DCSL Software

system from the ground up. Now on its second iteration, DCSL has been a close partner to WaterAid throughout its engagement since 2016.

the complexities the retail group wanted to bring under control. These included the need to improve end-to-end visibility of promotions; ensure campaign compliance across all stores; and track the effectiveness of campaigns, both as a whole and according to specific parameters. Tesco also wanted to make it easier for stores to liaise with individual Tesco business units, such as Tesco F&F clothing, Tesco Mobile and Tesco Books, about their in-store promotions and materials.

Augustus Martin found DCSL Software when searching the internet for reputable software development firms near London. The project ran for two years, at times involving up to 12 developers working on the system. “The project was challenging at times, as priorities changed, but DCSL managed extremely well – with plenty of resource and capacity,” Ashley Welsh, Group IT Director, says. “They were able to assign more people at very short notice, which was impressive.”Tesco is now live with the new system across its national business – spanning 3,000 Tesco stores, and 60,000 PoS fixtures. A comprehensive database contains details of everything that is happening across Tesco’s stores at any one time.

The early reaction to the system has exceeded all expectations. “At Tesco’s annual conference at Birmingham NEC, the head of retail described the system as ‘the best piece of software he’d ever introduced to retail’, and stores couldn’t wait to use it,” Ashley says.

6.0. To bring everything up to date and be able to roll out the same actuarial and financial reporting capabilities internationally, the company needed a new, modern web-based front end for the system, with strong database integration.

In the search for potential development partners in and around London, Mr Dooner, Chief Actuary, discovered DCSL Software. Its considerable experience of developing sophisticated database-linked web sites and intranet portals with easy-to-navigate front-ends was reflected in numerous client testimonials, suggesting that DCSL would be an ideal partner. An initial meeting with DCSL’s owner and the project manager confirmed this.

“It looks attractive and modern – more in keeping with the kinds of technology people use and enjoy in their own time – and it is very intuitive and responsive,” says Dooner. “The clean look and feel and ease of navigation are very impressive, which is down to the design. I had very high expectations and DCSL delivered. The project manager always came back to us very quickly after any change requests and was extremely accommodating. There was nothing DCSL couldn’t incorporate into the web engine: whatever we needed, they could do.”

“DCSL did a fantastic job, and were a pleasure to work with,” Mr Dooner concludes. “They’re clearly extremely competent at what they do, and have produced a system that is very clean, modern and built using very well-structured code. That’s a real sign of expertise.”

be required to log the kind of details families wanted to hear about every visit, and indicate that they had read and understood details of the individuals’ needs, interests and preferences before being able to proceed with a visit. All of this would offer families invaluable reassurance and transparency about the care they were providing, and become a service differentiator for care service providers.

Founder, Helen Dempster, set up a meeting with bespoke development company DCSL Software – a company already known to them.

“I walked into their offices with reams of paper and pictures of what I wanted,” she says. “DCSL were very responsive and incredibly helpful. They provided us with a sounding board for my ideas, and constructive advice and feedback about what was possible and how best to achieve it.”

DCSL Software, which specialises in realising companies’ digital and mobile ambitions using the latest software technologies and development techniques, created a usable web solution and mobile app in under 10 weeks. “It was incredible,” Helen says. “DCSL has experience of developing healthcare apps, which helped set the direction. That and their agile approach to development meant we could quickly see something and refine it to get to exactly what we wanted, working in two-weekly sprints.”

The Karantis360 app, which supports Android and iOS devices, is based on the IBM Watson AI-based analytics platform and hosted in IBM’s secure cloud. When professional caregivers log visits and provide information about the client’s current mood and state of wellbeing, they upload a photograph to support this: the AI-enabled app ‘reads’ this to detect whether the client is actually smiling. The app was built using the cross-platform Xamarin framework, alongside .NET Core for the business logic and web API, all coded with C#.

concerned. 

“We had a very clear idea of the content but not the technology, so we needed a partner that could provide us with the best possible advice,” Richard Taylor, co-founder, says.

Seeing that DCSL was now a 100-strong development company doing impressive and complex work across a diverse portfolio of projects, the company was keen to know more. DCSL’s development philosophy was impressive to 100 days: "We could see there was a great culture – highly collaborative, where no task is allowed to get stuck – and knew that we had found our partner...DCSL’s success record is based on its ability to deliver."

The toolkit includes videos, text, checklists, worksheets and questionnaires to prompt new managers to fulfil their potential quickly, and deliver quick wins along the way, so that within 100 days they are delivering positive results for the business. A menu system means managers can mix and match preparations and tasks, or systematically work through all the tools, depending on their needs.

DCSL’s contribution in taking the ELLA toolkit from vision to reality has been critical, Richard adds, confirming that the partnership will continue long into the future. As well as working on the next language versions and working on other updates over time, DCSL will develop new toolkits, starting with one designed to boost the impact of knowledge workers. “We hope to get this underway in 2020,” he says.

Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) II, to increase transparency and trust around financial investments and increase protection for those investing. 

“We needed to industrialise our pricing methodology, and give more people secure and fast access to all the detail they needed in a user-friendly format,” explains Matthew Norman, Redburn’s Head of IT.

Redburn set out to find a reputable software development firm. When it came across DCSL Software online, it sounded like the perfect fit. "We liked their collaborative and agile approach to development, which is how we work internally,” he says. “We knew that the needs of our CRM team were likely to keep evolving and changing, so this was going to be important. DCSL also use the same sort of technologies that we do internally, so it was a great match. We liked their proposal and demo, and the price which was very competitive.”

The new company-wide pricing system has received impressive feedback for its accurate methodology and calculations, its look and feel, and its speed. “It helps that the users have been proactively involved the whole way through. It is critical to our pricing strategy, to our compliance with the new MiFID II regulation, and to our client relationships. We will use it to support all future negotiations, and to demonstrate to existing clients exactly how their money has been spent, giving them the visibility and detail they need to report back to their own clients.”