Channel-Shift 2014: A Year in Review

With the UK's central government continuing with a firm policy of cuts to reduce the deficit, local authorities have remained amongst the hardest hit.

Juggling an increasingly stringent supply from Westminster with rising expectation levels from residents has left British councils, for the forseeable future at least, up against it in their efforts to maintain the status quo - with the situation not made any easier now a further round of austerity measures are predicted for 2015.

Late 2013 saw Lancashire county council reveal just how tough the job was. With demands to see £176 million saved over three years and increase of no more than 2% in council tax, Lancashire opened up a forecast calculator to the public - handing them the reins on where they thought the money should and shouldn't be spent between 2015-18.

The resource revealed the myriad of issues that arose with the smallest change to budgets, serving a sobering insight into the obstacles that councils are facing everyday in light of big changes to their spending. Issues which are inevitable if council's fail to adapt to the conditions they now find themselves in.

Open policy & adaptation

But it's not all doom and gloom. Many authorities are in fact demonstrating a propensity for adaptation.

As with Lancashire many councils have become more familiar with and eager to take on their new environments, approaching them with a 'working out loud' policy that brings transparency and an openness to new ideas.

Chesterfield were among those that joined this movement, releasing a 'Channel Shift Action Plan' for 2015-17. The report highlighted the need to act promptly with 3.5 million in cuts hitting the council during the lifetime of the report.

Research from Socitm was also highlighted in the report, demonstrating the overall value of channel-shift as truly significant, with face to face (£7.40) and phone transactions (£2.90) falling dramatically with online processing (£0.32).

2014 sees over half now planning for channel-shift

Necessity as they say is the mother of invention and in the lives of public sector organisation 2014 was unquestionably the year that saw the biggest adoption of new and innovative methodologies - particularly in the mindsets of central and local government where digital by default became a synonymous term with the landscape of future practices.

A survey which asked the question "Has your organisation adopted a Channel Shift strategy" revealed this most explicitly, with an increasing number of respondents indicating a strategy was in place, rising from 39% in 2013 to 58% in 2014. With such a dramatic rise in strategic thinking and implementation around channel shift, its clear local government places a much greater emphasis on online conversion as a factor for sustainability and growth, both for the immediate and long term future of operations.

Local gov cited over half of senior executives questioned planned to send as much 74% of services online - with mobile web outlined as a big player in forecasted savings.

The total sum that culminated from the report amounted a 670 million annual saving nationwide on 2015's reduced budgets, where channel shift was implemented - and it's fair to say given the evidence of 2014 that the UK is well on its way towards realising that figure.

Tips for 2015

Some hurdles do still exist, we'll discuss those in our '6 Ways to Ensure Effective Channel Shift in 2015' in the New Year, but the marker for success amidst a bleak financial playing field is now firmly set in the channel shift camp.

So here's to another good year, and with some of our handy tips to help you plan for channel shift effectively, we're sure 2015 is going to be even better.

Zipporah drives change in the international arena with big client wins

Zipporah's solutions are proving a big hit on the international stage, sealing a successive run of orders from clients Down Under.

Not for the first time, Zipporah has been displaying it's international appeal cross continents and this time it's in Australia. And whilst the region isn't exactly new territory for Zipporah, quite familiar in fact with orders beginning in 2012, it has become an increasingly important model of Zipporah's successful overseas strategy and a testament to its international growth.

Recent months and especially the last year have seen significant progress made with a number of new and exciting opportunities turned into orders, bringing an increasing volume of Australian authorities into Zipporah's client network.

Port Adelaide Enfield sits among this influx of new clients, with credit owed to Zipporah's Australian distributor Icon Software, who partnered with Zipporah to win the contract.

Further orders came independently to Zipporah, among them Pittwater and Hawkesbury who, in their bids to help tackle an array of procedural curve balls they encounter each day, both recognised Zipporah's solutions as ideal resources to help them achieve their goals moving forward.

Joshua Hurford, Regional Account Manager explained "Over the last few years, Australia has shown a lot of growth in terms of technology within the workplace. The public sector is starting to invest more of its energy into new ideas and with that comes new approaches to how tasks are performed. solutions that generate an increase in revenue whilst reducing costs, and that's why we've seen such success lately, since we're able to meet offer long-term solutions that will increase workplace efficiency and create those important savings.”

Technical Director Scott Burton commented, "We're constantly working towards making Zipporah a company that's as available and effective in the international market as it is here in the UK. We're very pleased that we're being recognised in the Australian market, and we are very much looking forward to working with our new and existing clients on these new systems."

