Southampton-based Utility Consultant, Zenergi, has made significant improvements to both customer service and operational efficiency, while at the same time identifying over £80k of savings per annum after embarking on a LEAN efficiency programme delivered by Gosport-based LEAN business specialists, Fedden USP, in conjunction with MIT Skills.
Zenergi is a customer service company specialising in energy procurement, invoice validation and contract management for a wide range of businesses, as well as over 2,000 educational establishments. As with many companies, over the years processes had evolved with few controls in place so there were lots of checks being undertaken, double-handling and, basically a lot of time being wasted unnecessarily.
Zenergi made the decision to go ahead with the LEAN training to give the wider team the tools which would enable them to review the company’s processes and procedures, with the overall aim of improving the customer experience.
Fedden USP delivered a 5-day Business Improvement Techniques (BITs) Level 2 workshop to 20 delegates split into three groups, two in Southampton and one in Essex. Over 300 processes were reviewed to identify where efficiencies could be improved.
Following the workshops, which cover all aspects of LEAN, the delegates work towards a nationally recognised qualification by identifying projects that will have an impact on the bottom line of the company. They then implement these projects over a 12 month period with mentoring provided by Fedden USP along the way.
With the training now completed, Zenergi are starting to see the results coming through with a number of initial projects identifying savings for the company of over £80k per annum. These savings have been made through streamlining and tracking the process for orders, speeding up navigation systems, improving response times and removing unnecessary duplication and multiple handling of items.
Fedden USP owner and Managing Consultant, Neil Fedden, said: “We have enjoyed working with Zenergi and the delegates were all very enthusiastic and keen to learn the LEAN techniques. We received some very positive feedback from them and I’m pleased to report that all 20 passed the Adult Apprenticeship in Business Improvement Techniques. I’m sure that Zenergi will continue to see improvements identified and implemented as a result of this training over the coming years.”
