Both North and South Ayrshire councils have adopted Lagan’s enterprise case management (ECM) system. The two councils have taken advantage of the national framework agreement developed by the Improvement Service, in partnership with Scottish local government as part of the National CRM Project, which gives them a 40 per cent discount on the price that individual councils would have paid.
In North Ayrshire, the council intends to use the Lagan system to improve customer service as well as making cost savings. The council’s decision to replace its existing in-house customer enquiry tracking system with Lagan’s ECM is part of their focus on the achievement of outcomes.
John Barrett, assistant chief executive, North Ayrshire Council, said, “Our existing in-house customer enquiry tracking system had several limitations that limited future improvements in customer service. Improving productivity by reducing call handling times and increasing the use of on-line services required integration between our in-house solution, back-office systems and our web site.”
Barrett added, “The Lagan system gives us a more cost-effective approach and means we will be able to enjoy the benefits of collaborative working with a number of Scottish councils and the Improvement Service.”
In South Ayrshire, the council is establishing a new customer contact centre, using the Lagan software to support its 110,000 citizens.
Ian Woodburn, head of customer and community services, South Ayrshire Council, said, “We have committed to making major improvements and we are confident that, with the help of Lagan and the Improvement Service, this can be achieved. Our aim is to not only bring services closer to the customer through a new contact centre and customer service centres across the area, but also to benefit from the efficiencies resulting from re-focused and re-designed services.”
