Driving Mobility, a nationwide network of independent organisations that offers professional advice and assessments for people who need to gain or retain independence through mobility, has appointed CRM specialists Silverbear to deliver its digital transformation programme.
Drivers of change: Edward Trewhella, Chief Executive at Driving Mobility (back left), and members of the Driving Mobility team are joined by Carole Murray (right), Account Director at Silverbear, to launch the digital partnership.
The partnership will see Driving Mobility, which is supported by the Department for Transport and helps those returning to driving following accident or illness and those with a physical disability, incorporate Silverbear’s application management platform across 15 individual Driving Mobility locations throughout England and Wales.
Driving Mobility conducts around 15,000 clinically led driving assessments each year, a significant proportion of which are referrals from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). These are currently coordinated and booked via the postal system due to data security implications – a process that incurs significant postage and stationery costs.
Silverbear’s ability to transfer this entire process to a digital environment will not only expedite the assessment booking procedure, but also eliminate high assessment-related administration costs for both Driving Mobility and the DVLA.
Furthermore, Silverbear’s inclusion on the G-Cloud framework, part of the government’s Digital Marketplace strategy, means that Driving Mobility and the DVLA can manage bookings in a safe and secure CRM platform that has been approved by central government.
Edward Trewhella, Chief Executive at Driving Mobility, comments: “Integrating Silverbear is one of the steps that we are taking to ensure consistency and standardisation across the entire organisation. The project, which has full support from the Department of Transport, will help us vastly improve our interactions with customers, streamline our internal procedures and help take the organisation into a digital world. We’re delighted to be working with Silverbear and now look forward to taking the first steps on our digital transformation journey.”
Motability, a UK charity that enables disabled people, their families and their carers to lease a new car, scooter or powered wheelchair using their disability benefit, also accounts for a significant number of Driving Mobility’s 15,000 assessments, all of which are booked and managed using laborious manual methods. Silverbear Membership is expected to help reduce their administration costs and streamline the booking process for Motability users.
Carl Grieves, Chief Executive at Silverbear, adds: “Organisations such as Driving Mobility, many of which are using legacy CRM systems that are out-dated if not unfit for purpose, are realising the value that modern CRM platforms such as those offered by Silverbear can addto day-to-day operations. Equally, the importance of going digital in an increasingly digital world and creating resilient organisations using robust software solutions is now well understood, and CRM has become the backbone of this process.”
Driving Mobility now plans to integrate Silverbear within individual driving assessments. Currently, each assessment, which takes approximately two hours, is conducted by two people; one who sits in the front alongside the driver being assessed and one who sits in the back of the vehicle taking notes using a pen and paper, which are then typed up after the assessment has finished.
Using Silverbear, Driving Mobility will be able to avoid duplication of effort by adding case notes directly into the CRM platform via an electronic device, in real time, straight from the vehicle.
Phase one of the project begins in June and the new platform is expected to go live in December.
For more information on Driving Mobility visit www.drivingmobility.org.uk. For more information on Silverbear visit www.silverbear.com.
