Information redesign banks client £270,000 in cost savings 

See how we helped Close Brothers automate and streamline their processes 

About the Client  

Founded in 1887, Close Brothers is a is a leading UK merchant banking group with 3,700 employees and 54 offices. Their services include lending, deposit taking, wealth management, and securities trading. 

The Challenge 

Putting a stamp on savings

Being a merchant banker, Close Brothers naturally has to deal with vast amounts of documentation and communications. In all, they needed to manage 247 letters, over 40 letterheads, and create a staggering 6 million letters per year. 

To keep up in this highly competitive sector, they needed to find ways to optimize their processes and lower costs. As a result, three key areas emerged. 

Firstly, they needed to have a centralized composition system to streamline document management. Secondly, they had to improve their mailing practices so they got the best tariffs. And thirdly, they had to automate workflows to reduce manual intervention and costs.

The Solution

A comprehensive solution from audit to design to post 

Go Inspire helped transform how Close Brothers handled their documents. 

At the foundation, we embedded a fully automated transactional workflow. We brought on our partners, Quadient, who ensured that every piece of communication’s composition met the highest of standards. We then ensured that all the designs had an immediate impact by using Visual Attention Service (VAS) technology. This uses advanced analytics to predict how web, print, and environmental designs capture a person’s attention with 92% accuracy.

On top of this, our audit of collateral and call center data gave us insights into how to refine our strategy. And finally, we examined every single possible avenue on how we could generate savings on postage.

The Results

Figures that come with interest

Close Brothers saw improvements across the board. As well as more than a quarter of a million pounds saved every year through better operational efficiency, there were a host of other benefits.

Inbound calls to the contact center were reduced by 9%, there was a 7% decrease in letter and processing costs associated with sending out new credit agreements, and a massive 30% was saved in overall postage costs.