Category Archives: Case Studies and Partnerships

Case Studies and Partnerships, Logistics, News

Aqualine Turns To Arrowxl To Support Significant Growth As The UK Focuses On Health & WellbeinK

Aqualine Saunas, the leading supplier of top brand saunas and steam rooms in the UK, has appointed a new delivery partner to support its significant growth which has seen sales rise by over 50% since the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

ArrowXL, the leading 2-person delivery company, will provide a comprehensive warehousing and delivery solution for the company’s SaunaMed range, which is flat packed and can be easily assembled in around 30 minutes. These will be stored at ArrowXL’s facility in Wigan and delivered nationwide six days a week, with items fully tracked and regular communication from the ArrowXL customer team provided about the progress of the delivery.

Adam Kershaw, Director at Aqualine Ltd, said: “Now, perhaps more so than any other time in our recent past, there is an emphasis on health. As a result, people are increasingly using a sauna to raise their body temperature and activate their immune systems. The healing power of artificially induced fever has been well documented, and saunas capitalise on the way in which our bodies naturally provide the building blocks for health and longevity, working with the immune system, enhancing an already sophisticated network of defence processes within the body.”

Craig Kavanagh, Sales Director at ArrowXL, said: “Our service brings a number of benefits for Aqualine customers in terms of convenience, communication and visibility with our diary booking method allowing customers to choose a delivery date that suits them. This supports Aqualine’s commitment to high levels of service throughout the whole customer journey.”

Case Studies and Partnerships, Cleaning & Facilities Management, News

Merco Consolidates Time And Attendance Requirements With Smarttask To Streamline Operational Processes And Reduce Admin

Merco, the Salford-based contract cleaning company, has used SmartTask to consolidate its time and attendance requirements across more than 100 customer sites in North-West England and North Wales. As a result, the employee scheduling and workforce management software has helped to streamline and automate operational processes – including timesheets, payroll and contract compliance – freeing up 22.5 hours of administration time each month.

“We have previously tried a number of time and attendance solutions at different sites, but none have proved particularly effective and this has also meant we have had no consistent system across our operation,” explains Neil Fagleman, Operations Manager at Merco. “SmartTask has enable us to take a coherent approach that provides complete visibility of working times and contract delivery, while making it easy for our cleaning operatives to book on and off of their shifts.”

Merco was using a mix of systems including manual card and fingerprint clocking machines, which required someone to physically visit sites to retrieve data. Having explored the potential for developing a time and attendance system in-house, the company decided to adopt a proven cloud-based solution that could be tailored to its precise needs. Following a review of the marketplace, Merco selected SmartTask based on its ability to meet all time and attendance requirements, while possessing a host of other functionality that could be considered in the future.

Over 90 cleaning operatives are now using SmartTask – either through a personal smartphone or a designated work smartphone at larger sites – to record the times that they start and end their shifts. This means office-based staff have immediate access to timesheet data, so wages and contract hours can be quickly calculated and verified. This is freeing up considerable time, so the operations and finance teams can focus on other priorities within the business.

Merco’s Audit Manager is also using SmartTask, confirming attendance by scanning a QR code at the customer site and then capturing audit data through an electronic SmartForm. The completed audit results are sent to the appropriate Area Manager, with any supporting images, providing real-time visibility and supporting the company’s switch to a paperless operation. Moving forward, the Area Managers will also have controlled access to SmartTask, so they can better monitor the performance of their individual cleaning teams.

“SmartTask has made a considerable difference to our cleaning operation – delivering genuine benefits and improvements – so we are looking forward to exploring how we can use other aspects of the software within our business. The team at SmartTask is always available to answer any queries we have and listen to our precise needs, so their support has been second to none,” concludes Fagleman.

Paul Ridden, CEO of SmartTask commented: “Our cloud-based software solution is enabling commercial cleaning businesses to better plan, manage, deliver and report on the services. The flexible nature of SmartTask means it can be tailored to precise requirements and quickly expanded to meet changing circumstances, so fast-growing organisations such as Merco can make best use of resources in the most efficient manner to enhance service quality and customer satisfaction.”