With a big projection of international growth expected again in the New Year, Zipporah are showing no sign of letting up in their efforts to help more and more local authorities achieve new efficiencies and measurable savings.

To find out how Zipporah could help your organisation, contact sales@zipporah.co.uk or call +44 (0) 2920 647048

For more information on this article contact: Ioan Davies, Marketing Executive, Zipporah Ltd 02920 647048, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Tis the season to be jogging

"A flurry of activity rippled though the crowd, which by now was a sea of red, green and white. Mutterings among Elves and Snowmen of 'He's here' spread like wildfire until all eyes were turned and fixed with anticipation on the figure that was now emerging from the Winter's fog.

The dark silhouette, which had been mysterious at first, slowly crept into view, revealing a familiar face. Dressed in red, with white fur trim, a black belt and a grey bushy beard, it was none other than Old Saint Nick who approached, and today as with years gone by, he had but one job to complete..."

It was a scene you would be forgiven for attributing to the North Pole this December as Santa Clause readies himself to climb down countless chimneys delivering presents to everyone on his 'Nice List'... Except you would be wrong to do so.

No, in fact, it was a scene that unfolded between Zipporah staff as they waited in their festive attire for Technical Director Scott Burton (dressed as Santa Claus) to make his appearance at the annual 'Santa Dash' for charity Welsh Hearts in Cardiff Bay.

Not ones to turn down a challenge, the group of 8 Zipporah staff (pictured above) were descended on Roald Dahl pass, joining 400 runners in making a 5k dash across Cardiff Bay in support of the diligent work undertaken by Welsh Hearts.

One of a number of events staged throughout the year by the Welsh charity, the Dash has become, with its family friendly appeal, an important event in raising awareness of heart disease in Wales, its impact and what measures can be implemented reduce the effect it has on the Welsh population.

Among the charity's goals going forward is one to see a defibrillator next to every fire extinguisher in Wales - an already pivotal emergency point in most buildings.

In Wales last year approximately 8,000 sudden cardiac arrests occurred outside of hospital. Reports tell us that only 3% of that number will survive. A shocking statistic. Particularly when quick access to a defibrillator increases the chance of survival to 47%. And it's this statistic that prompted Welsh Hearts to act.

It's hoped introducing more defibrillators will help to bring the fatality rate down significantly, and so events and support like the Santa Dash help to play a big part in achieving better healthcare for cardiac patients in Wales.

And so the gauntlet was laid down, and the question asked 'How could Zipporah do its bit to help Welsh Hearts?'

The run began shortly before midday, starting amidst gales and Arctic winds. But spurred on by fever pitch cries from onlooking supporters the runners not to be discouraged by the Welsh weather set off in their droves. Testing the metal of even the most ardent running enthusiast, the Bay's barrage left participants at the mercy of the elements.

But perseverance won the day and before the rain could set in, not that it would have done much to dampen spirits, each Zipporah runner was there and back again and over the line with a respectable time.

A good run out for Zipporah, and a chance to give back to the Welsh community.

Latest announcements from Welsh Hearts indicate 130 defibrillators have been donated as part of their latest campaign, finding homes among Wales' rural communities, work places and schools. The Santa Dash has gone someway towards increasing this number, and its safe to say Zipporah will be back again next year to continue backing the team at Welsh Hearts, albeit hoping for sunshine and a larger set of lungs!

To find out more about Welsh Hearts or to donate, visit www.welshhearts.org

For more information on this article contact: Ioan Davies, Marketing Executive, Zipporah Ltd 02920 647048, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Zipporah helps youth rugby ‘tackle’ new era

As the 2014/15 rugby season begins, local Welsh youth team looks set to make an impact with new club sponsor Zipporah paving the way for a brighter future.

At last the rugby season is here and for Loughor towns Under 9’s the season opener against Swansea Uplands was a day of special significance, as the team prepared for a period of transition in more ways than one.

Faced with the evolution from tag to contact rugby, Lougher’s young starlets met the challenge with excitement and, thanks to Zipporah, with a great new look.

Dressed in their new kits and with team morale at an all-time high after a recent trip to Butlin’s, Lougher’s up and coming ‘Blues’ entered the fray full of confidence demonstrating fearlessness in the tackle and quick hands on the attack.

Clearly unfazed by the high standards set in the previous season, the boys manufactured some impressive plays – much to the delight of their 3 on-looking coaches.

Cheered on by a crowd of parents – the boys rallied at half time to put on an improved second half display, and despite not doing enough to seal the win, their display of courage and adaptability was enough to send shockwaves through Lougher’s adult teams, as one senior player commented.

