Remote training with Buckinghamshire BS

Mutual Vision Professional Services provided operational and training assistance to Buckinghamshire Building Society to support them as they worked from home and to help them make full use of Provision.

What were the specific challenges facing the Society?

Buckinghamshire Building Society realised that they weren’t using the functionality of Provision to its full potential, relying in some cases on outdated manual processes alongside the system.

They’ve been actively working to address this to deliver improvements in efficiency and productivity, which became more critical due to staff working remotely over the first lockdown, the extra workload caused by the introduction of payment holidays, and the expectation of a possibly rise in arrears and payment difficulties in the aftermath of COVID-19.

Buckinghamshire also had new team members join them during lockdown who needed to be brought up to speed quickly but training them remotely was proving difficult and inefficient.

How did we address the challenge?

Buckinghamshire Building Society sought assistance from the Professional Services team at Mutual Vision to review their working practices and assist in making full use of Provision. Louise from MV spent time with the different business areas to understand current ways of working and where improvements could be made, before submitting recommendations and helping Buckinghamshire implement and test these before going live.

MV also worked with Buckinghamshire to deliver a structured training programme for two new recruits, proving key expert knowledge, training for them to use the software, and advice on key features, top tips, and handy shortcuts. The training was carried out virtually which supported the Society’s mode of working from home.

What were the benefits of using Mutual Vision Professional Services?

The assistance provided by Mutual Vision Professional Services enabled the Society to make far better use of the Provision system. This then enabled their teams to work more efficiently, especially during this lockdown period with many colleagues working remotely.

It has also helped the Society prepare for the future, knowing that the system can cope with any change in patterns which their previous manual systems might have struggled with.

The training offered to our new colleagues proved invaluable in giving them confidence to work with Provision and become productive team members far quicker than might otherwise have been the case.

How have we measured the benefits?

Customer service is the Society’s utmost priority. The consistency and confidence demonstrated by the new staff who took part in the training would normally have taken a long time to acquire, but the training from MV enabled them to deal with members’ questions and queries effectively and much sooner than they would have expected.

The bespoke training MV provided on payment holidays ensured that the society could meet the increase in telephone calls and requests for assistance much more adeptly, and contributed to the design and rollout of the initiative. This allowed the Society to meet disclosure requirements from the regulator with ease.

The rollout of Arrears Progression will ensure the Society is well-placed and resilient enough to deal with an expected rise in arrears and that it has robust MI and process to assist any members experiencing difficulties in making payments.

Would the Society engage with Professional Services again?

Buckinghamshire told us that MV Professional Services have been a massive help to the Society, especially during the lockdown period where remote working made efficient use of IT systems more critical than ever.

MV has helped Buckinghamshire to streamline existing processes and reduce reliance on outdated manual processes, and they have told us that they will be making further use of Professional Services to continue on this journey.

The training and accreditation program MV offer enabled the Society’s new recruits who joined during lockdown to get up to speed far quicker than they could have managed themselves, and this too is something they will consider using for future training needs.

What were the benefits of purchasing professional services service credits?

By purchasing advance credits, Buckinghamshire not only obtained preferential rates but were also able to budget effectively for both planned and unexpected requirements.

This allowed them to react more quickly on those occasions where they need a little help, without the need to negotiate budgets for each individual item. It’s also given the Society more flexibility in how they are able to make use of Professional Services as and when they need assistance.