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“Information Services is a fundamental enabler, allowing 1,200 policymakers to communicate and share knowledge,” says Neil Wells, Head of IS, HM Treasury. “The Treasury had developed a decentralised way of working – users did their own thing. Our goal was to become a one-stop shop: users come to us to service their needs. And we wanted to do it ‘right first time'. The Head of IS had, historically, been someone with a policy background. When I took the job, it had been recognised there was a need for a quantum shift in how IS strategy, the team and service standards were developed.”

Carole Jacotine, the Campion Willcocks Associate, says: “I realised many people didn't fully understand ‘customer service' in modern IS. This was a new team and had little experience of how a Service Desk works, what a ‘good' service looks like, and so on. A lack of processes also meant many inconsistencies and there was little questioning of customer choices. It was important to create a link between customer requirements, whether hardware or software, and Treasury business strategy.”

Neil Wells continues, “Campion Willcocks takes the time to understand the assignment and applies a lot of thought in finding the right person. It finds people who will fit with your culture and values, and have the experience to really take on the job, and even ‘overflow' a bit. That's what you look for in interims. Carole filled a difficult position: good Customer Service Managers are very hard to find," he continues. "You know when you've got a bad one but finding a good one is tough, and that's why you use people like Campion Willcocks."

The right match
Neil Wells had inherited a multitude of Consultants' reports that, he says, “All talked elegantly about the problem but none said ‘this is how you need to do it'. I started with the management team and developed an organisational structure. It was clear which functions would need a senior manager. Customer Services was buried within the operations team. They had people predominantly keeping the service running: making sure the phones could work, PCs were fit, and so on. But they hadn't recognised that operations is a back office activity and there's a very important customer-facing aspect, which is about responsiveness, understanding customer needs, and servicing them. Carole came in because I needed someone who was going to be an evangelist and a leader in that space. It was the right match.”

Carole Jacotine adds, “You need three things to deliver a consistent level of service to customers: processes, documentation and high levels of understanding. I was able to bring experience gained elsewhere to ensure HM Treasury could benefit from best practice approaches.

“My role focused on building and managing a team of 24 people, implementing new service management processes, mentoring line managers, and enabling the transition of responsibilities to a permanent replacement.” Appointed for three months, the assignment was extended by a further six months. She established a fully-resourced IS Service desk and Desktop Support team, established governance for managing third party suppliers, reviewed annual budget plans and created a Service Catalogue.

Interims versus Consultants
HM Treasury can now achieve cost savings as it can buy strategically. “Purchasing is centralised,” says Carole Jacotine. “Standards have been set for PCs, laptops and other equipment. This means lower cost support and a reduced total cost of ownership, plus fewer surprises and headaches to deal with.”

“We've benefited in many ways,” says Neil Wells. “We are buying better and buying smarter. And productivity is so much better because policymakers, civil servants, can get on with developing policy and strategy rather than worrying about procuring IT and those sorts of issues. They are also seeing the benefits of a far more responsive Service Desk.

“Carole did an excellent job. I needed someone to come in and facilitate the changes I wanted, not a consultancy position. If you're a manager, you're leading by example and taking on a lot of the load. Consultants usually stand to the side and explain what other people should be doing. That's a completely different way of working, and I'm very appreciative of how interims work.”

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