Southern Cross
 Success Story

“We don’t staff for peaks – but with DDS IT’s help we can offer a great, consistent service experience”

Roxanne Salton / Chief Digital Officer / Southern Cross Health Society

Company & Website

Southern Cross Health Society

http://www.southerncross.co.nz

Product

Resource as a Service (RaaS)

Employees

‍900 employees across New Zealand

Industry

Health insurer

Executive Summary

Southern Cross Health Society relies on DDS IT to provide service desk support to its 900 staff. Together with Southern Cross’s own inhouse team, DDS resolves issues with productivity tools including Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook and device issues including operating systems and hardware.

In a year when Southern Cross has been disrupted by Covid-19, a head office move and restructuring, DDS IT’s role as a trusted partner has grown, and its internal net promoter score (NPS) reflects that performance.

The challenge

Southern Cross Health Society is a large and complex organisation, providing health insurance services to 870,000 people across Aotearoa New Zealand. Its 900 staff are heavily dependent on productivity apps and devices to do their jobs, and work in locations spread across the country.

With Covid-19’s unexpected requirement to work from home, a head office move and organisational changes within the business, the demand for responsive, reliable help desk support was at an all-time high.

For CTO Roxanne Salton this meant leaning heavily on their partnership with DDS IT.

“We need to deliver our internal customers with a great, consistent service experience whether it’s from our own resources or partners. We don’t build our team to allow for peak demand, so being able to rely on DDS IT makes that possible.”

With 900 users at every level of IT experience and sophistication, the type of support required can range from a simple question about how to log in, to a comprehensive training programme for a new hire.

The Solution

DDS IT’s Managed Resource as a Service (MRaaS) provides a flexible, on demand service that covers helpdesk and training for Southern Cross’s 900 staff. This is delivered by a combination of email, phone and on-site support. The solution is based in agreed service level agreements but has the flexibility to surge as more support is needed.

900

Users supported across New Zealand

95%+

Internal net promoter score (NPS)

The Results

For Roxanne, what DDS IT provides goes beyond a service.

“It’s a partnership in the true sense of the word. There have been times when due to changes at our end DDS has been providing the majority of our help desk. Their big picture view means that they can also help with areas outside service desk, and the trust we’ve developed has meant the partnership is growing all the time.”

As user uptime is so critical to Southern Cross – and can be impacted directly by IT issues – internal customer satisfaction with DDS IT’s work is important to the business. This is measured by a regular net promoter score (NPS) survey, based on first and second-call resolution rates and overall staff satisfaction with the service.

The results speak for themselves with a net 95%+ positive score. 

Being a great partner doesn’t just mean reacting to crises when they occur, says Roxanne.

“In a year that’s been all about change, DDS IT has been proactive in suggesting ways to mitigate risk as we transition between systems, locations and teams. And with Christmas coming up, it’s great to know we can send our own people on much-needed leave knowing our support function will be in great hands.”