Bristol Edition 11 (7):Layout 1 14/05/2012 16:29 Page 4
Bluegrass
COMPUTER SERVICES
Bluegrass Computer Services is very proud to have been one of the first companies in the South West to have achieved ISO 20000 accreditation, an accolade only achieved by computer support companies who meet the highest standards in service quality, delivery, working practices and training. David Thomas, managing director, had initially planned to work towards ISO 27001, which covers information security, but after talking to IMSM decided to go for ISO 20000, which covers IT service delivery, with an element of information security.
The company has expanded and now has more than 200 clients. The Bluegrass team look after the needs of a wide variety of sectors including hotels, dentists, charities, accountants, surveyors, call centers, solicitors and financial companies. Big names include a large local insurance company, Devon Air Ambulance and Bovey Castle who became the first clients to request their popular 24/7 support.
“It’s one of the most nerve wracking things we have ever done;” said David, “but IMSM were great partners. The ISO 20000 involves a very detailed analysis of more than 100 pages of requirements, covering every aspect of our business practices from staff training right through to service delivery. Every aspect of
Bluegrass pride themselves on monitoring and anticipating problems before they happen. The company has made major investment into monitoring systems displayed on huge screens in the office. Clients are often informed they had a problem before they realized it, together with the good news that it has already been resolved. David’s vision is to create a truly ethical company that does things honestly and in the best interests of their clients, and whose ethics and practices will command the respect of other businesses. It is very important to David to run a happy business with happy clients. our customer service, from initial enquiry to completion, follow up and the handling of any complaint was examined by the Institute’s own examiners, a tense time for us all. Bluegrass achieved the award in just four months; passing every element of the inspection with flying colours. The accreditation will be constantly monitored and reviewed annually in order to keep it. Awards and certificates aside, what does the ISO 20000 mean to clients? “It stands for consistency and excellence of service,” said David. “All the checklists and methods have actually made us more efficient so it’s improving our bottom line.” The Bluegrass story began almost by chance. David and his wife Hilary were running a project management company, IT Contracts, but were constantly frustrated at the poor level of service they received from computer support companies. “It made us realize how crucial good computer support was to the survival of any business,” he recalled. “It was a bit of a light bulb moment when I realized this was the direction in which we should actually be heading ourselves.” So, four years ago, David launched Bluegrass, his own computer support company, and hasn’t looked back since.
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David says, “It might sound cheesy, but that’s where we’re at.” There’s nothing cheesy about having the industry’s highest accolade hanging on your office wall!
t: 01392 207194 f: 01392 366301 e: ask@bluegrasscs.com
www.bluegrasscs.com