“Did you see those boys out there today!? They were great! It might be time to hang up my boots if that’s the kind of talent coming through the ranks”.

Clearly in high spirits after a fine display, the Lougher camp shared their thoughts on the team’s new affiliation with Zipporah, with coach Paul explaining

“The kit has breathed new life into a kitbag that was starting to look a bit stale. A number of the boys were using kits that didn’t fit them, with quite a few in pretty poor condition. The new kit on the other hand looks great, and with each tailored to the individual player they should last for quite a few seasons. And of course now, we have available funds to invest into a new training area – which will benefit local schools, colleges and the wider community – not just Lougher RFC”.

Keen fan and supporter Lucy rallied with the boys parents to send Zipporah this message

“We are so thankful to Scott and the team from Zipporah for investing in our children and giving them this boost as they start their contact rugby journey. The season has only just started and will last 8-9 months so the kit will get plenty of use this year alone – we are confident that the children’s ability will develop considerably over this season as they become more and more confident with the contact rugby game and we hope this season will be our most successful.”.

To keep up to date with Lougher Under 9’s weekly scores – just follow us on twitter @SBZipporah

For more information on this article contact:

Ioan Davies, Marketing Executive, Zipporah Ltd       02920 647048, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Welsh Assembly Member Eluned Parrott welcomes new era for Zipporah

At its new office unveiling in Wentloog, Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Eluned Parrott, pays tribute to the work done by government software supplier Zipporah in providing cost saving solutions to government and a boost to Welsh economy.

 

Located a short drive from Cardiff’s city centre in Wentloog, Capital Business Park played host to September celebrations as Zipporah marked the official opening of its new home with the welcome support from Eluned Parrott, Liberal Democrat AM.

The day saw Eluned join the Welsh Business, first meeting with Directors Scott Burton and Emma Powell to discuss the company’s recent growth and investment into new markets.

Scott Burton shared his thoughts on the meeting, commenting

“When we heard that Eluned would be joining us, we were thrilled. This was a big day for us and to have the support of the Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Business was a big positive. Eluned demonstrated a real awareness of the issues facing Welsh businesses. It gives me a lot of personal comfort to know that we’re being represented within government by informed and concerned politicians such as Eluned”

Emma Powell joined her Co-Director, adding

“Eluned is exactly the sort of personality that Welsh business needs and can draw a lot of support from. One of the primary topics we spent some time talking about was the promise and importance of recruiting graduate level candidates with the clear skills, who perhaps were struggling to make that first leap onto the career ladder. With Cardiff such a popular student destination, it’s encouraging to hear a political voice that wants to retain those numbers to settle graduates into working life here. That’s an important step if Wales is to grow in the future”.

A tour of its new work environment drew praise from Eluned, hailing the surroundings as a sign that the business was investing well to get the most out of its operations.

“It is a real pleasure to see a business planning carefully for sustainable growth right here in Wales. The new offices give Zipporah room to breath and grow as a business, and I'm sure will be the perfect launchpad for the next stage in their development as a company. The talent and ability of the staff are a business's number one asset, and investing in a positive working environment, alongside their commitment to training and professional development, demonstrates the extent to which Zipporah values their team."

With rallied conclusions, and with proceedings moving on to main agenda for the day, one task remained, the cutting of the ribbon - to which Eluned took on proud ownership, declaring the site officially open.

Congratulating the company on its success, Eluned helped to sign off the day saying

“I'd like to congratulate the staff and management of Zipporah on their success as a company, and wish them the very best in their new home.  Innovative, knowledge-led companies such as this are a huge asset to our economy, taking Welsh expertise and Welsh talent to the World. I shall watch them grow and develop with great interest in the future."

Emma Powell closed with her thoughts.

“Everyone associated with Zipporah Ltd would like to thank Eluned for visiting us and seeing for herself how our commitment to continuous innovation has helped us go from strength to strength. Eluned’s contribution towards this memorable day was greatly received among our team. There’s a definite buzz about the place that we’re glad Eluned could be a part of”

For more information on this article contact:

Ioan Davies, Marketing Executive, Zipporah Ltd       02920 647048, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Moving towards future growth

With the last of the removal vans and cardboard boxes dispatched, Zipporah takes time to reflect on a transition which has left an air of excitement about the place.

Last year saw Zipporah enter its second decade of business, and like so many successful technology startups it’s grown in more ways than one.

