Digital Transformation uses cutting-edge technology to facilitate better work processes and business operations. Regardless of the industry or size of the organisation, Digital Transformation can greatly enhance the future of organisations and the effectiveness of employees.
Supported with secure IT solutions & services
FUJIFILM CodeBlue provides IT solutions*1 to New Zealand organisations that help them operate more efficiently. In March 2020 Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN), a health and social service organisation, had an urgent requirement.
In response to COVID-19, the New Zealand Government declared a national lockdown where all organisations and employees would need to stay home until further notice. PSN and its mental health helpline service, Lifeline Aotearoa, had 48 hours to set up and enable their team to work from home. It was vital that they could continue to support callers needing mental and emotional support.
FUJIFILM CodeBlue is responsible for building and supporting IT solutions for PSN. Our General Manager Daniel McIvor describes the situation.
－－Daniel
Our customer, PSN, has a health and social services that provide practical and compassionate support to New Zealanders. One of their services, Lifeline, serves people in distress, including those at high risk of suicide, 24- hours a day, every day.
We have been providing support to Lifeline for some time, equipping them with a system to respond to calls and texts from people needing help. Our system functions around the clock to ensure secure communication that protects the privacy of staff and people contacting Lifeline.
We felt proud that our IT solutions were making contributions to the community by helping Lifeline to effectively address social issues.
Use “IT Outsourcing” to grow business
When companies want to implement new IT systems or expand their use, their standard approach is to have their IT specialists collaborate with people in operations. However, all too often, the IT department is already at capacity dealing with existing business challenges and lack the time to consider new initiatives – and they may not even have the right skills. At the same time, the pressure is on to strengthen IT capabilities due to the rise in cybersecurity risks and new regulations for protecting personal information.
In order to solve these problems, companies must acquire people with the appropriate skills. However, human resources development and recruitment can take a lot of time and money.
These are just a few reasons why more companies are considering IT Outsourcing.
FUJIFILM Business innovation Corp. is dedicated to solving these customer problems by offering products and services that support organisations to meet their ongoing IT challenges.
*1 IT Solutions and Services
FUJIFILM Business innovation Corp. offers a variety of solutions to meet the challenges of every industry and business. Our “Managed IT Services” for small and medium businesses help develop IT strategies and to implement, operate, manage, and conduct regular reviews and improvements of the IT environments built on those strategies. We help companies realize their management strategies and use IT effectively without making large investments in IT personnel.
Lifeline had been receiving about 8,000 calls each month, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, the number jumped to about 10,000. Texts (received and sent) soared to around 30,000. People call Lifeline for a variety of reasons including the loss of jobs and income, fear of infection, insecurity and isolation. Lockdown increased people’s stress and anxiety with many needing extra support. The Lifeline team was also facing the same stresses that other people faced.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the New Zealand Government announced measures to limit social interaction throughout the country starting 25 March, 2020. This announcement was made on 23 March, 2020, less than 48 hours before the lockdown.
At the time, the Lifeline system was not ready to support remote working environments for an increased number of staff. Their staff members understood the seriousness of the lockdown announcement and wanted to be able to communicate with people in need.
Solving a client’s crisis under time pressure
Then, FUJIFILM CodeBlue received a request.
The request was – of course – to upscale the ability to work remotely within 48-hours.
－－Daniel
Lifeline handles a high volume of personal information, so the switch to remote working was not going to be easy. The request was, ‘We need a system where we can work from home since we must be able to respond to every person in need. ’Through years of supporting their operations, we know they are making a big contribution to the community. It was not just a matter of the client's request, but because people were truly in need. We knew we absolutely must establish a system that would allow them to continue their support within 48-hours.
The goal was to make the same level of system operations as in the office available at home, while ensuring the security and safety of data.
Under normal circumstances, a service request like this would require a longer period of time to investigate the solution requirements and to implement, test, and operate the system. However, this situation was different: FUJIFILM CodeBlue already knew how PSN’s IT systems operated from past work together, and knew the importance of this project..
With relationships established over many years
The FUJIFILM CodeBlue team supported a remote work system that allowed all staff to answer calls and texts from home. FUJIFILM CodeBlue informed Lifeline that they could use their remote working environments with the same level of system access, security, and flexibility as in the office.
－－Daniel
What really helped us in this tight deadline was that we knew Lifeline's needs and operations from our ongoing relationship, so we were able to get started immediately. Because of our long-term relationship, we were able to build a sophisticated security system quickly.
Lifeline Operations Manager Helena de Fontenay explains her experience.
－－Helena
We were very thankful that FUJIFILM CodeBlue helped us by setting up our new systems before our teams had to go home.
They promised us the same security as when we worked in the office. We also really appreciated the timely responses to questions about the new way of workingfrom our 70 staff who worked from home during the lockdown.
Daniel McIvor echoed the sentiments of the entire FUJIFILM CodeBlue team, “We were honored to support the community with you.”
Work-life balance achieved through IT solutions & services
Lifeline continues to offer remote working, and Helena wants to share this option with other telephone counselling services around the world.
－－Helena
Now that we are able to work remotely, the job tasks for staff and volunteers are no longer dictated by an office. We can work in the early morning or at irregular hours, and when we have an unexpected spike in the number of calls, we can simply ask, “Can anyone pitch in?” and we can support each other.
but IT can connect many
Fujifilm continues to apply its technology and expertise in photographic film to address the challenges of new fields. As a result, the company has now diversified its business with expertise in healthcare, high-performance materials, and business innovation*2. And, like in this instance, one of the jobs is to use IT solutions to connect people isolated from society.
The support from FUJIFILM CodeBlue didn’t stop once the new way of working was established. FUJIFILM CodeBlue and other providers work with Lifeline to ensure a sustainable, long term remote working solution. This ensures that Lifeline is able to be flexible in its response to future interruptions such as severe weather events or pandemics.
－－Daniel
In this case, we were able to implement Fujifilm’s IT solutions because of the strong desire of the people involved to continue providing social support during the lockdown. IT can never replace people. However, IT can modify the way we work and help connect people in new ways.
This is also a case in which we were able to reaffirm the importance of long-term relationships with customers. We hope to continue providing services that are ongoing commitments to the challenges our clients face, where we accompany them on their journey, rather than a one-and-done system installation or maintenance task.
that foster connections between people.
*2 Business Innovation
One of Fujifilm’s business domains. Assists in solving customers' management issues in business by providing products and services that support innovation in work styles and digital transformation.
Providing IT solutions and services so companies and people can excel
As a pioneer in the office document field, Fujifilm stays at the forefront of business innovation by leveraging outstanding product technology, such as highly robust multifunction devices and strong sales and proposal capabilities that identify and solve the business challenges of our customers. As a result, we have always been an industry leader.
We apply the technology and expertise we have cultivated over the years, combining paper and electronic data to convert critical information into the most appropriate form. Our strong point is our ability to help solve problems in various business situations, like optimizing the workflow and strengthening customer relationships.
By combining the overall strengths of the Fujifilm Group with data and digital technologies, we continuously solve the issues faced by our clients, thereby contributing to the realization of a society in which both companies and people thrive.
