Northern Devon Healthcare NHS case study

Today’s healthcare professionals need technology at their fingertips. And if they’re constantly on the move, like those at Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, real time support is vital. But the Trust’s IT help desk couldn’t meet the demand. With outdated systems and overworked staff, Mike Jones, Director of Information Management and Technology, went looking for the IT equivalent of a shot of adrenalin.

BT Cloud Contact led the revival. Not only optimising people’s time, new performance data gives Mike’s team the tools they need to keep an eye on things. Customer satisfaction is much improved and staff morale is better because that enhanced service is visible to all.

IT service gets new cloud-based lease of life.

Case study - Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust.

The help desk is the window to all our services. We’ve greatly improved its responsiveness and set the bar higher as a foundation for future improvements in our IT service maturity.

Mike JonesDirector of IM&TNorthern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust

BT Cloud Contact offers the flexibility for dynamic IT help desk at Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust.

Case Study - Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust.

Seeking a responsive service model.When IT problems hit, healthcare professionals seek immediate remedies. Especially at the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, where a mobile workforce of 4,500 is always out in the community, on hospital wards, or in clinics.

But contacting the Trust’s IT help desk wasn’t easy. Unanswered calls went to voicemail after five rings. Busy weeks often ended with 200 messages outstanding. Tackling the backlog left little time to take new calls. With no call management system, it was impossible to measure demand or performance. So staffing rotas didn’t reflect the workload and team morale was sinking fast. Service users weren’t happy either.

“It was a vicious circle,” says Mike Jones, Director of Information Management and Technology (IM&T). “Our customers found the help desk unresponsive. Ironically, they rated our service as good – but only when they could get through. We had a lot of complaints about just getting an answerphone and no response to voicemail messages.”

IM&T had just formulated a new service vision. The help desk, as the department’s user showcase, was first in line for a makeover.

Affordable and scalable with rapid set up.Improving processes was a clear priority. A call management solution was next. It had to be flexible and quick to install with low capital investment. “Our BT account manager showed us BT Cloud Contact,” says Mike. “We liked the pay-as-you-go model because it was affordable and low-risk. It also had all the functionality we wanted.”

New hardware wasn’t necessary because BT hosts the contact centre software in its own cloud. The Trust simply bought new headsets as part of a wider investment in tools and training. An on-site BT project manager oversaw the implementation in just 12 trouble-free weeks.

The cloud-based solution soon proved its elasticity. When the Trust needed an urgent expansion, BT got all the required elements up and running within 48 hours. It’s now considering BT Cloud Contact for the central booking team handling patient appointments.

Great all-round performance. There’s a fresh dynamism on the help desk. Average waiting times are down to three minutes, from 15 minutes at the beginning. Voicemail has vanished, along with the message backlog. Every caller can speak to an agent at the first attempt even if they have a short wait.

Flexibility makes for a sharper operation. In the event of general problems like an email failure, the team inserts a message telling customers that they’re working on it. So the desk isn’t swamped with calls and the problem’s solved more quickly.

Managers are applying new data from the software to good effect. For example, finding that peak times are between eight and ten o’clock in the morning and after lunch, they rescheduled the team accordingly. “We now have the right number of people working on the desk at the right times of the day,” Mike confirms.

We now have the right number of people working on the desk at the right times of the day.


We liked the pay-as-you-go model because it was affordable and low-risk. It also had all the functionality we wanted.


Case Study - Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust.

Supervisors track call volumes and adjust the team structure in real time to suit demand. They can also monitor agents’ performance and give advice or positive feedback. An electronic wallboard shows waiting times and other vital statistics, keeping everyone up to speed. Now that calls are recorded, complaints numbers have dropped significantly and they’re easier to investigate as well.

A group of ten agents is handling nearly 2,000 calls a month with ease. Abandonment rates are lowest ever at 15 per cent. Satisfaction is climbing as customers get almost-instant attention and faster fixes. Mike concludes: “The help desk is the window to all our services. We’ve greatly improved its responsiveness and set the bar higher as a foundation for future improvements in our IT service maturity.”

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December 2015

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