The UK Post Office plays a vital role in delivering benefit payments to people in the UK without bank accounts. In this case study, Business Value Exchange tells the story of how the Post Office leveraged HP technology to help modernise the UK state benefit payments system.

1. Business Value Exchange presents HP Enterprise Services case studies
How to
Modernise the
Benefits System

2. Business Value Exchange presents HP Enterprise Services case studies
The UK Post Office plays a vital
role in delivering benefit payments
to people in the UK without bank
accounts.
In this case study, Business Value Exchange
tells the story of how the Post Office
leveraged HP technology to help modernise
the UK state benefit payments system.
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3. Business Value Exchange presents HP Enterprise Services case studies
The challenge
The UK Post Office needed to modernise the
way it paid state benefits to people. It wanted
a technology supplier that could deliver an
end-to-end service and implement a complex
development program.
The Post Office plays a vital role
in making sure people get instant
access to their state benefits. Over
three million people in the UK
collect their benefits using a Post
Office card account (POca), a system
designed for those who don’t have
access to a bank account.
The Post Office needed to modernise
the system and wanted to introduce
a fully automated direct payment
solution. The challenge was huge.
With over 11,800 branches across
the UK, it’s the biggest post office
network in Europe.
The challenge:
Modernise the system
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4. Business Value Exchange presents HP Enterprise Services case studies
The solution
The Post Office looked to HP Enterprise
Services to provide an end-to-end solution
and in return got IT improvements and
business benefits.
HP had already been working with the
Post Office since 2002, when it had set
up the POca system and successfully
managed the day-to-day operation.
The Post Office awarded HP the
contract to modernise the state
payment system and was rewarded
with numerous IT improvements
and changes that benefitted both
the business and the customers. The
system was updated so that it not
only complied with Financial Services
Authority (FSA) regulations but also
saved the taxpayer money.
Electronic data feeds between the
UK government and the Post
Office were introduced to increase
security and reliability of data,
as well as reduce fraud. Financial
processes were automated to speed
up applications and provide greater
security. The modernised system
also supported the government’s
policy of financial inclusion for
the country’s entire population
and enabled benefit recipients to
have instant access to their cash
via simple paperless transactions,
improving customer satisfaction.
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5. Business Value Exchange presents HP Enterprise Services case studies
“The positives for me are that HP operates the
card account and that is absolutely crucial in
terms of the service it provides to customers.
It has to be reliable: It has to do what it says
it will, and it has to do it day-in and day-out;
and it does.” – Kevin Seller Head of government services, Post Office Ltd.
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The solution:
The solution:
Introduce electronic data feeds
between the UK Government and the
Post Office to increase security and
reliability of data, and reduce fraud
Automate financial processes to
speed up applications and provide
greater security
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6. Business Value Exchange presents HP Enterprise Services case studies
Improved service through technology
HP’s solution has helped to improve
customer service, creating a better
experience for the people relying
on the Post Office for access to their
benefit payments. The processes for
opening Post Office accounts was
streamlined and the introduction
of access to ATMs enabled benefit
recipients to check their balances
and collect money at any time of the
day or night, without the need to
visit a Post Office counter.
Behind the scenes the process was
streamlined further. Payments from
multiple government agencies,
including the Northern Ireland Social
Security Agency, the Department
for Work and Pensions (DWP) and
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs
are all managed through the
Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT)
banking engine. The EBT authorises
all transactions, only enabling
withdrawals when sufficient funds
exist in the account, meaning
customers cannot go overdrawn.
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7. Business Value Exchange presents HP Enterprise Services case studies
The benefits of a modernised system
HP Enterprise Services also play a
huge part in the day-to-day running
of the operation. 50,000 documents
are scanned each month at HP’s
scanning centre, including an average
of 10,000 requests for new accounts.
700,000 new and replacement cards
and over 200,000 replacement PIN
codes are issued each year. Millions
of quarterly and interim statements
are printed and dispatched, and other
correspondence, including welcome
packs, is generated through HP’s
print fulfilment centre.
This is the largest payment project of
its kind in Europe and HP now manages
over 3.2 million customer accounts
with £25.38 billion in benefits paid
annually. The 120 staff at its customer
contact centre in the city of Preston
deal with an average of 176,000 calls a
month and aim to answer 80 per cent
of them within 20 seconds.
The solution:
Managing payments from multiple government agencies
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8. Business Value Exchange presents HP Enterprise Services case studies
“The HP product and services set is
comprehensive. Offering the services we
require within its product portfolio and
delivering the benefits it talks about:
I’m very happy.”
– Brian Deveney Head of Post Office Managed Services and Sourcing
The solution:
Introduced access to ATMs
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9. Business Value Exchange presents HP Enterprise Services case studies
HP’s solution allows the Post Office to
manage over 3.2 million customer accounts
with £25.38 billion in benefits paid annually.
The 120 staff at HP’s customer contact centre deal with
an average of 176,000 calls a month and aim to answer
80 per cent of them within 20 seconds.
50,000 documents are scanned each month at HP’s
scanning centre including 10,000 new account requests.
.
million
billion paid annually
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10. Business Value Exchange presents HP Enterprise Services case studies
Our new case study series looks at the real benefits
that organisations have gained from modernising
their IT systems - not just estimates and predictions.
Accurate planning and careful risk assessment
need real data, not guesswork.
Your organisation can benefit from the example of others. That’s why we’ve
provided case studies from a cross-section of industries and sectors, from
supply chain management and high fashion, to benefit provision and education.
Take a look at more of our resources on the
Business Value Exchange website.
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