Tela helped the Grocers’ Company to overcome their IT challenges and enhance operational efficiency, flexibility and security.
Background
The Grocers’ Company is a thriving Livery Company based at Grocers’ Hall in the City of London. Founded in 1345, it is one of the ‘Great Twelve’ Livery Companies of the City and plays an important part in the ceremonial and constitutional life of London.
The focus of the Company is to encourage fraternity through its membership; inspire people through philanthropy, education, and heritage; and to support the Grocers’ Charity, which, as a grant-awarding body, invests in and supports a broad range of registered charities in the UK.
Grocers’ Hall is a prestigious city venue offering flexible event spaces for all types of corporate and private events in London – from AGMs, lunch presentations, and conferences, to drinks receptions and prestigious dinners. With a professional, in-house team of chefs, butlers and silver staff, the Hall is renowned for its fine dining experiences, complemented by the highest standards of service.
The Challenge
For over 10 years, IT provision was managed by a succession of independent consultants who generally worked on-site for 1-2 days per week and were available by phone or email, during the working week. Initially, this worked well, however, as the level of IT provisions developed and client expectations grew, the consultant was only able to firefight a limited number of issues at any given time.
In addition, the Company’s location within a busy historical building meant that the consultant struggled to main on-site IT assets and infrastructure. As a result, small issues often manifested into bigger problems which then affected the daily operation of the company and staff morale. There was no opportunity to report through a central system or have efficient response times and so staff, often in frustration, had to solve their own IT problems.
Following a review that was conducted, the Grocers’ Company concluded that their requirements had moved beyond this basic model of provision, and so in 2021, by way of a tender process, they sought an external organisation to provide them with a higher level of IT support and service management.
The Solution
Tela was highly recommended by a colleague who had previously worked with them in another role. After an initial presentation and a thorough written response to a tender, Tela was chosen. Tela’s solutions covered the breadth of the company’s requirements and were specific as to what could be offered to each department. We also wanted to ensure that we provided strategic guidance and solutions to improve the Company’s IT provision that had not been considered previously.
Importantly, Tela’s staff were friendly, down to earth and they immediately felt like extended members of our team.
The initial onboarding transition process was completed smoothly, in time, and with the maximum amount of support given to staff, who are now comfortable using Tela’s online portal to report issues and queries. The Tela team are on hand to respond quickly to any tickets that are raised and continue to maintain a high standard of customer service. Tela was able to support and interact with all members of the staff, despite the varying levels of IT understanding.
Security was a key priority for the company. Under Tela’s suggestions, the Grocers’ Company are now managing anti-virus and anti-spyware centrally. Updates are scheduled automatically without the need for any user interaction and staff will soon undertake training sessions, led by Tela, on cyber security and online fraud.
The Outcome
The Grocers’ Company is now able to confidently provide hassle-free IT support to all of their clients using Grocers’ Hall as a venue. Following a complete review by a Tela engineer, their IT assets and infrastructure are regularly maintained and upgraded to an enhanced standard and if any issues arise, Tela is on hand to react quickly and resolve them.
Their partnership with Tela has also enabled them to adapt quickly to new developments within the hospitality sector. For example, they are now able to offer in-person events with the option of a hybrid online presence, knowing that with Tela’s support, they can deliver the best outcomes for their clients.
The Grocers’ Company places great importance and value on achieving excellence in its daily business matters and, in particular, in providing a high level of service to external clients.
Tela maintains the same high standards throughout their working practices and fully understand the importance of upholding the good reputation of the company.
We are very happy working with Tela. We trust their judgment and expertise. We anticipate our partnership with them will be a long and very successful one.
Melanie Uttley, Events Manager
