GSM Gateway and Business Mobile Solutions

Situation
In early 2005, UNISON embarked on a major technology refreshment project that involved a review of all hardware and software on every desktop within UNISON. "Rather than simply making a high-level decision on this technology and saying to staff 'this is the equipment you're going to get and this is how you will use it', we decided to look at how staff really work," says Laurence Arterton, Infrastructure and Telecoms Manager, UNISON. "We quickly identified that work patterns were changing and that a large proportion of staff needed to be able to access IT systems remotely, as they spent a lot of time out of the office throughout the working day."

The decision was therefore taken to provide staff that had a need for remote access with laptops instead of desktop PCs. As such, UNISON needed to find a solution that would enable staff to access email, internet and internal IT programmes at UNISON whilst out of the office.

Solution
In order to find a workable and cost-effective solution that would address these issues, UNISON turned to Obsidian, a leading provider of landline-to-mobile call conversions and mobility solutions, for advice.

"We had worked with Obsidian previously on a separate project which was implemented without any problems and started to deliver cost savings immediately. We therefore trusted the work and advice that Obsidian would provide," continues Arterton.

After reviewing UNISON's requirements, Obsidian recommended that the Trade Union adopt BlackBerrys and web'n'walk cards for laptops from T-Mobile to enable complete remote access for staff. "The strength of our ongoing relationship with T-Mobile ensured that we were able to quickly evaluate which mobile solutions would most effectively suit UNISON's needs and we were confident that our partnership would be able to offer this package at the most competitive price in the market," says Bradley Worboys, Sales Manager, Obsidian.

In order to maintain due diligence, UNISON considered other options available in the marketplace. "After reviewing the other options it became apparent that the Obsidian/T-Mobile offering was far more cost effective than any of the other solutions available," adds Arterton.

The project involved rolling out 650 BlackBerrys and 650 web'n'walk cards to staff across 35 offices throughout the UK. In order to ensure that the service was rolled out effectively, Obsidian provided onsite support full-time throughout the implementation free of charge. "The regular project update meetings gave us peace of mind and assured us that the implementation would be delivered on time," continues Arterton. "The commitment shown by Obsidian in providing us with a full-time resource meant that all technical aspects of the roll-out were dealt with quickly and efficiently. We were delighted at how smoothly the process went."

"Working with UNISON was very easy thanks to the good relationship we had previously established with them," adds Worboys. "The enthusiasm they demonstrated throughout the project and their willingness to provide us with as much technical information as possible, enabled us to optimise the ways in which they could utilise the service. This ultimately means that UNISON staff can work as effectively away from the office as they can at their desks, and the Trade Union itself was able to maximise its return on investment."

"The strength of our ongoing relationship with T-Mobile ensured that we were able to quickly evaluate which mobile solutions would most effectively suit UNISON's needs and we were confident that our partnership would be able to offer this package at the most competitive price in the market."

Key Benefits

Increased flexibility for working
The introduction of BlackBerrys and web'n'walk cards from T-Mobile has provided UNISON with greater flexibility to work where they need to, when they need to. "The feedback from staff has been exceptionally positive," says Arterton. "They are saying that this is genuinely the best technology that we have ever introduced as they are now able to stay in contact wherever they are. Its freed up staff to work away from their desks whilst ensuring that they can continue to access the information they need to, send and receive emails and access their calendars."

Choice of connectivity
Providing staff with both a BlackBerry and web'n'walk card from T-Mobile has enabled staff to work as effectively as possible. "We wanted to provide our staff with a mobility package that would ensure that they had the optimum connectivity option wherever they are," continues Arterton. "The T-Mobile web'n'walk cards are exceptionally useful for enabling staff to work effectively when they have longer periods of dead time out of the office. Staff can work with a larger screen, produce documents and access applications on the intranet in a way that is almost identical to their experience back in the office. The T-Mobile BlackBerrys have proved very effective for when staff need to quickly access their calendars or check and respond to emails."

Improved work/life balance
The implementation has also helped to improve the work/life balance of employees. "As a Trade Union, UNISON takes work/life balance issues extremely seriously," adds Arterton. "Part of the objective of this project was to assist in our objective of improving the working lives of our staff. The solution presented to us by Obsidian and T-Mobile has helped us to move forward in achieving this goal."

UNISON Overview
UNISON is Britain's biggest trade union with more than 1.3 million members. Its members predominantly consist of people working for public services, private contractors that provide public services and the essential utilities.

Members include frontline staff and managers working full or part time in local authorities, the NHS, the police service, colleges and schools, the electricity, gas and water industries, transport and the voluntary sector. In 2005, UNISON recruited 155,000 new members, an average of 425 per day.