Case Study
Care UK
Care UK values G7’s ‘encyclopaedic knowledge’ of Unit4 ERP
Care UK, one of the country’s the largest providers of care homes, continues to rely on G7 Business Solutions for ongoing support on its Unit4 ERP system (formerly Unit4 Business World and Agresso) ahead of a major upgrade to version 7 in 2021.
“G7’s consultants have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Unit4 ERP system and we need their expertise and resource on tap to support our growing organisation,” said Peter Pender, Care UK’s Head of Business Systems and Information Security Management.
Care UK has an expanding network of more than 120 care homes across the country with plans to open many more over the next five years.
Pender explained: “We have a wide range of IT and system projects on going at any one time and we rely on G7 to implement Agresso system changes quickly, effectively and efficiently.”
Care UK has used G7’s Application Managed Service (AMS) since 2015 and also moved to its Technical Managed Service (TMS) with QuickThink Cloud in 2019.
Care UK first appointed G7 initially to cover a resource shortage on its internal system support desk and to enable more system development work. The relationship has evolved over time to the point where G7 is seen as a valued system partner, ‘an extension of the organisation and part of the Care UK family’.
G7’s AMS is designed to be flexible, an instant resource for clients to call on as and when required. The company’s involvement with Care UK has grown over time during a period of major organisational change and growth.
G7’s long standing role has included supporting system administration teams, training a new support person on the Unit4 ERP system, triaging, re-directing or handling all support calls, as well as implementing key system changes and upgrades.
As a result, G7 understands most aspects of Care UK’s business and it’s Unit4 ERP system setup. The consultants have built up a close working relationship with their Care UK counterparts, which allows the two teams to efficiently collaborate and deliver the best solutions quickly.
The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has put extra pressure on Care UK as it needs to provide support to its critical frontline colleagues whilst fewer of its technical and back office employees are office-based. The company is proud to have been shortlisted for the BCS Chartered Institute for IT, IT Team of the Year award 2020.
How did we do?
“It’s taken a huge effort in terms of IT and systems to set up and maintain an effective and secure way for our colleagues to work from home,” acknowledged Pender. “G7 and QuickThink Cloud have been played a critical role in supporting that.”
He added: “G7 is always at the end of the phone and we trust and value their expertise. They have done everything we’ve ever asked of them without a single issue.”
James Major, G7’s Consultancy Director, said: “Care UK is a progressive, dynamic organisation. They’re a great example of how we work collaboratively and flexibly to meet our clients’ needs, whether that’s via consultancy or our AMS offering.”