The City of Canada Bay in Sydney’s metro area has revolutionised customer request management by combining the web based features of the Technology One EDM-Dataworks with automated workflows.
An extensive review of Council’s business processes had revealed many instances of duplication and double handling. So to improve customer service, processes were streamlined and integrated into an information technology system referred to as ‘Customise Webforms’. As a result, Council has provided its community with constant access to information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Complemented by a comprehensive training program to equip staff with the skills and knowledge of all facets of Council’s operations, the Customise Webforms enable customer service staff to deal with the majority of enquiries received concerning Council’s services, policies and facilities. They now handle and resolve 90 per cent of incoming enquiries at first point of contact and provide the requested information in an average of three minutes, all achieved without manually completing forms.
Two hundred and forty Customise Webforms were created,
each unique to the gamut of enquiries registered by Council. When a request is received by Council, the customer service staff member simply needs to log the call, select the relevant request type and submit the request into the system, which generates the relevant response.
In addition, ‘External Customise Webforms’ were launched on Council’s website in October last year, providing 25 different requests or Customise Webforms available to the public. Residents can now track their own requests to completion through this system.
Similarly, Council has introduced DA Tracking On-Line and Masterview, providing the community with access to information on the progress of their development applications and providing more access to information on planning controls in the City of
Canada Bay.
The Canada Bay model has delivered improved service delivery to the customer, better time management for staff, savings in Council’s administration budget and an integrated information database. The ability to share information and organisational ‘knowledge’ between staff is also key to raising the ability of Council as a whole in providing services to its customers.
A number of other metropolitan Sydney and interstate Councils have now purchased City of Canada Bay Council’s copyright Customise Webforms, associated workflows and training manuals.
For further information contact Pauline Webb, Manager Customer Service, on (02) 9911 6555.
