the approach that the NHS will take in realizing these aims. Will we see a continuation of the large monolithic vendors with out of the box solutions dictating business process change to work with their product, or will we see more of a tool kit approach? That is, here is my technology, what do you want to do with it and how will we work with it?

For me, the NHS needs to take a bolder approach and not be so reliant on the multi-million pound contracts that have become a common fixture and take a more intuitive and agile approach to technology deployment.

Optevia will be showcasing the work it is currently undertaking across numerous health and social care trusts at the Healthcare Strategy Forum (30th April-1st May) and provide insight into some of our of wider applications and ideas for Dynamics CRM in the healthcare space.

No doubt this event will provide the platform for further discussion on this and other areas currently impacting our healthcare space  – greater efficiencies, cost control, doing more with less and of course the imminent arrival of CCGs.

There is a great speaker line-up including Charles Gutteridge, National Clinical Director for Informatics, DoH and Robert Harris, Director of Strategy, NHS Clinical Commissioning Board, amongst many others.

Do come along and say hi if you are attending.

Optevia to speak and present at forthcoming industry forums and events

Posted on January 24, 2013 by TimVernon
  • Central Government Strategy Forum 12-13 February
  • Local Government Strategy Forum 21-22 May 2013
Our team will be speaking and presenting at the forthcoming Central Government Strategy Forum, 12-13 February 2013, Sopwell House, St Albans. They will also be attending the Local Government Strategy Forum.

Attended by government department IT directors and heads of departments, the Central Government Strategy Forum is the de facto place to learn how IT can drive efficiencies, remove duplication of effort and reduce costs across organisations and departments.

Key speakers include: Gerry Smith, Shared Services Director, Ministry of Justice; Vince Groom, CIO, MOD; David Frazer, Director of Information Governance and Security, DWP; and John Adams, CTO, Department of International Trade and Development.

The Local Government Strategy Forum, full details yet to be announced, promises to be as busy as last year’s event where budget cuts and driving efficiencies was the ‘name of the game’ – this year the focus will no doubt be similar.

At both forums, we will be sharing our own experiences and case studies on how we have been helping local authorities and government departments manage change and drive efficiencies in face of budget cuts and mandated transformation programmes.

Optevia is a specialist provider of Microsoft Dynamics CRM to the public sector and since 2004 has delivered CRM based solutions to over 150 public sector organisations. Optevia has a range of industry specific solutions that help organisations save on time, money and resource when implementing a new CRM infrastructure.

Specifically, Optevia’s Local Government Essential (OLGE) is the result of 7 years of development working alongside in excess of 20 UK local authorities. OLGE adds a wide array of local government specific features and processes designed to save our customers both time and money whilst also delivering best practice.

If you are attending any of the forums come along and say hello!

Newark and Sherwood Council deploys innovative CRM system to support new ways of working

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Simon Robinson

Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Optevia Local Government Essentials improvescitizen services and helps reduce cost

Public sector CRM specialist, Optevia, today announced that Newark and Sherwood Council has selected Microsoft Dynamics CRM and the Optevia Local Government Essentials (OLGE) to support its recently created dedicated customer services team and so enable faster, more successful resolution of residents’ queries first time.

Additionally, the system is being used to manage and record inward investment requests from local businesses in the wake of the Government’s dismantling of Regional Development Agencies. The CRM system is now streamlining local business requests for investment and other kinds of support so ensuring all requests are handled quickly and efficiently to the benefit of the Council’s business community.

The new CRM system enables Newark’s customer service team to better manage the 32,000 calls it receives from its customers each month. Previously, staff had only limited ways to record and oversee ongoing progress against customers’ requests or comments regarding a missed bin collection or an abandoned car report, for example. The CRM system provides call logging and detailed case reporting and connects data from several council functions, including benefits, waste management, council tax payments and environmental health and housing.

Customer service staff can now deal with ongoing Newark residents concerns more professionally and efficiently, identifying persistent callers and vulnerable residents sensitively to colleagues, whether they are dealing with them via email, on the phone, or face-to-face in the Council’s offices. Optevia was engaged after Newark and Sherwood identified the need for a flexible, open and intuitive CRM system following a feasibility study.

Optevia’s experience of implementing service-changing CRM solutions across England’s local authorities meant that it could offer the project leaders at Newark and Sherwood unique insight into the right system for them. For instance Optevia led a workshop for Newark with another of its customers, Stevenage Borough Council, whose similar processes and new ways of working enabled Newark to easily quantify the benefits the new system would deliver. This also helped Newark plan how best to use the new system effectively.  Stevenage has continued to act as a ‘sounding board’ for Newark.

Jill Simpson, Business Manager, Customer Services at Newark and Sherwood Council commented: “Simply put, deploying this CRM system has enabled my team to be more able – able to help our customers, and able to record data that helps the Council build a more meticulous, trustworthy picture of the effectiveness of our services and day to day work. We now have uniformity in the way we record customer enquiry histories, pass information between service staff, and resolve queries. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM system from Optevia is really flexible with more than enough local government functionality for our needs. It’s inspired real confidence in my team and made positive changes to their working practices.

