About
Chester Zoo is the UK’s most visited attraction outside London and a globally acclaimed conservation charity. Welcoming two million visitors annually, it cares for more than 30,000 animals across 500 species – many of them endangered. Driven by its mission to prevent extinction, the zoo is a world-leader in conservation, sustainability and education, supporting more than 100 field projects in 20 countries. It employs more than 1,000 people and works closely with communities and schools to restore UK biodiversity.
The Challenge
Chester Zoo runs a complex operation, and the systems behind it matter. Technology supports communication, security and the day-to-day running of the site, with a direct impact on staff safety, animal welfare and the visitor experience.
Its previous helpdesk platform was no longer enough. In an environment like Chester Zoo, where systems are closely connected, a change in one area can have knock-on effects elsewhere. Change control was still being managed through a manual process, making it difficult to maintain proper oversight.
Asset management was another issue. The team needed a clearer way to understand how systems were supported across the zoo. Assets such as CCTV underpin security, staff and guest welfare, and animal welfare, making it important to see how those systems linked to contracts, support agreements, warranty periods, software licensing and users.
At the same time, there was a separate pressure around governance, risk and compliance. The zoo’s existing GRC supplier had increased costs by 700%, prompting the team to review more sustainable options.
With complex and changing needs, Chester Zoo needed a platform that could connect its systems and adapt as the organisation changed.
"The zoo is a very complex organisation. It is on a par with a small city. You change one thing here, and it has an effect down the line.”
- Chris Hazeldine, Head of IT Operations
The Solution
Chester Zoo selected Halo because the team took the time to understand its requirements, worked closely with the organisation to shape the right solution, and offered an inclusive pricing model that was more aligned with the charity sector.
Halo also allowed Chester Zoo to introduce a much more structured approach to change control. A process that had previously been managed through Word documents and Excel spreadsheets was rebuilt inside Halo using workflows, approval stages and supporting documentation. Changes now move through a defined process, with approvals and risk information captured alongside the request, giving the team clearer oversight of what is being changed and why.
Halo gave the team much better visibility across its asset estate. Instead of maintaining isolated records, assets could be linked to contracts, support agreements, warranty periods, software licensing and users. In an environment like Chester Zoo, where systems such as CCTV support security and animal welfare, that gave the team a clearer picture of what equipment was in place and how it was supported. Technicians can now access asset information on site through the mobile app, scan barcodes and raise tickets directly from the asset.
Halo was also adopted for governance, risk and compliance after it became clear it could support those requirements too. That meant the compliance team could begin using the same platform, rather than relying on a separate system, and gave the team confidence that Halo could be taken further across the organisation.
"The big thing for me with Halo is that whole customer journey, that customer contact, understanding our requirements, understanding our needs, helping us come up with a solution.”
- Chris Hazeldine, Head of IT Operations
The Results
With Halo in place, the team achieved:
- Change control moved into a proper process
A manual process built on Word documents and Excel spreadsheets was replaced with a defined workflow in Halo, including approvals, documentation and a risk matrix.
- Around 6,500 assets are now managed in Halo
The team can link assets to contracts, support agreements, warranty periods, software licensing and users, giving them a clearer view of how systems are supported.
- Technicians can update assets and raise tickets on site
Using the Halo mobile app, the team can scan barcodes, bring up asset information, update records and raise tickets directly from the asset.
- Governance and compliance were brought into Halo too
The platform was adopted beyond IT, giving the compliance team a way to manage those requirements within the same system.
- Audit preparation dropped from days to around 30 minutes
Chester Zoo goes through four to five audits each year, and a recent audit took around half an hour to prepare for in Halo. Previously, pulling together the same information took days.
"It’s a long-term thing for us. The zoo changes constantly, so having something that will adapt with us is key.”
- Chris Hazeldine, Head of IT Operations
Looking ahead, Chester Zoo sees Halo as a platform it can continue to build on as the organisation changes.