Mark Trevorrow, Chief Information and Digital Officer of Highbourne Group, City Plumbing, discusses how the plumbing and heating merchant is harnessing the power of technology to transform customer experience, service and advice.
Transforming the construction industry with digital innovation and a customer-centric approach
The construction industry was ripe for disruption, with limited differentiation in the speed and quality of customer support. Highbourne is changing all that by seeking to create a digital-first enterprise. From easy-to-manage trade apps and online accounts, to innovative fault and spares finders, boosting digital engagement has allowed them to interact more closely with customers and generate the data needed to gain an intuitive understanding of their individual needs and preferences.
Unlocking the value of customer data is critically important, and it’s central to Highbourne’s success, according to Gaurav Choudhary, Technology and Digital Value Creation Partner at PwC UK: “To build a customer-centric experience, businesses must leverage customer insights and data to shape their products, services and buying journey.” Highbourne’s digital-first approach enables customers to choose what they want, when they want it and how it should be delivered, while strengthening their long-term partnership with the group’s portfolio of brands.
Just as striking is the pragmatic and cost-efficient way that Highbourne has moved forward on digital transformation, which is clearly high on the agenda of most CIOs/CTOs. Many might assume that the development of its advanced digital capabilities would have required a wholesale overhaul of systems and talent. Far from it. Through pinpointing investment where it can deliver maximum value, Highbourne’s digital push has taken giant strides. “By adopting an agile approach to systems and service innovation, harnessing existing resources and fostering a digital mindset across your business, targeted investments can maximise value in relatively little time and at relatively little cost.” says Grainne Marry, Cloud & Digital Value Creation Partner at PwC UK.
A key part of achieving a successful transformation is taking the workforce on the same journey. From data-driven decision-making to the move to partnership delivery models, digital transformation can be as much a cultural as technological leap. According to Andrew Broad, Value Creation Partner at PwC UK, “To maximise the value of investments in technology, leaders need to create cultural change and empower employees across the entire business to explore how it could improve their productivity and efficiency.”
The way forward
So what can other businesses on their digital transformation journey learn from Mark’s experience at Highbourne? Four key lessons stand out:
Legacy tech isn’t the barrier you might have thought it is
Your legacy systems need managing and de-risking to prevent them from hampering customer engagement and service. But you don’t need to jettison the legacy all at once before you can move forward.
As long as you can access, analyse and respond to your data at the speed that will make a difference to customers, you can get by in the short-term while you proceed with transition.
A modular approach, which breaks the systems switchover down into a series of component steps, allows you to identify and prioritise the areas of legacy that need the most urgent upgrade and work from there.
Look at what is necessary going forward, what can be switched off and what can be added or augmented. Some of your existing architecture may be redundant in a digital-first operating model and can therefore be retired without replacing.
When looking at the viability of front-office systems, it’s also important to look at the back-office capabilities that support this. For example, slow invoicing and refund processes within finance can undo the improvements in experience gained from fast and intuitive order and delivery.
Cloud allows you to move forward at pace
Rather than completely rewiring the business, targeting a critical few digital capabilities can make all the difference in creating value and exceeding customer expectations. In plumbing and heating, a case in point is the development of diagnostic tech that can identify a potential boiler problem and in most cases rectify it remotely. If not, the sensor system would ensure appropriate parts are selected and supplied before the engineer goes into repair.
Sourcing and sharing data from around the organisation can help you to identify these breakthrough openings. In turn, cloud-based capabilities allow you to speed up the analysis of this data and launch targeted innovations and upgrades in a fast and agile way without the heavy lifting of major design and build.
Ecosystems open new doors to agile digital propositions
You’re unlikely to have the specialist expertise to develop and run new digital propositions straight off. But partnerships allow you to access these development capabilities. All you would require in-house is a small ‘seed squad’ of multi-skilled specialists to identify the customer need and then work with partners to develop and test the prototype.
Cloud-based interfaces also mean that partners can help implement and manage the propositions as if they were your own while you get your own systems capabilities up and running
Prepare for future challenges
This combination of actionable data and cloud-enabled agility will form the key building blocks for further innovation and change. One of the biggest challenges facing plumbing and heating is the transition to net zero. This includes a big shift in the sector’s materials’ demands, energy usage and recycling and reuse of spent parts and systems.
Highbourne is moving forward through greater use of solar power, heat pumps and different forms of renewable technology, with a big emphasis on how that’s accessed through digital technology. The company is also working with clients to improve the sustainability of their components, part supply, installation and maintenance.
If you would like to know more about how to create and deliver the full value for your business and technology investments, please get in touch.
Contact us
Partner, Technology and Digital Value Creation, PwC United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)7730 146575
Partner, Value Creation and Technology in Deals, PwC United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)7775 811365
