Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) is working with web content management system (CMS) provider Jadu to create a customer centric website to enable citizens to use the latest web technologies to access and interact with council services.
The new website, to be launched later in 2009, is part of the Council's Customer Access Strategy for 2008 - 2011 enabling citizens to contact the Council in the way, time and place that is most convenient to them. The new website will offer the capability for a two-way communication between citizens and the Council with Web 2.0 technologies such as video, Flickr and YouTube sitting at the heart of the Jadu CMS. The new site will also provide effective links to RMBC's partner organisations such as the Police, Primary Care Trusts and local businesses.
We wanted to make the Rotherham Council web site the 'channel of choice' for our customers. Jadu provided a very strong option across all areas - meeting the requirements, quality and price. They quickly gained our confidence that they could deliver the vision we are working towards.
Mark Gannon, Transformation and Strategic Partnerships Manager - Rotherham MBC
"We're delighted to be working with RMBC to create a truly customer-centric website that is built around the citizens rather than the needs of the Council or third parties," says Suraj Kika, CEO of Jadu.
RMBC will be using Jadu CMS for Government and a suite of integrated products including Jadu Galaxies, Jadu XForms Professional, eConsultation and Jadu Intranet to consolidate a number of disparate systems into one Enterprise CMS. For improved availability, business continuity and resilience, RMBC will use a hosted solution that utilises the 'Jadu Enterprise Hosted Software Services' provided through Jadu's partnership with Rackspace.
Web development and implementation is currently underway with RMBC setting up customer panels to involve different customer groups in the design process. Web design will be deliberately 'evolved around the customer' rather than the organisation to maximise customer engagement.
"Jadu's design will provide a fresh approach that is 'non typical and mould breaking'. This will help to meet the needs of the customers who are increasingly aware of what technology can do," adds Mark Gannon, Transformation and Strategic Partnerships Manager for RMBC.
"The Council has ambitious aims to improve the customer experience and promote the benefits of web based services, helped by involving customers themselves in the design phase. Once live, the new CMS will further help the Council to publish new content quickly and easily, unlocking efficiency and productivity savings." says Suraj Kika, CEO of Jadu.
ENDS
About Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC)
RMBC is a Metropolitan District Council in South Yorkshire which has embarked on an exciting transformation programme aimed at delivering excellence in customer service, which includes redeveloping its website to be amongst the best local authority websites in the country.
Rotherham is made up of a diverse and vibrant blend of people, cultures and communities and is well connected to all areas of the country by its proximity to motorway and inter-city rail networks. Rotherham's population is currently 253,400 (2007) and has been increasing steadily over recent years with people attracted to the Borough to enjoy the good quality of life and economic opportunities. The Borough has a rich industrial heritage and over recent years has widened its economic base, attracting investment in areas such as information technology and light engineering.
RMBC's aim is for Rotherham to be a prosperous place with a high quality of life and excellent services which are targeted to local needs.
