Tech Types: Unisys, Britain's TSB In Maintenance Deal

BLUE BELL, Pa. - TSB Bank, the United Kingdom's sixth-largest, has awarded Unisys Corp. a $23 million contract to maintain desktop computers and networking equipment at some 1,100 branches across Britain.

As part of this new three-year agreement, Unisys will also provide enhanced maintenance services for 80 flagship branches where TSB is seeking to improve customer service by extending operating hours on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Under the agreement, Unisys will maintain approximately 12,000 Philips and Unisys workstations and network servers located in TSB branches, and more than 2,200 AT&T automated teller machines.

Given TSB's reliance on technology for serving customers, Unisys is providing the bank with aggressive repair times on business-critical systems, including four hours on ATMs and less than four hours on network servers.

To achieve such service levels, the companies have automated key service functions, such as call placement and call completion processes, by establishing direct computer links between TSB's fault management system and the Unisys dispatch system.

"From the outset Unisys has worked hard to provide a value-for-money service," said R. Jenner, manager of branch support for TSB. "For TSB, a significant outcome has been an improvement in equipment availability - which in turn directly improves customer service. TSB expects this partnership to deliver more of these benefits over the coming three years."