With a bigger workforce, with more experience and with an increasing number of clients requesting its systems, Zipporah felt adapting its working environment to match this growth was the next big step for its exciting business model. With initial steps including viewings of a number of properties, Zipporah encountered a number of enticing work spaces, however it was Capital Business Park's office suites that provided the most complete and comprehensive solution, catering for both the present and the future plans that Zipporah are looking to unveil.

Discussing the vision

Scott Burton, Technical Director, discussed his thoughts around the project saying “We’ve moved on as a business from where we were in 2003, and so has our demands on the workplace. On top of that businesses are recognizing that people’s approach to the workplace is changing, so we wanted to provide a place of work where our employees could be both productive and relaxed, in an office space that could provide flexible solutions to our fast changing working day and business as a whole. That’s what we found at Capital Business Park in abundance and we’re confident going forward we’re going to see a lot of positives come out of the move”

Emma Powell, joined her Co-Director in celebrating the move, adding “The new space offers up 3 much larger suites than had previously available to our team. It gives us much greater flexibility on a day to day basis, as well as for the future when projected growth is expected to require more space from us”.

A word of thanks

Emma also added that the move would see some challenges, explaining “Of course, whilst we’ve been looking forward to this day for some time, it’s with great sadness that we leave behind the friends we made among neighbouring business and staff at Senghennydd Road. We’d like to thank them for their well wishes and wish them all the very best”.

Set a small distance from Cardiff’s busy Newport Road, Capital Business Park plays host to a plethora of elite businesses across technology, research and retail sectors, and it’s in the midst of this audience that Zipporah are keen to stand out amongst in this new phase of its business development.

If you’d like to visit Zipporah’s new offices and find out more about the move, please visit during regular office hours 9-5pm, asking for Scott Burton / Emma Powell.

For more information on this article contact:

Ioan Davies, Marketing Executive, Zipporah Ltd       02920 647048, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Colchester realises 'room' for huge improvement

Geared up for major improvements to room bookings service, Colchester Council become the latest to opt in for Zipporah's system.

Recent weeks have seen Colchester council put pen to paper on a deal which will see Zipporah's state of the art room booking system integrated into the council's existing intranet.

The move, which came after the council was referred by Zipporah’s partner Goss, has been celebrated as a milestone in improvements to customer service and internal operations as well as an important step taken towards how the council demonstrates its evolution as a whole.

Bringing the client up to speed

The integration, which will see the council deviate away from time consuming manual room bookings to much faster online room bookings, is expected to show a big increase in transaction levels as the system illustrates its capacity to manage high levels of simultaneous transactions without breaking a sweat. This likely eventuality has been underlined as forward thinking and innovative towards maximising the potential of previously quieter revenue streams.

Replacing a system that's been described as complicated and 'hard-to-manage', Zipporah's Jordan Burnell highlighted that the room booking integration will deliver a seamless solution at both front and back-ends, illustrating ease of use, report functionality and a whole host of important features.

Benefitting everyone 

“One of the things the customer will notice is how the system responds to dependency issues they raise at the front-end. That can include anything from booking a double room partition to 'next best solutions' if certain dates or times aren't available. This is something which makes the customer experience that much better, it's much more convenient and informative - which in turn will help to significantly reduce unnecessary phone calls”.

Principal operator, Sheldon Coulthrust, is among those who have suggested that the new system will help the day to day co-ordinating of bookings significantly as it overcomes persistent and serious issues that plagued the new system's predecessor.

The new system which will be implemented within the next 8 weeks is available to demo now, for more information contact Zipporah's Sales department on 02920 647048.

For more information on this article contact:

Ioan Davies, Marketing Executive, Zipporah Ltd       02920 647048, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Online bookings pay dividends for Brighton & Hove

As part of efforts to streamline front-end transactions, Brighton and Hove Council choose Zipporah's online booking integration, achieving staggering results.

The news comes just 2 months since the launch of Zipporah's integrated Booking System at Brighton & Hove's website, a measure brought in to deal with an increasing demand for sport course participation and the resulting high call volumes.

Technical Director at Zipporah Scott Burton told us “The council were keen to get away from difficult offline methods having realised how limited this approach was. The online solution we were able to provide helped our client to take a step back from unnecessary time-consuming tasks where our system was able to perform complex actions without human intervention”.

Big wins across the board

Figures show an estimated 1073 bookings / £20,000+ was taken through the online booking form in the first 9 weeks, with the council reporting that 88.2% of the total bookings taken were completed online directly by the customer. The move not only highlights a significant migration away from offline processes, but also an exceptional figure of bookings taken in any 9 week period for the council.

