The delivery of improved service efficiency and customer responsiveness is a key priority for Wellingborough Council’s mission to make ‘Wellingborough a place to be proud of’. To achieve this, the Council has upgraded its web site to enable customers to raise requests for service on a 24 x7 basis.
The Council had worked with Jadu since 2005 and has upgraded its website platform to the most current version of the CMS - Jadu Clearwater. The upgrade will provide not only provide additional capabilities to manage content and data across multiple channels but also enable Wellingborough Council to better engage with its customers through the social computing capabilities. By providing a more immediate and responsive online service for residents who want to conduct activities such as making an online payment or notifying a change of address, the Council will free up Customer Service Officers to discuss enquiries from those with more detailed enquiries who need to talk face to face or over the phone. This development supports the aim of National Indicator N1 14 directive to create a more convenient and effective interface first time for customers seeking interaction with their council.
To improve services even further Wellingborough is also developing an on-line facility to enable customers to provide feedback and comments that will drive further service improvements. The new web site will also be integrated with the Council's GIS (Geographic Information Systems) so that someone reporting a problem (e.g. fly tipping) can identify an issue accurately on a map. This will enable the council to respond to issues more quickly and effectively.
Our main aim is always to improve the service we provide to the citizens of the Borough, our partners and anyone else who needs to contact us. The recent Access to Services Inspection noted that "It is easy for customers and users to access services through a choice of access channels" and "The Council is also utilising ICT effectively to support and deliver improvements." With this improvement we are showing that our ambition is to move forward even more, making the information we publish as accessible as possible, providing a 24 hour service for customers where we can, with more enhancements planned. In particular, we hope that residents will find it easier and quicker to locate the sections and documents that our research shows us that they most commonly use, whatever their level of expertise.
Our main aim is always to improve the service we provide to the citizens of the Borough, our partners and anyone else who needs to contact us. The recent Access to Services Inspection noted that "It is easy for customers and users to access services through a choice of access channels" and "The Council is also utilising ICT effectively to support and deliver improvements." With this improvement we are showing that our ambition is to move forward even more, making the information we publish as accessible as possible, providing a 24 hour service for customers where we can, with more enhancements planned. In particular, we hope that residents will find it easier and quicker to locate the sections and documents that our research shows us that they most commonly use, whatever their level of expertise.
Councillor Graham Lawman, Borough Council of Wellingborough
The capability to provide a 24 x7 service enabled by the the recent upgrade, will allow customers to interact with the council when and where they want to. The end result will be a more satisfied customer and increased efficiency for the council, with much lower customer interaction costs.
Suraj Kika, CEO of Jadu
About Wellingborough Council
The Borough of Wellingborough is one of seven districts in Northamptonshire. Of the 75,500 people living in the Borough, roughly two thirds live in the town of Wellingborough. The remainder live in 18 surrounding settlements. The population is rising faster than the national average and is predicted to reach 84,500 by 2015. Other towns that are close by include the county town of Northampton, Kettering and Milton Keynes. The numbers of young people within the Borough are showing a gradual increase.
Further information on Wellingborough Council can be found at: www.wellingborough.gov.uk.
