Automation of time-consuming administration frees employees to develop business and concentrate on customer care
Good news and the UK manufacturing industry rarely go hand-in-hand, but one company that has continually bucked this trend is Gaskell Plc. Primarily this is because its ability to manufacture and supply premium flooring solutions over and above the capabilities of their UK and European counterparts, but it is also attributed to its adoption of technology that is traditionally reserved for global organisations. In this instance, Gaskell Plc deployed a technology called TaskCentre to enhance its customer service levels with remarkable results.
“As the company continues to grow so do the demands of our customers, suppliers and stakeholders. Traditional ERP, CRM or SCM applications are very good to a certain point but the fact remains that they need people to extract value out of them,” explained Gary Moorhouse, IT Manager, Gaskell Plc. “Inevitably, people are subject to varied workloads and time pressures so we employed this leading edge technology to automate those critical employee tasks that matter most to our customers, such as notifications on delivery time changes for example.”
Gaskell Plc is the first within its industry to deploy such technology and further employee activities are earmarked for automation. However, this is not bad news for the workforce.
“Our policy is to support and develop our highly capable workforce and this technology is seen as an investment in our people,” said Moorhouse. ”Its unique ability to automate their time-consuming administration means that they are now freed up to do what they do best, develop the business and look after our customers.”
“It is very pleasing to note that Gaskell Plc is not just seeing the obvious cost reduction capabilities of our technology but the importance of real-time information when dealing with customers,” said Philip Smith, Managing Director, Orbis Software. “In any manufacturing and distribution environment, it’s now critical that company IT infrastructures have the ability to pre-empt issues rather than just responding to actual problems.”
About Gaskell Plc
As a manufacturer and distributor, Gaskell’s strategy is to design and deliver superior branded flooring products into selected high quality, profitable market sectors. Its continued success is the result of sustained investment in manufacturing technology, design and product development, underpinned by strong marketing support and a commitment to excellence in customer service. With three sites in the North West of England and the Midlands, the Group currently employs approximately 300 people. Gaskell boasts over one hundred years of manufacturing history and heritage, and is proud of its Royal Warrant to supply Her Majesty’s households with traditional felt underlays.
