Lloyds Banking Group
Services
Winter Gritting and Snow Clearance
What was Lloyds looking for?
Lloyds Banking Group has changed significantly over recent years with a series of mergers and acquisitions. This has given them the challenge of managing and maintaining an ever-changing portfolio of properties throughout the length and breadth of the UK.
Many of their properties operate 24/7/365 and their continued operation is vital to the smooth running of the UK’s banking industry.
Lloyds Banking Group, who have long been a major MITIE client, were looking for a single nationwide supplier of gritting and snow clearing services to help keep their properties open in even the worst winter weather.
They consequently called on MITIE’s expertise and asked our Winter Services team to step in and design a reliable and cost-effective winter service plan.
We therefore set about the process of designing the service they needed by working closely with their procurement, management and operational teams.
How did we help?
Using the substantial in-house knowledge available through MITIE’s Winter Service team, we were able to work with the client to design a specific winter service plan for a total of 153 of their properties. Excellent service was at the top of their agenda but, understandably, they were also keen to keep a close eye on the cost of their winter service.
We looked at all the possible pricing options and jointly decided that best value for Lloyds Banking Group would be a fixed annual fee. Unlike the more usual ‘pay-as-you-go’ arrangement, a fixed annual fee uses historical weather data to forecast a likely spend for the coming winter.
We shared all of the historical data we had available with the client and this made for a completely transparent and auditable process, allowing us to settle on a fixed annual fee quickly and easily.
This fixed annual fee was set and, irrespective of the number of times we needed to grit their portfolio, the annual fee remained unchanged giving Lloyds Banking Group a controlled expenditure in an otherwise weather- sensitive area.
Rapid communication was also important to the client. With over 150 properties nationwide and a very narrow window of opportunity to communicate with over 1000 people, we needed to develop some technology to help us do this effectively.
We worked with MITIE’s IT team to develop a unique customer portal that allowed us to automatically send email and SMS notifications of our intention to visit sites and carry out the gritting service to everyone who needed to know. This also allowed us to retain historical data about every gritting visit we have carried out for them.
The result...
Working closely with the client has given us both an insight into the workings of our respective businesses. Lloyds Banking Group holds a high degree of ownership in the service and we regularly work together to review and enhance the service.
The client was able, for the first time, to effectively budget for their winter service by taking advantage of MITIE’s fixed Annual Fee offer.
The on-line client portal meant that they could keep a close eye on gritting activity across their portfolio in real time.
Real time satellite tracking and advanced internal IT and communications helped us achieve a 99.96% success rate in 2011/12 over more than 6,000 gritting visits.
Direct feedback from the central client, along with feedback from the local property managers suggests a high level of satisfaction with the winter service provided by MITIE. This has allowed us to expand and extend the current service which has brought great benefits to us both.