arvato’s Chesterfield partnership provides speedy response for Derby City Council benefits service

"We had a short term benefits processing problem and looked at the various alternatives available to resolve that problem. We already had well established links with Chesterfield, as it is a close neighbour, and the solution offered by arvato was exactly what we required – the provision of additional capacity in the form of motivated, well trained academy staff who could work remotely, with minimal supervision. We are pleased with the outcome, in particular the flexible nature of the agreement, and excellent communication links established with the arvato management team throughout the duration of the project. We would definitely consider using arvato again in similar circumstances."

Kath Gruber, Director Customer Services, Derby City Council

Project partnership

challenge: to identify the problem

In October 2010, arvato entered into a 10-year public-private partnership with Chesterfield Borough Council to deliver a range of revenues and benefits, customer service and information services. As part of the contract, arvato committed to protecting the terms and conditions of all transferred personnel and to investing in new technology and ICT infrastructure.

In the period following the appointment, neighbouring Derby City Council had recognised verification issues with its in-house benefits service and requested support for an effective and rapid solution from arvato’s Chesterfield-based benefits operation.

solution: to solve issues and embed learning

arvato held meetings with Derby City Council to discuss available options and feasible solutions. Consensus was reached that arvato would be able to deliver the necessary outcomes and clearly defined yet adaptable service levels were agreed.

Derby City Council was impressed by arvato’s strong collaborative culture, its clear focus on dealing flexibly with issues, and its open and transparent communications. All this convinced the Council that arvato was a partner with whom it could work successfully.

To deliver the critical, fast and effective response, secure IT links were speedily established between Derby City Council’s processing and document management systems, and the benefits processing team based in Chesterfield. A specifically trained and experienced benefits team from Chesterfield was then set up to provide dedicated support to the Council.

Continuous reporting on progress was provided to Derby City Council, along with additional advice and guidance as new issues arose. To embed the learning gained from addressing the challenges, arvato designed and delivered a tailored training programme for the Council’s benefits processing teams.

successes: delivered on our agreement

• Project completed successfully to agreed standards and timescales
• Client feedback exceptionally positive
• All performance targets met