London General Insurance Company Ltd at Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire
Just over a year ago London General Insurance (LGI) made the decision to move from Greater London to Mitcheldean. Since then LGI has moved more than 2,500 business processes, and invested over £500,000 in training for more than 170 new people, in addition to a basic infrastructure and operations investment of £4 million. Today the new European base is housed in state-of-the-art offices at Vantage Point Business Village, Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire, while LGI has renewed two critical quality accreditations and maintained its high reputation for excellent customer service in the warranty services insurance sector. The new people and location have given a real boost to business prospects, helping LGI to win new business from leading brand names such as the RAC, John Lewis Partnership, B&Q, and Volkswagen.
During the six-month transition to Gloucestershire LGI continued to provide a seamless service to 13 million policyholders already managed for renowned existing clients such as Allied Irish Bank, Tesco, Comet, and Honda. LGI's new 30,000 sq ft offices now provide a high quality, efficient and friendly working environment that meets the very best standards.
Mitcheldean, in Gloucestershire, 120 miles west of London, was chosen from over a dozen UK locations, and Gloucestershire represented the best environment from where LGI could continue to deliver industry leading customer service on behalf of its many blue chip clients. "We were looking for a stable, high quality, workforce," said Ian Kenny, Operations Director, "and this was the factor that clinched it for Mitcheldean. Our confidence was justified and we have been able to make several crucial promotions since then from our new local staff. The LGI management team is delighted with the results."
During the location selection process LGI decided to make a 15-year commitment to the Forest of Dean, and 92 per cent of the new recruits live within the area. Many existing clients from Europe have visited Mitcheldean, and all have been impressed with the enthusiasm and 'can do' attitude.
"The move to Gloucestershire gave us a great opportunity to rethink the office environment," said Alison Pollecutt, LGI's general manager at Mitcheldean. "We decided to promote good communications and teamwork by placing teams in pods rather than rows, with separate seated areas for feedback and coaching. This was reinforced by using glass panel partitioning and low-level storage solutions throughout. Eighty-five per cent of our new staff surveyed subsequently rated management visibility and accessibility as good or excellent. Environmentally sound principles are used throughout to maintain energy efficiency, and we have installed staff showers, which enable staff to walk or cycle to work and exercise at lunchtimes."
LGI interviewed over 1,000 people for just over 170 roles who were recruited and trained in a six-month period in training areas supplied by Vantage Point Business Village with additional support from the Royal Forest of Dean College, also located on the site. A successful transition was achieved through intensive induction training and parallel running for Mitcheldean and the London office. In the event Mitcheldean reached operational standards faster than expected, and most processes were running effectively by March after starting in January. The parallel training proved really effective, and despite the workforce comprising 83 per cent new staff, the business transition was achieved without falling outside clients' service levels, and LGI recently completed two successful external audits, the FSA's Treating Customers Fairly audit and the renewal of its ISO 9001:2000 accreditation.
"This move was a huge challenge for us," said Ian Kenny, "probably the biggest one in LGI's 25-year history, but it turned out really well with all the help we received from the local Forest of Dean community. Our new staff have not only showed real commitment, but the business has also experienced a very low staff turnover, a significant part of our costs when operating in Greater London. We have been able to create a very competitive warranty insurance and customer services business here, and I confidently expect to win more new European business to build upon our successful transition to the Forest of Dean."