Active Dashboards software gives VSG a complete picture of key operational activities

Established in 2000, VSG has rapidly become one of the UK’s most successful suppliers of security services. With a turnover of over £140m it has comfortably established itself as the fourth largest UK security firm. The company has a strong vision of growth and recently introduced a Screening & Vetting Service to its service portfolio.

On joining VSG in September 2008 Barry Dawson, Operations Director, was impressed by the rapid pace with which the company was developing. As a result of this growth Barry also recognised that there was a lot of information being held in systems and spreadsheets within the organisation which needed to be accessed for comprehensive reporting. He looked to Dashboards to make reporting quicker and more accessible.

VSG shortlisted three dashboard providers and was impressed by Active Dashboards from Dynistics which offered a superior alternative to VSG’s existing reporting methods. This graphical tool provides real-time information on key factors identified by the company in visually appealing charts reducing the need to produce printed reports. Dynistics used VSG sample data and in a presentation to Barry, Chris Smith, VSG’s Business Analyst and Matt Graham, VSG’s IT Manager, demonstrating the potential Active Dashboards software had to make their reporting more efficient.

Some of the key attributes that won VSG management approval were the ability of the software to give a full picture of results and the functionality to drill down to specific details in order to identify opportunities and issues. A further strength of the software that caught the attention of those at VSG is its ability to draw information simultaneously from multiple sources. A contributory factor in VSG’s decision to select Active Dashboards was Dynistics impressive portfolio of existing clients.

VSG evaluated Active Dashboards and recognised the tangible operational benefits they would obtain and therefore decided to purchase the product. The installation process was smooth and VSG was pleased with the support provided by the Dynistics team.

Chris Smith, VSG’s Business Analyst, is now so confident with the software that he is using it in more ways than were initially intended. "Initially we thought we could use it to replace a few specific reports but now we are using it so much it has become a central part of our operations." He has found the process of producing reports has become much faster and only takes a matter of minutes given the real-time information that Active Dashboards provides. This in turn means that VSG, as a leading innovator in security services, can react to market situations quickly and build upon its continuing success.

Active Dashboards is now being used by staff throughout the organisation. They currently use it to retrieve information from multiple databases to give a complete picture of their key operational activities. Barry highlights, ‘We have several departments taking advantage of it here from Finance to HR and Operations, everyone has bought into it and can see the advantages it offers.’ In Barry’s demanding role he does not have to search several sources to get the information he needs, he can obtain all the information required through Active Dashboards.

Active Dashboards really has rapidly become part of the culture at VSG. Used on plasma screens around their smart offices monitoring everything from call statistics to incident reports, the Dashboards ensure all staff have key data readily available to them.

"Active Dashboards positively support the culture here. The pressure on the IT department for reports has reduced as the staff have all the information they need at their fingertips" says Chris.

VSG are also using the Dashboards in other more innovative ways, for example by offering Client Dashboards. Using Active Dashboards software VSG has created an external reporting system giving clients access to the data held on their account. The feedback from their clients has been positive with many saying they wished other industries provided this tool as it’s what they believe suppliers should be offering. It certainly sets VSG apart from their competitors and they hope to win more awards, partly due to the way they are using the software. The provision of this tool has had a profound effect on VSGs relationships with it clients. "We’re all looking at the same, real time data, which means we can identify any issues quickly and discuss them so they can be overcome."

Overall Dynistics’ Active Dashboards software has made data in VSG more transparent and accessible so that factors needing attention are flagged up immediately. Senior Management now find it easier to see what is happening “on the ground”: they can identify issues that need attention and suggest solutions more quickly as the lead time between data entry and visibility is just a matter of minutes. As Chris highlights: "I recently presented an Operations Seminar to demonstrate dashboard capabilities. Those now using it have been amazed by its capabilities and don’t know how they lived without it-they feel empowered."

Active Dashboards have proved a powerful tool during VSG’s rapid growth. As an organisation which is fast paced, innovative and setting the standard for customer service in the security services industry, access to accurate and timely data is essential. Active Dashboards have been successful in providing this real time data.