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Spark Data wins second job after impressing insurance firm Sutton Specialist Risks
One of Spark’s newest finance clients are Sutton Specialist Risks Ltd (SSR), a wholesale insurance broker to the security, fire protection, cleaning, electrical, heating and ventilation contracting industries.
Spark started working with them following a recommendstion by the firm’s design agency Kubiak, and so impressed the firm with the first project - to build a set of online insurance proposal forms using the current set of printed ones - that they were given a second brief, as Jon Jones, director at Spark Data Systems explains.
“We started with a small project putting some of their paper forms online. The forms can now be accessed online and filled out by prospective customers or insurance brokers looking for a commercial insurance quotation.
“Once the forms have been completed they are built into a PDF and emailed to SSR for them to process and provide an insurance quote to either the broker or customer. .
“This was a good ‘get to know you’ project where they could see how we work and we got to learn more about their business. From there the relationship has gone from strength to strength as when it came to the replacement one of their core IT system we were the natural choice. This project replaces their desktop system with a modern web based system.”
The new system has three core sections; a client, broker, policy and claims module, a reporting module, that will allow SSR to produce up to date reports on client policies, business won and lost and claims and an admin module to allow SSR to administrate settings and user accounts within the application.
“We asked Spark to develop a browser based application that will provide a single point of deployment, instead of the current individual desktop installation,” explains Sandy Fogg, Systems Specialist at SSR.
Spark used SSR’s existing SQL database and made several design improvements to improve the data structure and to support new features requested by SSR. This included a redesign of the reporting module which had grown organically and as a result, become confusing and difficult to use.
“The new application will allow SSR to quickly access details of specific clients, their policies, any claims that have been made against the polices, along with the ability to create new clients, policies, brokers and claims,” said Sandy, concluding, “My job is to help keep SSR at the leading edge of service provision in our sector. This new application is very much an important part of achieving this goal”
To find out more contact Jon Jones on 0117 9076563 or email jon@sparkdata.co.uk
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Spark uses Microsoft SharePoint to design and implement new Intranet and website for fast growing environmental consultancy
Queen Square Associates plc is a Bristol based environmental consultancy with a core team of principal associate consultants and a wider base of trusted subcontractors distributed around the country.
QSA needed to implement a system that would cope with its rapidly growing business and allow all its consultants to collaborate on projects in small, variable teams, as Rob Graham, MD at QSA plc.
"As a new start-up with big ambitions we needed to build a fully scalable platform to showcase our services on the web, while enabling joined up and flexible client support and project working from our team of remote experts.”
To cope with this, QSA required an excellent document sharing platform, and, planning for future expansion, took a strategic decision to adopt Microsoft SharePoint, so turned to the specialists: “Microsoft SharePoint is a specialist Spark area,” explains Spark director Lee Fedder.
“We are experts at analysing corporate document management and process requirements, and implementing this in SharePoint. We worked with QSA management to design and implement the site and develop a new public facing website, at www.qsaplc.com. Both sites were delivered with the same overall design to give consistent corporate branding, and we continue to provide ongoing support and training.”
And needless to say, QSA are very pleased with the results:
“Everyone is excited to see how this is evolving – including our customers,” says Rob. “Through Spark’s joint design approach we can rely on our IT systems to meet emerging customer needs safely, securely and robustly. This IT system is critical to the success of QSA, and we have Spark to thank for it."
To find out more contact Lee Fedder on 0117 9076563 or email lee@sparkdata.co.uk
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ENTRUST cuts costs and improves functionality thanks to Spark
Landfill Community Fund (LCF) regulator ENTRUST has cut costs and seen significant improvements in functionality thanks to a new IT system developed by Spark.
The LCF is an innovative tax credit scheme that allows Landfill Operators to use some of their landfill tax to directly fund not for profit organisations, as Susan Allred, Senior Registrar at ENTRUST explains:
“The LCF allows Landfill Operators to contribute a portion of the monies paid as Landfill Tax directly to projects that improve the lives of communities living in the vicinity the landfill site themselves.
“Our role is to regulate this process, and we needed a system that would allow us to do that effectively and provide Environmental Bodies (EBs) - our external customers - with an intuitive and effective method of providing information to us without increasing their administrative burden.”
Historically, the vast majority of ENTRUST’s processes were offline; they wanted to develop a system that flipped this ratio so that most processes could be moved online. Spark’s solution was a system called ENTRUST online.
ENTRUST online is a system that allows organisations to enrol as EBs, register projects and submit data to ENTRUST. Before ENTRUST online was implemented, 80 per cent of applications were received on paper forms and the data had to be manually inputted. Now, this has been completely reversed, with at least 80 per cent of applications now received online.
“The improvement has been incredible,” says Susan, “and I am incredibly happy with the results.
“Customer service has improved and feedback from our external customers is very positive. Customers like how intuitive the system is and the ease at which they can receive information back from ENTRUST.
"I would definitely recommend Spark Data Systems and will continue to work with them going forward.”
To find out more contact Lee Fedder on 0117 9076563 or email lee@sparkdata.co.uk
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One of Spark Data Systems’ longest serving web developers has tied the knot.
Jonathan Days, known affectionately by his colleagues and clients as Daisy, married his long term girlfriend Kelly Marsh in Italy last month.
Daisy and social worker Kelly, both 29, married at the beautiful Castello Di Rosciano resort in Perugia in front of 60 guests.
Daisy chose his best mate Michael Clouter as best man and had two groomsmen, while Kelly had best friend Jennifer Blakeman as her maid of honour as well as four bridesmaids which included her sister Casey.
Thanks to the 40 degree weather, most of the wedding day was held outside, with the ceremony itself on the lawn of the castle.
Guests enjoyed a sumptuous five course meal and were entertained by a string duet during the ceremony and a live band in the evening.
Following the wedding, the newlyweds enjoyed a honeymoon in Kuala Lumpar and Bali.
The pair, who met 12 years ago when they both worked at WH Smith at The Mall in Cribbs Causeway, have been together for six years and live in Shepton Mallet with their Chocolate Labrador Nelson.
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