The additional functionality of managing our inward investment requests in the wake of the disbanding of our Regional Development Agency ensures we can continue to support local businesses and help entrepreneurial individuals establish new commercial ventures.”

Tim Vernon, Managing Director at Optevia commented: “Delivering this CRM system to Newark and Sherwood was a pleasurable challenge. Working with Stevenage Council to show the Newark project team what could be achieved on a similar scale was a great advantage to the project – proving Optevia’s success by demonstrating a solid blueprint and fast delivery model. Newark and Sherwood Council has a clever and open CRM system to expand on, and we’re already looking forward to the next stage of its evolutionary journey.”

Optevia’s Local Government Essentials for Microsoft Dynamics CRM is the result of 8 years of development working alongside over 25 local authorities. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is already a world class CRM platform with extensive customer services capabilities. Optevia’s Local Government Essentials adds a wide array of local government specific features and processes designed to save our customers both time and money whilst also delivering best practice.

Huntingdonshire District Council to improve efficiencies and citizen service with new Optevia CRM solution

Posted on December 7, 2012 by TimVernon

Public sector CRM specialist, Optevia, today announced that Huntingdonshire District Council has selected Microsoft Dynamics CRM and the Optevia Local Government Essentials (OLGE) to help create workflow efficiencies, remove duplication of effort between back office and call centre staff, and provide the platform for a more effective service to its 75,000 citizens.

Huntingdonshire shares a CRM platform under an arrangement with Cambridgeshire County Council, which is due to expire in December 2012. Huntingdonshire plans to replace this with Dynamics CRM and OLGE in a phased installation, taking about six months.

In the first phase of installation, Huntingdonshire is working with Optevia to review the core services the Authority provides via the main customer services channels – from its call centre or via inbound email. This will help them understand the structure of current service provision and the workflow to send the job to different teams..

The Authority and Optevia are aiming to identify significant process improvements and remove costly duplication of effort and inefficiencies. It has already been identified that the Operations team, which processes ground maintenance requests or refuse collection must manually ‘rekey’ requests from the Authority’s call centre into its own IT system. By giving teams like this direct access to OLGE, the Authority can reduce the number of IT systems needed, reduce errors common with manual data entry, reduce duplication of effort and reduce the time it takes to deal with a citizen’s request.

The two parties have also identified priority service areas that will be first to operate through OLGE and they include: those relating to refuse and recycling, payments, requests to send documents and forms and all associated Streetscene services – street cleansing, fly tipping and abandoned vehicles for example.  Huntingdonshire’s project team has worked with Optevia to specify processes and system design for core services and both Optevia and Huntingdonshire’s project team will be responsible for the build of these services – key to controlling costs, but also, and as important, to keeping valuable resource and knowledge within the authority.

A big improvement will see the CRM system integrated with the District’s Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) address database, ESRI’s GIS (Geographic Information Systems) mapping software and Capita payments system and multiple SQL databases.

Matt Hinton, IMD Projects and Business Analysis Team Leader, Huntingdonshire District Council comments: “We are taking a very collaborative approach to this project and working closely with Optevia, our Customer Services and back office staff to deliver both a better system and better services.

Hinton adds: “Optevia’s proposal excelled in a in a number of key areas: We were looking for a solution that as well as offering all the required functionality, would allow us the flexibility and options in development and support moving forward.  As an Authority, we want to be self sufficient in terms of being able to adapt and configure the product as our needs change over time ourselves. The Optevia approach gives us the flexibility to do this.  The solution was also a very good strategic fit for us. The Authority already utilises an extensive portfolio of Microsoft software, and integration with our other key Microsoft applications is very strong. Optevia has excellent credentials in terms of reference sites for Dynamics CRM across local government;  OLGE gives us a real head start in terms of product configuration and deployment – for us it means we do not have to start from zero.”

Tim Vernon, Managing Director Optevia comments: “Matt and his team are very progressive and recognise the value that CRM can deliver in terms of efficiency gains, improving workflows and providing a more intuitive service to their staff and citizens of Huntingdonshire. We are pleased to be working with the District on tailoring Dynamics CRM so that it delivers real business benefit.”

In the future, Huntingdonshire plans to explore the possibilities of mobile CRM, equipping their field workers with access to OLGE. The Authority will also review customer self-serve via their website, making use of the Optevia Dynamics Portal, to enable the exchange of online information between citizens and the Authority securely, quickly, efficiently and at lower cost than is possible using telephone and face-to-face communication channels.

Optevia’s Local Government Essentials for Microsoft Dynamics CRM is the result of 8 years of development working alongside over 25 Local Authorities. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is already a world class CRM platform with extensive Customer Services capabilities. Optevia’s Local Government Essentials adds a wide array of Local Government specific features and processes designed to save our customers both time and money whilst also delivering best practice.