The popular move among the council's customers, with over 800 new users registered, has been met with equal enthusiasm by members of the council, who have hailed the move as significant in delivering against time management and efficiency targets.

Cost-saving system proves its worth

Statistics reported the cost to the council's department had dropped to a sixth of the original cost per booking by going online. Brighton and Hove also reported that as well as hammering expenditure, the move had also freed up staff the time to deal with issues which they wanted to spend more time addressing.

The integration which can be applied to any payment gateway also brings with it a report tool that carries data to both the NHS and in-house personnel for ongoing health monitoring and operation management.

Jordan Burnell, Account Executive for the project commented, “the value of going online with Zipporah's bookings can't be overstated enough, both customers and councils noted huge improvements to the service, and for the council big savings in time and money”.

For more information on this article contact:

Ioan Davies, Marketing Executive, Zipporah Ltd       02920 647048, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Canterbury ‘waste’ no time, opting for online bookings

Canterbury surges toward online booking overhaul as council look set to capitalise on success of waste system with two more Zipporah systems.

This is the latest development Zipporah, who have become an increasingly popular online service provider to the UK public sector, can announce from its offices in Cardiff, Wales.

The news arrives around the 6^th month anniversary of Zipporah’s launching its online waste booking service with the Kentish council – a process which began after the council decided to make inroads that would help deliver significant improvements to its waste management service.

Overcoming obstacles

One of the key areas of concern to the council was the labour cost to process a booking against the potential online cost - which was significantly less. Realising the potential savings the council took proactive steps to curtail spending by inviting parties to tender.

Applications for the waste bookings contract saw Zipporah alongside competitors put through a rigorous selection process, with Zipporah eventually overcoming opposition on the grounds of flexibility and quality of product.

Bid Manager, Jonathan Stewart, told us “One of the deciding factors was how we were able to demonstrate that our services and processes would be much more efficient than existing methods. We also found favour illustrating our capacity to partner up with Serco, Canterbury’s contracted supplier”.

"Going online with bookings is inevitable once the savings are realised"

The success of the Canterbury’s decision became more been evident as the Zipporah’s system went live, with a reported 70% of the total waste bookings being taken online by July.

Jonathan Stewart commented, “This statistic represents just how quickly our systems are able to illustrate their worth. Going online with bookings is inevitable once the savings are realised, that’s what we’re looking to illustrate.”

With its waste system up and running, Zipporah have been granted the green light on bringing two additional systems to Canterbury, with the council confident that the same booking trends will be observed once implemented. Canterbury’s new systems, which are aimed at tackling the council’s sport / pitches and events bookings, are expected to roll out in the next quarter. 

For more information on this article contact:

Ioan Davies, Marketing Executive, Zipporah Ltd       02920 647048, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Online Appointments put Hammersmith and Fulham Residents in Control

Hammersmith & Fulham Council's Channel Shift strategy

As part of their Channel Shift strategy, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham encourages residents to use an online self-service system to book appointments for certain council services.

The council looked for a best-in-class, easy to use web-based software system. The system needed to allow residents to book appointments via a secure, authenticated user account system directly from the council’s website, and to integrate with payment and financial systems for back-office automation.

Manual Services Take a Back Seat

In the past, council appointments were made using Outlook calendars for Revenue and Benefits. However, planning and concessionary fares departments operated a drop-in service, which made it difficult to know who or how many would drop in at any time.

The Nationality Checking Service used a manual booking process, with officers using a paper diary to book appointments, with paper receipts for payment.

Improved Communication

When an online appointment is made via the booking software, emails or SMS messages are sent automatically to confirm date, time and location details of that appointment, with links to important web pages.

Around 50% of council appointments are now made online by residents. Residents are also able to check-in themselves without the need to wait for or see a member of staff.

‘When a resident checks in via the self-service panel at the council offices, an email is sent to the contact centre system, and the customer is placed in a virtual reception queuing system.', said the Council's John Cordani. 

The council decided to make the system more personal, by using customers’ names when their appointment is assigned to a member of staff.

ZIPPORAH Booking and Scheduling Software

‘The most functionally rich, adaptable and easy to use system was ZIPPORAH’s’, says John. ‘They were experienced in the marketplace, and had their system in use with a number of local authorities.’

The ZIPPORAH booking and scheduling software streamlines the customer’s journey, enables the council offices to manage staff time according to demand, controls and automates queues, and delivers an efficient communication and reporting system.

