Robert Price Builders Merchants receive 24/7 IT support
Members of Staff
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Sites
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Projects Completed
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Years in Partnership
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Sector: Wholesale / Distribution
Robert Price is the largest independent builders’ merchants in South Wales and Herefordshire, proudly operating as a family-run, local business. With over 30 branches across the region, they trade under four brands: Robert Price, Gower Timber, Tudors, and Terry Howell. This extensive network of sites is seamlessly connected through a secure private network provided by CSG, achieving robust and reliable communications and data access across all locations.
Managing multiple branches presents significant challenges, prompting Robert Price to seek a technology partner with the expertise to handle such complexity. Recognising the need for a partner who understands the intricacies of multi-site management is something that the team at CSG have many years’ experience with. This marked the beginning of our journey to enhance Robert Price’s IT infrastructure and ensure seamless, secure connectivity across all their locations.
“With CSG we have a good geographical overlap. We have multiple sites and CSG are experienced with dealing with these set ups whilst providing exceptional customer service.”
The problem
For multi-site organisations like Robert Price, ensuring a secure and reliable network connection is crucial to maintaining seamless communication across all branches. Robert Price sought a solution that would allow their staff to stay securely connected across different branches, preventing gaps in security and reducing the risk of cyber attacks.
“We have multiple sites, and we needed a reliable and experienced IT partner who was aware of how to overcome the issues that come with a geographical overlap. CSG have shown their experience in this area, whilst providing exceptional customer service.”
Robert Price were looking for a centralised Wi-Fi system that meets our requirements to work across multiple branches. CSG introduced a cloud-based telephone network that connects the head office to all their branches, all managed via the same provider.
The solution
CSG’s consulting services
CSG’s technology transformation process begins with our comprehensive consulting services. Our technical solutions architect visits all Robert Price Builders’ Merchants sites to gain a thorough understanding of their setup and the working environment of their employees. By taking the time to identify problem areas and areas for improvement, CSG can prioritise our approach to solving their issues.
24/7 technology support
For a company that operates on weekends and beyond the typical 9-5 hours, having 24/7 technology support is crucial. If something goes wrong with your technology after 5pm, it can significantly impact your customers and disrupt your operations.
From partnering with CSG, Robert Price has received the support and assistance they’ve needed, exactly when they needed it most. This continuous support has helped Robert Price maintain their reputation as a reliable 24/7 provider, ensuring that their multi-site business remains operational and their employees and customers are always taken care of, no matter the time of day.
“CSG are very responsive. We have used the 24/7 support in the past as we’re open on Saturday mornings. If we have any technical issues we know that CSG are there to help instantly.”
Secure wide area network
Our consulting team used their research and experience to strategise a plan for securing Robert Price Builders Merchants’ wide area network. This began with implementing a private SD-WAN (Secure Wide Area Network), a network solution that enhances security, reliability, and scalability by securely connecting multiple locations. This approach not only protects sensitive information from potential cyber threats but also supports business growth and operational efficiency by providing a reliable and adaptable network infrastructure.
This approach not only enhanced network security by protecting sensitive information from potential cyber threats but also improved the overall reliability and performance of the network for the team at Robert Price Builders Merchants. The private SD-WAN solution provided a more secure and scalable infrastructure, which means that whenever Robert Price Builders Merchants were needing to quickly adapt to new site openings and dynamic changes, they were supported technically and securely, ultimately supporting their business growth and operational efficiency.
Historically, Robert Price had a NS network which was fit for purpose at the time – as the builders’ merchants opened more sites, the demand to open sites quickly became paramount.
“Having an SD-WAN connection between sites allows us to get sites running up quickly, making our processes more efficient.”
Centralised Wi-Fi
A centralised Wi-Fi network is essential for businesses operating from multiple sites, as it ensures consistent and reliable connectivity across all locations. Implementing this approach has allowed Robert Price Merchants’ employees to access critical data and applications seamlessly, enhancing collaboration and productivity.
For a 24/7 business like Robert Price Builders Merchants, having a dependable Wi-Fi network is crucial to maintaining continuous operations and providing excellent customer service. The centralised Wi-Fi setup minimises downtime and technical issues, ensuring that all branches remain connected and functional at all times, which is vital for a business that relies on constant communication and data access to meet its operational demands.
Cloud-based telephony
Robert Price were looking for a modern collaborative way of operating, whilst bringing all day-to-day channels together in one app. The merchants’ needed a secure and reliable way to call customers and staff from anywhere and the cloud-based solution provided the most relevant features required for their communication needs.
