EuroDirect Appointed By National Savings and Investments to Improve Customer Insight

Intelligence specialist EuroDirect has been appointed by National Savings and Investments (NS&I), one of the UK's largest savings organisations, to help further develop customer insight through enhanced data systems.

EuroDirect has been contracted to implement a comprehensive data review and enhancement programme across NS&I's customer data warehouse system. This includes the cleansing, consolidation and enhancement of over 65 million customer records, making it one of the largest projects of its kind. The review will also compile records to establish a comprehensive, single view of the customer.

EuroDirect's data software will help NS&I improve its understanding of its customer base to optimise marketing communications and, ultimately, develop new products and channels to better serve its customers.

The review is part of NS&I's wider modernising programme to improve services and access for customers and is a feature of its medium-term business strategy to raise an extra £15 billion net financing for government by the end of the financial year 2007-08.

EuroDirect will be working closely with Siemens Business Services, which hosts the NS&I customer database, to implement the new systems.

Key to this customer intelligence improvement project is data cleansing. This element of the project will encompass a wide range of national verification and suppression datasets including the postal address file, electoral roll, NCOA file, GoneAway suppression file, deceased files and NS&I's internal suppression files.

In addition, data from EuroDirect's Data Exchange and CAMEO classifications suite will be used in the customer knowledge enrichment process, alongside public credit data from sister credit referencing agency Callcredit.

MICROVISION will enable NS&I to segment and profile its customers using the integral CAMEO classifications to develop a pen portrait of lifestage, socio-economic group, financial sophistication and savings needs. It will also enable NS&I to attain a spatial awareness of its customers and market channels, enabling it to develop and plan future sales, marketing and product distribution activities.

Phil Corcoran, head of customer insight at NS&I, said: "Putting the customer first is crucial to us. To do this we need a flexible, accurate database so we can continue to increase our understanding of our customers and their needs. EuroDirect's appointment will build on the progress we have made over the last five years through our partnership with Siemens Business Services and ensure we maximise the efficiency of our database . "

John Dobson, EuroDirect managing director, added: "We are proud to be working with such a leading brand in the financial services arena. Not only will this programme optimise customer knowledge, it will also provide NS&I with the intelligence they need to further develop their product offer and market channels."