The Challenge

The ExtraCare Charitable Trust identified a need to streamline their Telecommunication contracts and move to a single supplier in 2007. Providing facilities and support to residents of housing schemes and retirement villages, ExtraCare originally used multiple suppliers to service the complex needs of their Head Office and different UK residential contracts; this arrangement was inefficient and resulted in a variety of problems including service downtime, inconsistent call quality, lost call data and mislaid bills. ExtraCare chose SCG to provide a complete connectivity and telecommunication solution and we continue to do so to this day.

SCG work with their customers to go that extra mile and often liaise with both our staff and suppliers, in order to maximise our third-party relationships, for example, alarm companies. As a result, SCG is now working directly with the builders and developers of our new Retirement Villages to ensure that the communications are planned from conception. Indeed, our developers have become SCG customers in their own right. I believe we have created an excellent partnership with two-way communication; SCG contact us if they feel there are areas where we can better serve our retired communities, and the majority of residents are now signed up to SCG’s packages. We’re confident that our clients will always get the best advice.

Kevin Hudson, Head of Development, ExtraCare Charitable Trust

The SCG Solution

The ExtraCare Charitable Trust identified a need to streamline their Telecommunication contracts and move to a single supplier in 2007. Providing facilities and support to residents of housing schemes and retirement villages, ExtraCare originally used multiple suppliers to service the complex needs of their Head Office and different UK residential contracts; this arrangement was inefficient and resulted in a variety of problems including service downtime, inconsistent call quality, lost call data and mislaid bills.

ExtraCare chose SCG to provide a complete connectivity and telecommunication solution. Not only do SCG work with leading industry suppliers to provide the latest technology, but they also ensure a smooth transfer of all lines and calls from existing suppliers. They were able to provide the reassurance, customer service, and care needed to instill staff and residents with confidence and trust.

Starting initially with five villages, SCG implemented the revised services, approaching the brief strategically and undertaking detailed consultations with staff and residents to understand their different requirements. They started by spending a full week visiting each village, researching, meeting residents and finding out exactly what they wanted and needed; they then presented a bespoke solution for the five villages, giving an overview of how the new service worked, what they could expect and how they would be billed as well as outlining the preferential rates exclusive to village residents. This was subsequently extended across all twelve villages, as well as at their Head Office and schemes.