When the Department of Health decides to mail 9-million items at short notice, their outsource service provider needs to be able to react quickly.
Rapid reflex mailing and literature fulfilment
The Department of Health is one of Prolog's largest public sector clients. The account centres on multi-channel order taking, high-volume literature bulk storage and fulfilment - much of it by Prolog's own fleet - and there is a substantial mailing production component.
With around 6,000 SKUs (Stock Kept Units), and customer records in the millions, the operation is gigantic, requiring 4500 pallets of ongoing storage space. In an average year, Prolog processes more than a quarter of a million orders, which add up to 60 million items of stock!
Orders are selected in sequence of priority, including urgents, next-day, single-line or multiple order lines. Bulk picking combined with up-to the minute storage and location systems and priority storage areas promote maximum efficiency during round-the-clock shifts.
Where the nation's health is concerned, logistical support must be extremely robust and it can impose heavy demands at very short notice. The ability to respond in super fast time is particularly relevant in the mailing area where production ranges from simple reports in C5 envelopes to multi-item batch mailing delivered by carrier - all delivered to strict service standards.
Normal mailing volumes can be anything up to 90,000, but sometimes they are much, much bigger...
9-million mailer campaign puts Prolog to the test
Prolog packed and despatched more than nine million questionnaires in less than five days to support the launch of the government's NHS Plan!
Commissioned by the Department of Health, the colossal mailing imposed unprecedented demands on storage and production capacity, not only at our Nottingham sites, but in Suffolk and at our Merseyside distribution centre at Haydock.
Only by integrating the activity across a company as large and robust as Prolog - with each area taking responsibility for specific data segments and providing back-up for the others - was it possible to beat the clock in one of the most challenging, time-sensitive fulfilment operations yet undertaken by the DH.
In a severe test of Prolog's own health, we ensured all recipients had the time to complete and return their questionnaires, providing the huge pool of information on which development of the NHS Plan relied.
Integrated 'Health Line'
The DH Health Literature Line, for members of the public and the NHS Response line, for Health Professionals at Prolog's integrated contact centre are open Monday to Friday.
The eight dedicated agents typically take around 23,000 calls a month, but extra skilled and cross trained staff are drafted in during high-response campaigns. At peaks there can be as many as 18 Prolog agents taking DH calls.
On-line access to the client database provides them with real time customer information. Other facilities include keyword search and on-screen prompts for key messages.
Prolog's full health check list...
Under Prolog's contract with DH we provide services for others NHS organisations as well:
- National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)
- Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA)
- Cancer Screening Programme NHS Direct The NHS University (NHSU)
- NHS Modernisation Agency National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA)
- National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA)
- Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- NHS Pensions Agency (NHSPA)
- Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS)
The Requirement for Department of Health
An outsource service provider able to handle high-volume literature storage and distribution as the norm, yet to react quickly, capably and confidently when mega-volume campaigns are launched nationwide at short notice
The Solution
Prolog's massive yet flexible storage and fulfilment capacity and integrated customer order infrastructure
The Results
A robust and reliable distribution infrastructure for the Department of Health, with the capacity to take on every eventuality