Case studies
Capita
Helping Capita bridge the digital gap
2 minutes
12th September 2023
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Giving back to the community
We helped professional services company Capita donate smartphones from some of its 50,000 staff to charity. This ongoing programme helps Capita do its bit to bridge the digital gap and help the 1.5 million UK homes with no internet access.
The challenge
Digital isolation is an issue for up to 7 million people around the UK, yet up to 28 million smartphones in the UK are not in use. The Covid-19 pandemic served to further highlight the issue, with many unable to access the services they need or keep in contact with loved ones because they couldn’t afford to get online.
Capita wanted to redistribute phones to charity, which staff were no longer using, but needed a digital partner with connections in the charity sector.
The Community Calling solution
While undergoing a handset upgrade programme, Capita approached us to see if we could prepare old devices for donation. We went one better and put them in contact with one of our charity partners, Hubbub, an organisation that specialises in doing exactly that.
Hubbub’s Community Calling project, part of the Virgin Media O2 Better Connections Plan, collects smartphones and distributes them to people in need.
Capita asked all its employees to send their old devices to two hubs which could then be collected by Hubbub. Devices were then data-wiped, cleaned and fitted with a new O2 SIM card containing 20GB of data for six months. This data comes from Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation’s national databank and the data allowance can be increased as needed.
The smartphones were then distributed around the country to people who need them, via Hubbub’s charity network. Devices that couldn’t be redistributed were recycled or used for parts.
“Virgin Media O2 Business really came through to help us set up an ongoing programme with Hubbub that allows us to redistribute our employees’ old smartphones and do our bit to help people in the community. The arrangement worked incredibly well, and we’ve seen employees donate personal equipment to further support the cause.”
Mike Rowland, Technology Partnership Manager, Capita
Ongoing initiative
So far, Capita is Hubbub’s second biggest contributor (after Virgin Media O2 Business) and has now made device donation part of its standard operating procedure, with regular appeals to its staff to donate their old devices.
- Major contribution to tackle digital isolation
- 20GB O2 data SIMs provided
- Ongoing initiative helps Capita deliver on its environment, social and governance (ESG) objectives
- Total smartphones donated: 2,412
- Rehomed: 1,036
- Used for parts: 104
- Recycled: 1,272
“Being given the phone has opened up more opportunity for me. I feel less stressed and alone. Being able to call my mum has meant everything.”
Service user, Trafford Domestic Abuse Services