For more information, visit https://smarttask.co.uk/

Case Studies and Partnerships, News, Software

British Steel partners with MHR to modernise entire payroll within five weeks

British Steel, the leading steel manufacturer with facilities across the UK and Europe, has successfully implemented MHR’s cutting-edge iTrent payroll solution within five weeks, replacing the previous legacy system and ensuring 3,500 employees were paid in line with the requirements of the company’s acquisition by Jingye Group.

The core elements of the MHR solution became fully operational in March, enabling all British Steel employees to be paid and the final signing of the landmark deal to proceed.

“We were very impressed with the speed and professionalism of MHR, enabling us to hit a critical deadline,” said Derek Scott, HR Director at British Steel. “This brought peace-of-mind to thousands of our employees and ensured a deal critical to the future of our company went ahead. Now we have a payroll system that is fit for the future.”

The initial implementation phase of the iTrent payroll system was achieved after British Steel signed a contract with MHR on February 20.. The next phase of this partnership will see the ongoing deployment of MHR’s iTrent HR solution, helping to transform communication and engagement in the newly-acquired company. Enhanced levels of security are now also being implemented, with further functionality set to be added to the platform as required.

Anton Roe, Chief Executive Officer at MHR, said: “When speed was critical, we responded. We’re proud to have implemented a streamlined payroll system that will meet all British Steel’s future needs. Speed of deployment and rapid access to expertise are what we offer all our clients along with an unyielding commitment to high standards.”

MHR’s comprehensive payroll solution ensures an organisation’s payroll team is fully equipped to excel in today’s digital world. The payroll solution makes life easier by:

• providing employees with access to their pay data anytime and anywhere through mobile devices
• delivering fuss-free management of workforce assessment and auto-enrolment
• creating flexible user-defined workflows that deal effortlessly with authorisations and notifications
• enabling hassle-free management of multiple-role employees on different pay scales and shift patterns
• running all payroll processes automatically overnight, freeing payroll professionals to focus on more value-generating activities.

Case Studies and Partnerships, News, Transport

InsideOut Living Appoints ArrowXL as Delivery Partner

InsideOut Living, an online retailer that provides a carefully curated range of fresh products, for inside and outside the home, has chosen ArrowXL, the leading 2-person delivery company, as its partner to support the next phase of its growth. The contract is worth in excess of £250k.

ArrowXL will handle around 100 deliveries each week to both homes and commercial premises nationwide and will bring the item to the ‘room of choice’ or the garden, unpack it and remove the packaging. Deliveries will be made Monday to Saturday with items fully tracked and regular communication from the ArrowXL customer team provided about the progress of the delivery.

Rhys Evans, Managing Director of InsideOut Living, said: “Our brand ethos is to put the customer first. We do that by offering a first-class service with flexible delivery and returns options that fit in with busy lifestyles. ArrowXL has shown us that they understand the importance of this and have the experience and expertise to ensure it happens.”

Craig Kavanagh, Sales Director of ArrowXL, said: “InsideOut Living has identified that delivery forms an integral part of the customer experience and that the choice of partner is vital. Initiatives such as the recent launch of our specialist My Customer line, which is now in operation providing rapid response to delivery drivers to minimise non-delivery through mapping technology and real-time data, is a prime example of how we are leading the field in this area.”

 

Case Studies and Partnerships

Food4Heroes Deliver Meals to Care Workers and Frontline NHS Staff using Genesys Cloud

Food4Heroes, a not-for-profit organisation providing free, nutritious and healthy meals for frontline care workers and National Health Service (NHS) staff, was established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its launch in March, hundreds of people have reached out to the organisation to get involved.

To efficiently manage this interest, Food4Heroes is leveraging technology from Genesys®, the global leader in cloud customer experience and contact centre solutions. As part of its Rapid Response offer, the company is giving Food4Heroes its contact centre solution, Genesys Cloud, free of charge so the not-for-profit organisation can use webchat to assist people wishing to donate or volunteer for the cause.

Food4Heroes works with local catering companies to provide meals for key workers within NHS Trusts’ COVID-19 wards as well as care workers in the community. The not-for-profit organisation now serves 24 hospitals across the United Kingdom. Food4Heroes also has 820 volunteers at present, with more enquiries coming in daily. It has now delivered 100,000 meals in just over a month.