‘Residents are able to make their own appointments and check-in on arrival,' says John. 'This allows us to better manage time and staffing levels by knowing appointment schedules in advance. The system provides flexibility, where our former drop-in service did not allow it.' 

The Public Sector and Ecommerce: 3 Council Services that Generate Revenue

3 Ways Councils are Generating Revenue with Ecommerce

Last year, Lincolnshire County Council invoiced nearly £1.2 million by channel shifting a proportion of their public sector services online.

In just 6 months, Buckinghamshire County Council invoiced over £4 million by supplying existing services online through their ecommerce transaction engine.

Their simple,streamlined online ecommerce system encourages citizens and customers to view and buy online, while showing all possible services and products side by side engages the ‘impulse buy’ factor.

So, which public sector services can generate revenue through channel shift? 

1. School Transport

UK councils administer school transport for the children living in their districts. Bus passes are assigned to certain children, depending on how far they live from their school.

Sometimes individual schools organise bus passes for their pupils. Sometimes parents have to apply individually.

Either way, it can represent a frustrating process for school administrators or for parents, and a non-essential phone call for council staff to deal with.

Buckinghamshire County Council channel shifted their school transport bookings to the online portal. In the first year, over 2000 online transactions were completed, with payment of £300,000 taken online.

These 2000 transactions would have meant at least 2000 phone calls. 

As collecting payment is much more difficult on the phone, payment may never have been collected for some of these bus passes.

Expenses per transaction would have been higher, revenue would have been lower, and staff would have been tied up with avoidable contact.

2. Schools Traded Services

Schools buy and pay for a variety of council services. IT services, library services, HR and legal resources, school dinners, exercise books, sports coaching, ground maintenance, training courses – all need to be sourced, selected, and paid for.

For these traded services, the customer is the school itself.

A local council can supply all of these services through ecommerce, with costs, information, ratings, and terms and conditions, plus a convenient shopping basket and simple online payment process.

With services delivered conveniently online on a self-service platform, schools are more likely to select a full package of council-delivered services, instead of picking and choosing from a variety of public and private sector services.

By promoting schools traded services online on an efficient ecommerce platform, Buckinghamshire County Council handled 2200 transactions totalling £115,000 in 4 months. 

Lincolnshire County Council dealt with 1500 schools traded services in a year, invoicing over £121,000.

All available services are easy to see online. Schools can view the options, make assessments on budget, and properly “shop” for their services to find packages that suit them.

Councils can apply costing models, respond to online requests for quotation, apply discounts, manage repeat orders, handle multiple bookings, and deal with orders from multiple authorised users from a single school – conveniently and efficiently, with many processes automated.

3. Community History Books and Resources, and County Genealogical Records

Most county councils hold libraries of historical resources and archive services.

Often, the cost for buying or downloading these resources is minimal. The cost of charging for these items can be higher than the value charged, making enforcing payments uneconomical.

Lincolnshire County Council market their library of books, images and archive records on a dedicated ecommerce website – www.lincstothepast.com. All resources are visible and available to buy and pay for online.

By promoting these resources on a great customer-friendly platform, Lincolnshire Council raised over £372,000 (year to date). 

Previously, most were commercially invisible, due to the cost of contact and transactions.

By providing great customer service through online self-delivery, Lincolnshire and Buckinghamshire County Councils have generated revenue through regular public sector services which are traditionally difficult and time consuming to charge for.

Convenience retail stores increase profits by encouraging impulse buys. 

A central ecommerce platform enables public sector organisations to do the same.

"ZIPI enables us to provide an alternative quick and easy way for customers to acquire goods and services as well as reducing manual administration for staff."

Jacki Dann, ICT & Service Transformation, Buckinghamshire County Council.

How can ZIPPORAH help?

ZIPPORAH’s ecommerce engine ZIPI manages the catalogue, selection, shopping basket, invoice, payment and reporting system which drives revenue for both Buckinghamshire and Lincolnshire County Councils.

For information on how a ZIPPORAH ecommerce transaction platform will enable you to generate revenue, and your citizens to choose, buy and pay for public sector services online, please visit http://www.zipporah.co.uk, email sales@zipporah.co.uk, or phone 02920 647048.

Ecommerce and Channel Shift: What's it got to do with the Public Sector? Part 1

As budgets shrink and internet use grows, more public sector organisations are looking to channel shift for a solution.

Online self-service is already old news in the UK - just think of online grocery shopping and holiday bookings.

The private sector has been trading online for years. Now the public sector is starting to realise the benefits of channel shift.

With face to face transactions costing around £8.62 EACH, and phone transactions costing £2.83, the minimal 15p a time cost of digital transactions could just be the answer.