Cloud-based telephony offers a secure communication solution that integrates seamlessly with the other tools used in the business, centralising all Robert Price’s work applications in one platform. This integration enhances productivity by allowing users to make calls, hold meetings and collaborate in real-time without switching between different tools.
A cloud-based telephony solution ensures secure communication through advanced encryption and compliance features, protecting sensitive information. By unifying communication and collaboration tools, it has enabled Robert Price to maintain communications through their branches.
Secure networking infrastructure
CSG has significantly enhanced Robert Price Builders Merchants’ network security by implementing a centralised web browsing protection service, thus connecting 30+ sites through a secure private network. This service ensures that all internet traffic across their multiple sites is monitored and protected against potential threats, providing a secure browsing environment for employees.
Managed via CSG’s dedicated service desk provision, this centralised approach allows for efficient handling of any issues or updates, ensuring minimal disruption to daily operations. The proactive management and robust security measures provided by CSG help maintain the integrity and reliability of Robert Price’s network, supporting their business continuity and safeguarding sensitive data.
New sites project
In the last year, Robert Price were managing four new site projects, where they required a quick turn around on securing these new sites. These new sites included: Terry Thomas Timber, Port Talbot Site and Hereford.
“Having a technology partner who can facilitate all project needs and take away the headache has been crucial.”
Robert Price were looking for a personal approach to their IT management. They had previously dealt with organisations who wouldn’t provide someone to talk to so moving to CSG where we provide a consistent communications service through our 24/7 support system meant that Robert Price never have to wait to receive answers.
The cloud
CSG’s cloud consulting services provided Robert Price Builders Merchants with a more defined and strategic approach to leveraging cloud technology within their organisation. By assessing their specific needs and goals, CSG developed a cloud strategy that optimised their operations and enhanced their overall efficiency.
The cloud offers high levels of security features, compliance with regulatory standards and uninterrupted integration with existing systems. This ensures that sensitive data is protected and accessible, enabling Robert Price to meet the stringent requirements of public sector clients while benefiting from the scalability, flexibility and cost-efficiency of cloud solutions.
Cloud telephony
For the past 5 years, Robert Price have been operating on the cloud for their phone systems. With the transparent support from CSG, Robert Price has been able to make any changes they require day-to-day, with the guidance and support as needed from CSG.
The reporting features allow Robert Price to view their KPIs live on phone stats, providing valuable insights that are extremely useful for implementing strategies to improve call performance.
“We had good communications throughout the entire process, with clear set prices that didn’t change and how much down time would be involved so we could prepare. CSG scheduled in the work to accommodate our timings.”
Data security
“We use the IT system for everything, from purchasing to selling through our ecommerce site and sending invoices out – everything requires IT security and stability.”
For any company working with clients, customer data security and adhering to GDRP regulations is essential to avoiding penalties and maintaining good relationships with your stakeholders.
Robert Price holds a lot of personal data for their clients, through CSG’s security support, they are assured that their sensitive data cannot be breached through the robust security measures set in place. From training staff to storing data on secure networks, CSG have guided the Robert Price team with all this.
Public sector contracts
Robert Price operates with a range of customers, including the local authorities and public sector. Businesses who work in the public sector and are aiming to win contracts with these organisations need a strong cyber security plan to ensure the protection of sensitive data and compliance with stringent regulatory requirements.
Public sector organisations handle vast amounts of confidential information, and any breach could have severe consequences. By demonstrating a proactive approach to cyber security through partnerships with experts, you can build trust and credibility with public sector clients.
For Robert Price Builders Merchants, showing this commitment through the partnership with CSG has significantly reduced any concerns public organisations may have had about data security. This assurance has enabled Robert Price to focus on their core competencies, delivering high-quality services without the distraction of potential cyber threats.
e-trading
Organisations that heavily rely on e-trading for their business operations must ensure they are set up securely to meet the demands of e-trading capabilities. This is crucial to protect sensitive customer data, maintain transaction integrity, and comply with regulatory requirements.
Setting up a secure e-trading setup for Robert Price has minimised the risk of cyber threats in this area, ensuring uninterrupted service and fostering customer trust. CSG has helped Robert Price Builders Merchants meet and maintain these demands through continuous monitoring and support.
This proactive approach has enabled Robert Price to trade securely and confidently online, ensuring their e-trading operations run smoothly and efficiently.
“Working with CSG has meant that we can work with a local IT partner, whilst also providing exceptional technical expertise that we require for a multi-site operation. CSG have demonstrated incredible depth to delivering projects that help us achieve our goals. They have delivered exceptional management of multi-site projects, whilst providing strong communication and support.” – Robert Price.
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