Ever improving standards of customer service in the private sector have led to raised expectations of service from the public sector. Government stakeholders, be they citizens, tax payers, voters, business partners, employees or influencers expect the multi-channel, personalised, convenient and consistent interactions from local authorities that they already receive from private companies.
For local authorities, moving to a customer-centric model is at the core of the public service transformation initiative that continues to drive the government agenda. Public organisations are redesigning their business processes to focus on the needs of their stakeholders. Centralised access to customer information is fundamental to a citizen-centric approach and a customer relationship management CRM system supports and facilitates that approach.
In particular, local government organisations look to CRM to provide stakeholder relationship management and case management - two core inter-related functions in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Key Local Government Challenges
Improving citizen service delivery
Increased operational efficiency
Consolidated views of accounting/funding information with comparisons to budget
Streamlining the flow of information
Improved ability to meet rising regulatory and compliance requirements
Ability to collaborate with other agencies and share relevant information in a secure manner
Caring for the environment
Significant cost pressures from reduced public funds, budget cuts, and revenue shortfalls
Increased expectations of citizens and stakeholders to receive valuable, citizen-centric service
Legacy information systems that fail to support real-time or web access to information
Improved security and related public service with specific government funding
Stakeholder Relationship Management
The ability to organise, manage and measure the interactions – contacts, inquiries and requests - with an organisation’s key stakeholders; including citizens, business partners, influencers and staff.
Stakeholder Relationship Management Case Study The Local Government Association needed to strategically manage its relationships with key stakeholders, to improve service to its members, maximise its marketing activities and integrate with key business processes. Optevia designed and delivered a Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementation to be used by all 220 members of staff.
The ability to record, track, manage, resolve and measure inquiries, applications and business tasks.
Case Management Video Case Study
The London Borough of Bromley wanted to deliver a faster more efficient service to customers by streamlining the back office systems that supported the majority of routine calls to its contact centre. Optevia implemented its Local Government Template and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Bromley’s contact centre staff now have speedy access to accurate information that helps them deliver a more professional service.
The Optevia Local Government Template (LGT) is an off-the-shelf
product family that maps and automate a wide range of common UK government
business processes, based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM technology.
Benefits for local authorities
The Optevia Local Government Template:
has been built to reduce the effort, cost
and risk of implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM
supports more than 45 key business areas
and processes and continues to grow as more services are added
enhances the ease of use and reduce the
learning experience for new users of Microsoft Dynamics CRM
conforms to Microsoft Dynamics CRM support
policies keeping application support and upgrade costs to a minimum
was designed based on best practice by experienced
Optevia public sector CRM consultants working with a broad cross-section
of UK councils
Managing fire prevention In the latest edition of BAPCO Journal, Tim Vernon from Optevia highlights how inadequate access to data has a direct impact on home safety and argues for better data-sharing across fire prevention and safety teams. BAPCO Journal, August 2009
Data-sharing across fire prevention and safety teams in the fire service No software system can provide a panacea for the issues around fire service data management. Yet many issues can be addressed, simply, cost effectively and efficiently, without risky large scale IT implementations. Optevia whitepaper, 07 July 2009
Putting Data to Work: in UK Licensing Organisations
The need for effective licence management has never been stronger. CRM, deployed and customised, can help licensing organisations meet their aims and objectives far more effectively than using spreadsheets and disparate customer applications. Optevia whitepaper, 07 July 2009
Bromley Council aims for citizen self-service When Bromley Council looked at ways of improving customer service, it wanted a solution that simplified operations in its contact centre while meeting the particular requirements of its business processes. 23 March 2009
