Seeking asylum can be a traumatic experience, which involves a number of steps and a substantial amount of paperwork.  The UK Borders Agency (UKBA) makes the final decisions on asylum claims.  Various support services are available to asylum seekers, which the Refugee Councils deliver on behalf of the UKBA.  It is vital that the claim information passed to the UKBA is accurate and that the process for managing and passing over the information is efficient.  One of the main objectives of the project was to adopt an IT system which would manage all services, manage the information gathering process and handle new requirements as they arise.  It is essential that the new system will demonstrate better efficiencies and improve joint working in order to improve the quality of services provided to people seeking asylum. 

“After a fairly long and detailed procurement process, we are delighted that the Refugee Councils have decided to move forward with the Caman case management system.  Asylum is a topic which is never far from the headlines and the Home Office is seeking improvements and greater efficiencies in the system.  The Refugee Councils will be looking to once again secure the provision of support services when the UKBA goes out to tender later this year.  We are optimistic that efficiency targets posed on the Refugee Councils will be achievable following the implementation of our solution”, comments Malcolm Shannon, Managing Director, Pulsion Technology.

Provided via touch screen monitors, the system is fully interactive allowing customers to view and listen to journey information, comedy, drama, sports, documentaries, children’s TV and news on a pay-per-journey basis.  These are available within entertainment class carriages in a selection of fleet, with full roll out due for completion late 2010.  Unlike any other travel entertainment systems, this system streams the TV channels on-demand, meaning passengers can start viewing at any point of their journey.

Malcolm Shannon, Managing Director, Pulsion Technology comments, “Feedback from the pilot project for sleeper trains was extremely positive and backed up the market research evidence that there is a real demand by business and leisure commuters.  Pulsion Technology was solely responsible for the development of the underlying software which manages online payments, online registration, SMS customer messaging, management reporting and processing of the media content.  The roll out of the full system on the high speed train fleet has gone very well and the system has also been approved by all relevant rail industry bodies.  This is a world first and we are very proud to have been part of the innovative VoloTV consortium and looks forward to working with VoloTV on further developments as the system evolves.”

Donald Bell, Halcrow’s Regional Director commented, “We look forward to working with Transport Scotland and its maintenance contractors to deliver value and innovation, putting Scotland at the forefront of international best practice. Technology will play an important role and we would like to welcome Pulsion Technology on board as a key part of our team.”

Malcolm Shannon, Managing Director at Pulsion Technology added “We are delighted to be a part of this project.    Our core values fit very well with Halcrow’s and our expertise in harnessing innovative technology to bring business benefit will allow us to deliver added value to Transport Scotland.”

City Building LLP is a wholly owned undertaking of Glasgow City Council and one of the largest construction industry workforces within the UK.

Work undertaken under the framework agreement will be around IT development and support services based on the Oracle Suite of business applications and supporting products.  Pulsion Technology is a certified Microsoft Gold and Oracle Partner and the award of this contract strengthens the relationship with OPIN Systems, a fellow Oracle Partner and Business Intelligence specialist.

Malcolm Shannon, Managing Director, Pulsion Technology commented

“Our partnership with OPIN Systems will enhance our expertise and knowledge due to their extensive IT consultancy and training services experience.  Together, we are well placed to provide the range of services required under the framework including IT Architecture Consultancy, IS Strategy Consultancy, IT Governance, Database Administration and Data Warehousing.  We look forward to working alongside OPIN Systems and City Building LLP in this exciting new adventure.”

Central to their efficient and secure online system, Pulsion Technology was appointed by TD in 2007 to implement their IT solutions and provide a client acceptance environment. Through some initial consultancy, Pulsion developed a customer facing website that allowed agents, landlords and tenants to manage and organise their rent guarantees online efficiently.

With the initial development work completed and a success, Pulsion moved onto TenantDeposit.com Version 2, in order to incorporate buildings and/or contents cover, rent guarantee and a new Student Deposit scheme. This is being launched as a subset of TD that will give students peace of mind when they search for new accommodation, as it lets TD act as their guarantor. Discounts and promotional codes will also be added to both the new and existing schemes, with contents insurance being offered to both tenants and students through a 3rd party insurance company.

TD have also expanded into commercial bonding providing developers a guaranteed surety of receiving the full contractual agreement made between suppliers and buyers.

John Levett comments:

“ The planned release of Version 2 will allow us to offer more products to our clients, supporting the growth of our business and diversify our target market into student lettings. Pulsion understood our specified requirements for Version 1 and delivered them on time and on budget. We therefore look forward to a successful launch of Version 2 in 2009.”

Version 1 of the project was delivered on time and on budget allowing for the partnership between TenantDeposit.com and Pulsion to strengthen and remain professionally strong.

For more information visit www.tenantdeposit.com

A new EU directive introduced recently focuses around Passengers with Reduced Mobility (PRM). From July 2008 those with reduced mobility will be entitled to free of charge assistance at all airports situated in the territory of an EU member state. This will undoubtedly mean a rise in volume of jobs for THS, but will also mean greater scrutiny of the level of service provided and greater accountability by the service providers. The introduction of mobile working technology, which facilitates job monitoring and reporting, will become a must for all companies like THS.

To find out more, the full case study can be downloaded here