“Since starting Food4Heroes we have grown rapidly in terms of the number of hospitals and catering companies we work with,” says John Brownhill, co-founder at Food4Heroes. “One of the challenges we had was that people who wanted to volunteer or donate didn’t have a mechanism to contact us immediately if they had any questions. The chat is helping us actively convert queries into donations that we could potentially lose if people didn’t have means to talk to us directly.”

Chat provides answers in real time

Food4Heroes went live with Genesys Cloud’s webchat functionality in less than a week. The not-for-profit organisation now has 11 volunteer agents staffing the channel to manage donations and recruit more volunteers across the regions it is currently active in.

“We can now actively respond to questions about our charitable status for people wanting to donate,” explains Brownhill. “This ensures that we can carry on delivering meals to frontline NHS staff and care workers. Additionally, we are able to assist volunteers with their application status and answer any questions that they may have about volunteering.”

Food4Heroes has also valued the simplicity of Genesys Cloud that allows its volunteers to work from anywhere and onboard quickly. “Our agents are all volunteers ranging from 18 to 60 years of age. One key requirement was to have an intuitive solution that they could use from their homes,” Brownhill explains. “Prior to this, our volunteers had not worked with such technology, so having something that is easy to use has been a great benefit to us. Training is straightforward and something we do virtually. After half an hour introduction, the volunteers are comfortable going on queue.”

Preparing for the new normal

Food4Heroes has already made plans for the future, with a vision to continue providing healthy meals to key workers once the COVID-19 crisis has passed.

“We established our purpose and very much see that the not-for-profit organisation has a future beyond the current crisis,” says Brownhill. “Once the pandemic is over, we are looking at carrying on working with care workers and frontline NHS staff by providing healthy meals. We are also looking at expanding our work to cover other areas of the health industry, and the chat will play a crucial role in this.”

Case Studies and Partnerships, Marketing, PR and SEO

Quint selects Mapp to drive long term business growth

Mapp Digital, the cloud-based digital marketing provider, has been appointed by fintech company Quint to help it to achieve long term business growth.

Mapp won the brief in a competitive pitch that ended in a two-way battle against a cloud-based enterprise marketing provider. Quint’s digital marketing account was previously held by another cloud-based marketing vendor focused on cross-channel orchestration.

Quint has integrated Mapp into its digital marketing strategy to help all four of its brands to achieve business growth from cross-channel marketing combined with improved customer insights and data management.

Based in the UK and with presence in the USA, Poland, China, South Africa and Australia, Quint is a multi award-winning operator of fintech businesses founded in early 2009. Quint uses proprietary technologies to power a portfolio of leading online businesses in the consumer credit sector.

The company’s four brands are: Monevo, a lending marketplace; Money Guru, a credit/loans comparison website; Infinian, an analytical data platform; and CreditAngel, a credit score website.

Quint selected Mapp thanks to its impressive functionality and range of exciting and easy-to-implement new features, while being a more economical option than its competitors. Mapp also ensured better levels of support and customer service, along with impressive response times.

Mapp Engage uses campaign dashboards and allows personalised messaging in real time across email, social, mobile push, in-app messaging, SMS, microsites and paid media. Mapp is also providing deliverability support to Quint.

Quint will move on to integrate Mapp Intelligence and Mapp Acquire to gain greater customer insights to drive its marketing strategy, using improved analytics and data management.

Mapp’s services were initially focused on Quint’s UK market, but have now been rolled out to its other territories.

Danny Mahon, Group Marketing Director, Quint, comments:

“Having worked with another marketing cloud vendor for a number of years we decided that it was time to review our tech stack so that it was in line with our growth plans and ambitions. We reviewed all the major market players including the most frequently mentioned enterprise solutions. It was evident that Mapp took time to understand our needs now but also our road map.

“The team and I are confident that Mapp is future proofing our business. The scoping of our project onboarding requirements and its subsequent deployment has been nothing short of first class. The support Mapp has put in place has made Quint feel like we are an important client and the account managers really want us to be successful. We are excited about what we can achieve together in the years ahead.”

