Agenda item

Lynn Egercz, Project Manager, was in attendance for this item)

(1)       The Committee received a report on the procurement of a Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) which would allow the Council to complete ‘end to end’ processes to customers either online, by phone or through face-to-face contact.  Customers had a growing expectation for convenient self-service and CRM is the tool which will deliver this, enabling KCC to become a Digital Council.

(2)       The Chairman reported that some of the financial information contained within the report was exempt from publication and should not be discussed in open session.  The Committee agreed to proceed on that basis and the Corporate Director also confirmed her agreement.

(3)       The Cabinet Member introduced the report stating that it was a comprehensive report on an important subject as to deliver services effectively and efficiently the CRM system was essential.  The savings projected were critical to the Council’s overall targets.

(4)       Mr Crilley spoke to this item.  He reported the following information to the Committee with regards to the implementation of the system:

(i)        The proposal had been to various discussion forums including Corporate Management Team, Budget Programme Board, Procurement Board and the Project Advisory Board and at each stage the proposal had been refined and improved.

(ii)       CRM was a piece of software that would enable the Council to pull together and store all customer data together to form a clear and concise picture.  Without that ability the council could not improve its services to customers further.

(iii)      The system would enable KCC to oversee and analyse those services delivered in house as well as those commissioned out to other organisations, something which would be crucial as the transformation of the Council continued.

(iv)      That much business was now conducted online and users had an expectation that this would be not only possible, but simple.  Some systems currently in use at KCC were not able to provide this level of service as they had become outdated.  In addition many different systems were being run simultaneously across the organisation and there was no one area where all the data could be held centrally.  The Contact Centre currently had to manage 28 systems at any one time that were not integrated.  CRM would sweep away this plethora of different systems and create one unified system and produce one complete record per customer.

(v)       Once authorised CRM would be implemented in summer/autumn 2014.

(5)     In response to comments and questions from Members Mr Crilley confirmed the following information:

(i)        That users of council services would each have a complete record of activity and therefore targeted information could be distributed where appropriate, for example offering additional services.  However members were assured that the information would be appropriate and limited in order not to overwhelm users.  Furthermore, the introduction of such marketing would be gradual.

(ii)       Officers would be mindful that not everyone was able to conduct business online and the response to service users would be tailored to meet what were sometimes multiple and complex needs.  CRM was not intended to depersonalise the service delivered but rather a way of taking people out of the queue who did not need to be in it. 

(iii)      In order that those people for whom the internet was the appropriate way to contact the council could do so quickly and easily, officers were working closely with colleagues on the development of the new website which would be launched in spring/summer 2014.

(6)     In order for the Committee to consider the financial implications of CRM Mr Crilley and Ms Egercz, Project Manager, Customer and Communities spoke to the item and provided the following information:

(i)        There were three key elements that went together to form the funding for the support of the system and these were:

·               Service redesign of existing services that did not currently require the CRM;

·               Contact Point efficiencies, including the reduction of FTEs by provision of services more efficiently and online services; and

·               Channel Shift and future business cases.

(ii)     This was not, as already reported, a request for new funding but instead came from the existing budget

(7)       It was RESOLVED that: the proposed decision of the Cabinet Member to authorise the procurement for the development of a Customer Relationship System be endorsed.