Cost or Benefit - is your ICT service up to the job?
Many IT services have undergone major cuts and restructuring in recent months, often resulting in the loss of some of the best people, and of the source of much of the detailed knowledge that helps to make the ICT service perform.
Process re-design
Making processes fit for purpose in the council of the future is not easy, but we have developed a highly structured approach which ensures that we take account of all the factors:
Our web services
We have the skills and the tools to help you achieve a website that delivers for your council - that is a website that gives real value in terms of the services it delivers to your customers and the savings it makes for the council. We cover all that is needed, summarised below:
Processes re-defined
Most processes in councils have developed over the years for delivery by traditional means - by members of staff, using paper-based systems to deliver a service. These are inefficient and out-dated, error-prone, and not customer-friendly. They have no place in the council of the future.
Integration to key systems
For many councils, integrating the website with the back-office systems can be seen as complicated and expensive - in some cases giving rise to estimated costs of £1 million of more - but it doesn't need to be complicated or expensive.
Creating the perfect website
For a step by step guide, click on the diagram to see more detail
Self service - satisfaction and savings
Self Service is one of the most effective ways to achieve year on year budget savings and improved customer satisfaction. Doing it badly, however – offering inappropriate self-service options, for example, or failing to understand how customers will use the website – represents a major waste of resources and turns customers away.
Corporate CRMS
"Single, corporate-wide Customer Relationship Management System, possibly shared with partners, in full use for all customer transactions via all channels"
E-government progress check
The project issues
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) engaged Socitm Consulting to carry out an assessment of its progress towards satisfying the Government's targets for Electronic Service Delivery.
Councils initially had considerable freedom as to how they define those service elements that are capable of being e-enabled. SBC initially developed a definition of services and was on target to achieve 100% against this list by December 2004, one year ahead of the Government target.