Ricardas Montvila, Senior Director, Global Strategy, Mapp, adds:

“It is a great honour to welcome an award-winning fintech operator Quint to our elite financial services client roster. I am really thrilled about what our team has been able to deliver for Quint in the short amount of time in terms of recreating the existing marketing programmes, but we are about to take their customer insights to a whole new level. A couple of years ago we started getting an influx of inbound requests from marketers using enterprise marketing clouds and we have set out to help brands that are under-served, have been over-promised and over-charged. The response from the market so far has been phenomenal.”

Case Studies and Partnerships, Construction, Property

Oxford home raised and strengthened with minimal disruption

Mainmark explain how a major property refurbishment was able to take place with the minimum disruption thanks to their resin injection solution

A 1930s end-of-terrace traditional double brick house in Oxford was being converted into apartments. An extended kitchen area was subsiding and had several visible cracks where it joined the main house. The property developer wanted to avoid a removal of the extension and was also seeking peace of mind that the building wouldn’t suffer any further structural damage.

The refurbishment first required ground improvement of the soils beneath the foundations to support the additional load that was to be placed on the structure. The remediation needed to raise, re-level, and re-support the strip foundation within the tolerance of the extension.

There were a number of considerations that needed to be factored in, including the confined space the team had to operate in and limited access to the site due to a neighbouring fence.

A unique approach

A resin injection solution was chosen and applied to the foundation soil, which consisted of sand and gravel. The resin injection application aimed to raise the back portion of the property and maximise ground bearing capacity, which would reduce the risk of further subsidence. The resin solution eliminated the need for demolition or invasive excavation, and minimised disruption, noise and mess for the neighbouring properties.

The process in action

Mainmark’s engineered resin injection solution, Teretek, was applied through a total of seven injection locations at depths ranging from directly below to two metres below the foundations. Teretek is a two-in-one engineered resin injection solution that can increase ground bearing capacity while also re-levelling structures, in a process that is likened to keyhole surgery. On entering the ground, the polymer resin solution mixes together and quickly expands, strengthening the soil and re-levelling buildings quickly and efficiently.

The Mainmark team achieved a maximum lift of 12mm at the lowest corner and work was completed in a single day – the fast completion time allowed the property developer to expedite the refurbishment. The solution also gave the developer peace of mind and allowed the property to be let more quickly, therefore realising a return on investment sooner than anticipated.

Brexit, Case Studies and Partnerships, FInance

MHA Tait Walker’s Wealth Management And Tax Teams Work Together Prior To First Budget Of Post-Brexit UK

MHA Tait Walker’s wealth management and tax teams are working together to provide specialist advice for clients ahead of the first Budget of a post-Brexit UK. (March 11)

Mark Parkinson, a partner in the Wealth Management team at MHA Tait Walker, said:

“This Budget is going to be an interesting one as it will be Britain’s first as a non-EU member state in more than 40 years. We are waiting to hear with interest what the new Chancellor has to say and see whether the Budget delivers on the Government’s promises on tax.

“Changes to pension tax relief, Stamp Duty and inheritance tax (IHT) have all been flagged as potentially on the cards, while issues including social care and doctors’ pensions need dealing with, and even the prospect of a mansion tax has been floated in recent weeks.

“Post-Brexit clients are understandably uncertain about the future. Is their money invested in the right assets and geographies? How will leaving the EU impact them and their financial future? These are questions clients have been asking us since the 2016 referendum.

“Our response is generally the same advice – we have to meet regularly to ensure that their individual planning is on track and to re-focus on their objectives and timescales. Importantly, if the Government keeps its promises on tax proposals it’s a key time to look again at how, when and where client money is affected.

“Many wealth management decisions are closely linked to taxes that need to be reviewed with a client’s tax advisor. By working together, we can provide them with the assurance that we are working in their best interests. Ultimately we hope that this leads to a better client experience.”

Mark said from his perspective there is a clear alignment between the tax advisers and the financial planners in terms of strategy; an integrated service which ‘fills a gap in the market.’

He added that it’s an interesting time to be working in the financial planning profession with the upheaval of Brexit.

He said:

“By having the firm’s financial planners and tax advisors working together, it adds an increased likelihood that clients may well achieve better results.

“At this time of year, we have been talking to clients about their tax returns and our financial planners have been able to sit down with the tax team to look at ways of helping people mitigate any tax that they have before they submit their tax returns.

