Lombard Ulster

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Lombard Ulster

One of the leading financial institutions in Ireland, Lombard & Ulster was looking to introduce a new e-Business solution that would help the company exploit the rapidly-growing demand for its services. There was one proven leading supplier who could deliver a futureproof solution.

The Challenge

One of the leading financial institutions in Ireland, Lombard & Ulster was looking to introduce a new e-Business solution that would help the company exploit the rapidly-growing demand for its services. Lombard & Ulster focuses on the competitive motor finance sector, where any lapse in customer service quickly results in lost business. Staff at the company’s Dublinbased Customer Services Centre are central to its ability deliver excellent customer service. So Lombard & Ulster was keen that the new system should be easy to use by people who were skilled at customer service while not necessarily being financial experts. In addition, Lombard & Ulster was seeking to work with one proven lead supplier who could deliver a futureproof solution.

The Solution

Fujitsu specialists worked together with Lombard & Ulster’s staff in a closely-knit project team. The project assessment time was close to eighteen months and was followed by a six month evaluation period and a further twelve months to design and implement a new system that met the customer’s needs exactly. This relatively long timescale has helped Lombard & Ulster avoid the trap of re-designing an outdated approach into a faster outdated approach. The new solution is a user-friendly Microsoft Windows driven system, with carefully designed prompts that allow customer service staff to take clients through each transaction.

TheBenefits

• Business growth - Lombard & Ulster Customer Services Centre staff handled 20% more enquiries in the peak business months
• Productivity - with the new system in place, productivity increased by more than 30%. Staff costs per transaction are down, while conversion rates and staff retention rates are up
• Enhanced customer service - the easy to use new system has allowed Lombard & Ulster to employ people with a much broader background than finance, particularly those skilled at dealing with customers
• Futureproof - the system was designed from the beginning to be internet-ready. This allows Lombard & Ulster’s biggest customers, the main car dealerships, to access the system direct from their own desks.

The Implementation

Fujitsu’s associated company, Kainos, carried out the software development of the Customer Relationship Management solution using software from Graham Technology, which was integrated with the main Oracle systems. To ensure high system availability and resilience, the architecture comprises two Sun Enterprise servers configured in dual mission critical mode with mirrored internal system disks. This configuration allows the main software components, Oracle and GTX, to be allocated to a server with each providing automatic standby to the other. The inclusion of two StorEdge Multipack disk arrays ensures high availability.

The Expertise

As a leading e-Business services company, Fujitsu has a long history of integrating technologies, implementing complex projects and a proven track record in multimedia solutions. For example, our technology was behind the first European internet-based banking service, the first games console that can be used to surf the web and send e-mails and the world’s first internet screen fridge. In fact many of the web’s most innovative sites have been created with Fujitsu experience and expertise. We support those solutions with a deep and thorough understanding of mission critical systems that is based on over 30 years of working with some of the world’s most demanding organisations.