But there's no need to stop there. What if public sector organisations could actually generate revenue through trading their services on the internet?

ZIPPORAH is working hard with public sector organisations to do exactly that.

Lincolnshire County Council generated nearly £1.2 million additional revenue last year through channel shift, without cutting jobs or reducing services. 

Buckinghamshire County Council invoiced over £4 million in its first 6 months trading existing public sector services online.

The secret? ZIPPORAH's ZIPI online transaction engine.

By positioning relevant services on a convenient online platform, and integrating payments and financial systems, these councils have massively increased revenue.

Customers are enjoying better service: 24 hour access 7 days a week means they can search and buy at their convenience, while one-stop customer selection and online payment means faster service.

Public sector employees spend less time on data entry and routine transactions, while essential interactions take priority.

And managers see resources re-allocated to where they are needed most. Win-win.

So, which public sector services work best online? How can the ZIPPORAH ZIPI web-based ecommerce transaction engine generate income for your organisation? Find out in the next ZIPPORAH blog post, or comment to request the full ZIPPORAH White Paper - Ecommerce: What's it got to do with the Public Sector?

Want to know more now? Visit http://www.zipporah.co.uk or call: 02920 647048.

ZIPPORAH Expands to Manage Channel Shift for more Local Authorities

In the last couple of months, Cardiff’s online booking and scheduling software company ZIPPORAH has grown substantially.

7 new members of staff have come on board, to meet increased demand for online software systems from both the public and private sector.

‘Channel shifting - moving everyday services online - is on the agenda for the public sector at the moment. In fact, 94% are expected to switch a proportion of services to the web by 2015’, said Zipporah’s Director Emma Powell. 

‘With our customer list growing quickly, and enquiries increasing day by day, our new employees will play a big part in growing the Zipporah brand’, Emma continued.

The new Sales and Marketing team brings more than 50 years’ sales and marketing experience to Zipporah, while 3 experienced and proactive technical consultants will deliver training, handle queries, and build intelligent booking software which makes complex processes simple.

Solution Consultant Rhiannon Lloyd brings 20 years of solution based sales experience in both public and private sectors.

‘I’ve managed accounts from SME’s to global companies including Harley Davison, Sun Chemical, and Kodak. I’m looking forward to working with ZIPPORAH clients in Wales and the South West, Ireland and Scotland.’

Nick Wood has 20 years of international sales experience, having managed global accounts in Thailand, China, India and South East Asia.

‘I’m looking forward to getting back to rugby and cricket now I’m back in the UK’, said Nick. ‘I’ll be working with our clients in Sussex, Surrey and Kent, the East Midlands, and Yorkshire.’

Rowan Tredree brings over 10 years’ sales and consultation experience with companies including Synergy Health and Molson Coors.

‘I’m concentrating on ZIPPORAH’s Ecommerce Transaction Engine ZIPI, so I’ll be dealing with customers throughout the UK’, said Rowan.

Solution Consultant Josh Hurford previously worked with online lead generation firm Leopard Digital, where his clients included Diners Club International, Creditsafe UK and US, and WISEED.

‘I can’t wait to get to know our customers in Greater London, Central England and Cumbria’, said Josh.

New Marketing Manager Leonie Roberts also has international experience, having lived and worked in Ontario, Canada for 2 years. Leonie has experience in communications and marketing in various industries including software, tourism, and retail.

‘I am really looking forward to creating a new website to showcase ZIPPORAH’s cost saving software solutions, and getting started with a new integrated marketing campaign’, said ZIPPORAH Marketing Manager Leonie Roberts. 

‘ZIPPORAH is an exciting, growing company, creating online registry, booking and scheduling solutions for the issues that public sector organisations are facing right now.’

‘Public sector organisations are facing huge challenges right now. We’re creating unique, customised software which cuts costs, saves time, and maximises efficiency’, said ZIPPORAH’s Technical Director Scott Burton.

Want to know more about ZIPPORAH? Find out how ZIPPORAH can help with your channel shift needs here.

Zipporah to attend #channelshiftcamp Scotland.

Over the last 6 months Zipporah have been looking at opportunities in Scotland where Local Authorities in the country can benefit from the efficiencies that the Zipporah system can offer.  We have visited several authorities and have been excited to see the reactions to what we have to offer and so we are actively embarking on further opportunities to engage with Local Authorities in Scotland.