“The long-term impact of Brexit on pensions and investments cannot be ignored and that is really difficult to predict right now. Uncertainty has created volatility, but it is important that we help our clients focus on their long-term investments.”

Mark, a former partner at a global banking giant in the North West, joined MHA Tait Walker as partner in the leading accountancy firm eight years ago. Since then he has grown the team significantly and seen headcount in the wealth management team increase from nine to 29.

He said:

“Each of our team members has a different speciality, so they put their heads together to share ideas before getting together with clients. This relationship means that the firm can offer a complete set of financial services for clients.
“Our team collaborates to develop integrated strategies for financial, estate planning and retirement to maximise a client’s wealth.

He added:

“There is certainly demand for what we offer in the North East as it’s becoming increasingly more complicated for clients today, in terms of tax, because there are a whole host of LISAs, ISAs and pensions to think about.

“Clients want to know what’s best, but, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution and the answer is to come and talk to us. Sound financial planning is vital if you are to achieve financial independence. This is particularly important when it comes to retirement or succession planning.

“Younger people might think they don’t have to think about it for many years, but a good financial decision early on can be very lucrative in later years.”

Mark added that there are plans to expand the team further and they will be taking on a new apprentice soon.

He said: “We’ve made it our mission to train young people and pass on our specialist knowledge to ensure that, for many years to come, the firm continues to provide specialist wealth management expertise across the sectors we are committed to.”

Case Studies and Partnerships

Scrap Recycler hopes to crush the competition with Yanmar’s SV60 midi excavator

Alutrade Ltd, one of the UK’s leading scrap aluminium recycling specialists, has invested in a Yanmar SV60 midi excavator to further improve the efficiencies of its baling press.

Ordered through Johnston Plant Sales, Yanmar’s dealer for Birmingham and the West Midlands, the brand new model was delivered to its new owners in January 2020 and is already in operation at the Alutrade headquarters in Oldbury.

Powerful, compact, durable and dependable, the SV60 was deemed the perfect solution to feed the company’s state-of-the-art baling press. Fitted with an extended dozer blade and an aftermarket grab attachment, loose cans are quickly and effectively moved into the infeed hopper.

Mike George, Operations Director at Alutrade Ltd, commented:

“Running a 24/4 shift pattern and handling more than 3,000 tonnes of scrap aluminium per month, we needed a reliable machine capable of faultlessly feeding our plant. With two Yanmar excavators already operational on site, both purchased within the past 18 months, investing in a new SV60 model was an easy decision.

“The SV60 not only delivers excellent reach and unmatched stability, but also has a spacious, highly-specified cabin to maximise operator comfort. Since taking delivery of the new model, we’ve been thoroughly impressed with its performance. It keeps our line running at optimum throughput and continues to perform faultlessly.

“We have two other SV60 models on site, which have both totalled more than 5,500 hours on the clock in less than 15 months. It’s this reliability – and ability to perform in tough conditions – that keeps us coming back to Yanmar time and time again.”

Richard Johnston, Director at Johnston Plant Sales, added:

“Working closely with Alutrade since 2014, we’ve supplied five six-tonne Yanmar excavators to the company’s Oldbury site – two ViO57 zero tail swing models, followed by three SV60s.

“High material throughputs and intensive shift patterns mean that the team require tough, reliable machines. Combining sector-leading technology and future-proof innovation, the SV60 delivers a ‘business class’ operator experience. With an impressive power output of 33.4kW at 2,200rpm, operators are assured the highest levels of power, flexibility, productivity and precision.”

Rolled out across the UK and Ireland in July 2018, the Yanmar SV60 offers the performance of a midi-excavator with the space-saving benefits of a more compact model. Powered by Yanmar’s 4TNV84T-ZMBVA engine, the five-tonne model has been specifically designed to minimise fuel consumption and reduce operational emissions,

Additional fuel-saving features, such as Auto-Deceleration (enabling the engine to idle if operating levers aren’t touched) and Eco Mode (which reduces motor speed to 300rpm) make the SV60 one of Yanmar’s most eco-friendly models ever.

For more information about Yanmar, or to find your nearest dealer, visit www.yanmarconstruction.co.uk. To find out about Alutrade and the company’s aluminium recycling expertise, visit www.alutrade.co.uk.