ICT supports service transformation

Service delivery, customer service, performance management and governance are fundamental themes within local government in South Africa. Within municipalities both politicians and officials are faced with the challenge of a demand for improved customer service while improving efficiency and reducing cost of delivery.

Local government is wisely looking at the contribution ICT can make to transform its service delivery capability. In this pursuit and in line with regulatory requirements, some have invested in call centres as a starting point in the hope that better interaction with the public will result in better service.

However, instead of resolving the issue, simply deploying a call centre often leads to increased frustration, adding an additional layer which has a limited ability to resolve problems. At best, inefficient processes and a lack of integration within these organisations are merely exposed.

These challenges are certainly not unique to South Africa. There are numerous global examples where, in seeking a catalyst for service transformation, councils deployed increasingly sophisticated technology within call centres and other contact centres, and are now realising that nothing short of a comprehensive customer relationship management (CRM) strategy will achieve their objectives. As an international company, Fujitsu can apply the experience and expertise in the development and implementation of these CRM strategies within our municipalities.

A properly developed CRM strategy will form the foundation of the CRM programme, thereby realising continuous value and benefits in each of the four fundamental themes. Over and above the technological requirements of a CRM strategy, the following solution components should typically be included:

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1. Understand each customer facing process and, where necessary, re-engineer existing processes to maximise resolution at the point of first contact.
2. Define integration requirements with back-office systems to ensure real-time availability of information for customer-facing personnel.
3. Select appropriate delivery channels for the customer-facing processes.
4. Define the necessary service levels for these processes.
5. Identify and manage the impact on the organisation associated with the implementation of such a strategy.

Any technology consideration prior to having addressed these five components typically results in a misalignment between technology and the business strategy.

Another global learning curve is that outside of large cities (metros), municipalities typically do not have the capacity to tackle a complex programme of interrelated projects, as the delivery of such programmes involves managing numerous procurement processes with the associated risk of aligning delivery from a network of suppliers. A resulting trend is that municipalities are engaging with a strategic partner for delivery of both the organisational and technological requirements associated with key programmes. Due to its nature, CRM qualifies for such a partnership.