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.'
