Why Workpro? Our Story | Workpro Casework

Our speciality is regulated casework – software that helps our customers better manage cases with varying degrees of complexity in compliance with specific procedures or regulations. Getting a system that reflects an organisation's own process requirements used to entail a costly bespoke project - but that is no longer the case. 

 

Workpro is a 'ready for action'' solution, which can then be fine-tuned.

 

That means smaller to mid-sized teams and organisations can now have a world-class case management system that is just right for them (hence 'Goldilocks'!) without the eye-watering price tag or implementation hassle. See our next blog for a more in-depth explanation of our 'platform approach'.  

 

 

How did we create the Workpro of today with comprehensive functionality and optimised versions for HR, complaints, financial services, ombudsman and information requests?

 

 

 

Workpro's roots date back to 2003 when we were approached by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to develop a system for complaints handling and other case management. The system we developed, with key input from SPSO's complaints handling experts, was soon adopted by other Ombudsman schemes across the UK.

 

By 2013 we had a dozen Ombudsman customers, and the Workpro team was growing. Our CEO, Ken Naismith, joined the company, as did our CTO Chris Ellis, with a joint vision to take Workpro's rich functionality to other markets. 

 

The world had changed – people no longer wanted lengthy bespoke projects. Ken and Chris oversaw the evolution of Workpro to an easy-to-deploy, market-ready product which still retains the flexibility and configurability we have always been known for. With more developers on board, we expanded the functionality and, in 2016, launched our SaaS (Software as a Service) cloud-based product.

 

 

Ombudsmen might be the experts in complaints handling, but every organisation gets complaints. Workpro's functionality also went beyond complaints into other case management issues that Ombudsman face. The expertise we had built in case management technology was applicable to other areas.

 

Financial Services (FS) not only receive a high volume of complaints, but the FCA also holds them to a high standard of how they should be handled - so we developed Workpro Financial Services Complaints software. Our Financial Services solution has FCA reporting, timescales and terminology built-in, and much more. 

 

Ombudsman organisations are often publicly funded. As such, they have to deal with Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, but they are not alone; all organisations have to reply to Subject Access Requests (SAR). We added FOI and SAR case types to Workpro and offered Workpro FOI & SAR as a standalone product for Data Protection Officers and those responsible for managing FOI requests. 

 

Case management is also a large part of the work HR professionals undertake, including grievance and disciplinary cases, which have to be handled in a careful and fair way. After several HR departments approached us looking for case management functionality beyond their standard HR systems, we developed Workpro HR.  Development is continuous – the latest addition is Workpro Connect, the Workpro HR Portal for line managers, helping them manage their team's HR cases with input from central HR professionals as required. 

 

Workpro is now the case management tool of choice for a wide range of customers with different applications. Check out our case studies here.

 

 

We believe our people are the root of our success. CAS became employee-owned in 2014. Employee ownership has increased employee feelings of responsibility towards our customers and their needs. It helps employees focus on what is important, which feeds into product development and optimised solutions. We continue to recruit and retain the best people to give you the best possible product.

 

Workpro has evolved as we have learned from customer requirements, and each time new functionality is added, all of our customers benefit. We do new releases all the time, with some customers getting two releases per month. Our User Experience (UX) Designer is a key contributor – she works with both Workpro users and casework professionals from outwith the Workpro family to make sure that the software is as user-friendly and intuitive as we can make it.

 

Some of the more recent additions to Workpro include:

 

 

COVID 19 and the resulting lockdowns have created a seismic shift in the way we work, with home working likely to be a long-term feature for many businesses. Our team continued working and helping customers throughout lockdown and beyond -we call it 'working together while working apart'!

 

 

Our SaaS cloud-based service means that multiple people can effectively manage cases, whether they are in the same building or not. Case information and status are stored in one place, increasing efficiency and ensuring everyone knows exactly what is going on. Since March 2020, we have helped many customers transition to a proper case management system that is proving essential in a work from home age.  

 

 

We are constantly developing Workpro and adding more features that you may find helpful. For example, we are working on adding a visual map feature that will allow customers to see geographical case clusters and field and form builder tools for customers who want to customise their Workpro system further.  The team is focused on the continuous improvement of Workpro, evolving with our customers' needs. 

 

To learn more about Workpro, call us on +44 (0)131 449 7071 or book a demo.