“By investing in IT, our aim is to cut administration time, and re-direct the hours saved back into providing front-line services.
Koomarri is the leading specialist disability service provider in our region founded over 60 years ago by families wanting to support a member with a disability. Their vision is to support people to achieve their life goals, dreams and aspirations. Koomarri’s workforce of 100 staff provides essential services to over 300 individuals in and around Canberra and it operates four businesses, including garden maintenance and office support.
Koomarri’s funding is primarily provided by the Government, supplemented by income from its businesses. With the NDIS now empowering individuals with direct funding and the freedom to source the service providers who best meet their needs, Koomarri is expecting increased demand for its services.
“In 2012, we undertook a strategic review to examine our preparedness for the NDIS. The result was eight strategic projects, including one for IT, to transition us to compete in the new market,” says Miranda Garnett, Koomarri CEO.
“The opportunity to now grow, however, can’t be realised without seriously investing in IT,” adds Miranda.
Part of the challenge, is Koomarri’s largely mobile workforce and its 15 physical locations. Staff up until recently have been supported by manual processes and were spending upwards of 20 per cent of their time on administration.
OPC has worked with Koomarri to implement a new IT infrastructure in order to operate and realise opportunities in this new market. The benefits of this are clear to Miranda.
“By investing in IT we are aiming to reduce administration time to 10 per cent. That equates to approximately 20,000 hours that can be re-channelled directly back into providing services to individuals with a disability,” she said.
OPC’s Managed Services Solution ensures that all staff, both in office locations and in the community, are always connected and that they have access to real-time and accurate information; information which is critical because it can directly impact the quality of service provided to individuals in their home.
“The system allows Koomarri to efficiently deal with more than 300 individuals including their communications and finances and allows for growth over the next five years,” says Clinton Henderson, OPC Technical Services Director.
“We are at a critical point in our history where we needed a provider who could work with us, help us realise our strategy, who understands who we are and can work with our management team,” Miranda said.
Koomarri now has the peace of mind that it can leave IT to OPC and focus on providing services to its clients, not administration.
“OPC has been able to do that well by walking alongside us and supporting us. From day one they positioned the right solution and they allow individual staff to contact them because learning and skills transfer are imperative as we adapt to the new market,” concludes Miranda.
To find out more about Koomarri’s services please visit, http://www.koomarri.asn.au
For more information on how an OPC Managed Services Solution can revolutionise your business, contact us at www.opc.com.au