One such activity is attendance at the forthcoming #channelshiftcamp Scotland “unconference” where we will  be presenting an interesting and unusual panel.  Whilst we don’t want to set our hares racing too early we have a strong feeling that the topic we will discussing in our workshop will offer a different perspective on channel shift, an opportunity for debate and maybe even a touch of controversy!

It’s a fascinating thing to hear of an “unconference” and it is certainly quite different but, we believe, more rewarding for participants and attendees.  The change from awaiting people coming to visit your stand to having an active opportunity to tackle a topic, which will open up value and debate about the way that “online” is used in the Public Sector, is one we are very excited by.  Opening up wider discussions that we often engage with during implementations which are often unrelated to our specific areas of delivery.

If you haven’t already taken a look at attending #channelshiftcamp Scotland then give it a look.  For the first time in a long time its fair to say that in this conference we might all learn something.  We will be continuing to tell you more as we get closer to the event and we look forward to seeing you there.

Jonathan Stewart

Business Development Manager 

Managing Courses & Events with Zipporah

With all the cold weather, rain and winds that have brought flooding and talk of us catching the tail end of America’s ‘Polar Vortex’, it may seem strange that here at Zipporah we’re looking further into this exciting New Year, and to the (not much) warmer times of Spring and Summer.

Why I hear you ask? Just trying to use optimism to get to through the inevitable snow and ice which we’ve become accustomed to at the end of January? Well not exactly… Through the Half Term, Easter and summer holidays, many authorities across the UK will be launching their exciting event programmes, and more than ever will be using Zipporah’s Events Booking Solution to do so.

The Zipporah system has been in use for some time by a number of councils across the UK to handle their courses and events, including Chorley Borough Council to deliver its busy schedule of events within the Get Up and Go programme.

We also work with the London Borough of Hillingdon, who run their extremely popular “FIESTA” programme through the system. This programme has a wide range of activities, for the sporty there are courses in sailing and Brazilian soccer skills whilst the creative can try their hand at fashion designing and photography. For the budding performers there are courses in musical theatre and street dance and for those that fancy trying their hands at their chosen careers they could give motor mechanics or politics a go. Whatever it is, there is something for everyone which can all be booked via the Hillingdon website driven by the Zipporah system.

And with the London Borough of Enfield and Brighton and Hove City Council just two of the more recent authorities to choose Zipporah to help them manage their busy event schedules, why not find out from us in the Business Development Team why our comprehensive system can help your authority out too?

Jordan Burnell
Business Development Executive

What will 2014 hold for Public Sector?

2013 for the local government was particularly tough with the spending review revealing further cuts taking £2billion out of local authority budgets in 2015-16. But despite austerity cuts over the past couple years, the vast majority of councils performed well against tight budgets. So now the pressure on local government is not only to sustain the savings’ levels but to deliver even more efficiency and productivity in 2014. How authorities are going to meet these steep demands and what will New Year bring for public sector?

Digital by default agenda is certainly the way forward to unlock further savings and transform services to benefit citizens and service itself. In 2013 many case studies emerged showing how local councils turned around their services by use of the latest technology. Zipporah itself was involved in deployment of many projects, which resulted in a great deal of savings for all of our clients. Some of these were replacements of existing IT applications, or installations to replace manual systems . As some of the frontline services are leading this change, others are yet to be “digitalised” as such the transformation is likely to accelerate over the coming year, resulting in more services becoming available online directly to public.

The last quarter of 2013 saw also the launch of G-Cloud iv, the latest iteration of the Government’s procurement framework which aims to simplify the way in which public sector procures digital services. This was a highly anticipated milestone for many SMEs including Zipporah, and with CloudStore infrastructure in place we hope to make our solutions more accessible and cost-effective to the local authorities in the UK. For the local authorities an ability to reduce procurement cost coupled with the growing desire to work with SMEs which are seen as agile and flexible means the G-Cloud iv success stories are likely to emerge this year. 

2014 is also likely to bring a breakthrough in the use of mobile and BYOD policies in the local government. Mobile first strategy has been already taken seriously in public sector with the growing number of responsive websites and the increased demand for mobile-friendly applications throughout 2013. BYOD in particularly, has gained many enthusiasts over the past year, but only few authorities have ratified policies validating use of BYOD. This is likely to change in 2014 as the Local Government Association and the Cabinet Office are in continuous dialogue on how BYOD could be utilised to generate savings and boost productivity.

Although the new year will certainly be tougher, with the local elections on the horizon and more budgetary challenges to overcome, 2014 will certainly be an exciting one to watch. Follow our blog closely to stay up to date with the latest news from the world of local government and Zipporah.

Anna Mazur

Marketing Executive