Lagan CRM for London borough

According to this news item, CRM solutions provider Lagan Technologies Ltd. representatives recently announced that they have been selection to provide a CRM solution to the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The Frontline CRM solution is to act as front-end interface for existing information systems in Richmond, with the aim of creating a single point of contact for the 174,000 citizens there. Theoretically allowing the answering four-fifths of incoming calls regarding waste, recycling, parks, and trees and planning services at first point of contact, the system is to integrate with Richmond’s existing back-office systems; automation of contact centre business processes used is expected to result.

The current Richmond contact centre receives approximately 600 calls per day. Such upgrades are happening around the UK right now as a result of government regulations, and this town proved no exception. Press material states that the Richmond council, like innumerable others, “recognised that the fundamental objective underlying the recently introduced government legislation and initiatives was to create a better and more efficient service for its citizens and deploying CRM as the key building block would enable a more modernized and streamlined service delivery.”

Lorna Gill, Principal Consultant in the Business Consultancy Unit at Richmond-upon-Thames Borough Council, was quoted on www.publictechnology.net as saying, “It is evident that for the foreseeable future, the preferred method of contact will be via telephone, so we were keen to address this and ensure that our citizens’ experience was improved and standardized across the Council.” With the completion of the first phase of implementation, email integration with Frontline will proceed, in order to provide citizens with 24 / 7 access to information from the contact center.