Mobile phone retailer partners with Servo to provide IT hardware support for UK stores

Mobile phone retailer partners with Servo to provide IT hardware support for UK stores

High Street mobile retailer, Phones 4u has signed a three-year deal with Servo to outsource IT hardware support for all of its UK stores.

The contract will see Servo support 36,000 devices, including all point-of-sale (PoS) and back-office equipment in more than 500 Phones 4u stores and store-in-stores throughout the UK.

Dave Robertson, head of IT managed services at Phones 4u, said: “Our number one commitment is to deliver customer excellence and the stores rely on IT to help them achieve this. For example, if a printer malfunctions, we can’t print contractual documentation, which means an extended stay in the store for our customer and a poor experience for them, something we want to avoid. Servo’s support is vital to ensure that it remains business as usual for us and that we continue to deliver a first class retail service.”

Extending helpdesk response

Servo will provide a dedicated Phones 4u line, with a team of call handlers manning the incident desk. Support calls from Phones 4u stores to its own helpdesk will be escalated to one of Servo’s 1,000 engineers as appropriate. Monthly management reports from Servo will provide an accurate overview of its performance against the agreed service level agreement (SLA), as well as proactively identify recurring issues that can be rectified to improve store uptime.

Robertson continued: “We have enjoyed a great working relationship with Servo on various projects for more than five years. When this contract came up for renewal Servo were our natural choice and we were happy to work with them to put in place the right commercial framework to transform this into a successful three-year deal. As a trusted partner that continues to provide a great quality of service we are excited about continuing to evolve the Phones 4u and Servo relationship.”

Ongoing service relationship

As well as the new IT hardware support contract, Servo continues to support Phones 4u with IT procurement, warehouse services, store refurbishment and new store openings. It is also working with Phones 4u on a hardware refresh programme.

Steve Taylor, IT director at Phones 4u, said: “Servo is a key player in our sourcing strategy. We have a very good relationship based on an excellent operational level. The extension of the Phones 4u Servo relationship is a positive outcome for both parties and an excellent example of where “smart sourcing” can deliver real value.”

The retailer also recently announced a deal to roll Oracle retail applications out to its stores.