A report by the Director of Finance informed Members of the conclusions and recommendations contained within the review of the Customer Relationship Management System (Oracle CRM), carried out by the Society of IT Managers (SOCITM). It primarily concluded that the system was fit for purpose as a corporate CRM solution; it could significantly assist the Council in understanding citizen service requirements.  It was key to managing the relationship between the Council and service users; and could assist in reducing service costs by driving automatic processes that assisted staff in delivering those services or enabling self service via the Internet.

Members noted that to be effective the System must manage service delivery across all delivery channels (One Stop Shops, Call Centre and the internet). The report proposed that, where possible, the system be extended from its current position to manage all service delivery and to maintain a holistic view of services delivered to individuals, which further assisted in the understanding of service users needs. The report concluded that replacement would be difficult, expensive and would severely impact on services being delivered by current users.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)  the existing practice of developing the CRM system to encompass additional areas of service delivery, where a business case has identified that either service improvements or cost saving can be made be supported and the system be extended across as many service areas as practicable;

(2)  the enhancement of the system to provide a holistic view of the facilities provided to each citizen be endorsed;

(3)  the migration to Oracle Release 12 be approved if an investigation into, the application functionality and business benefits, shows that the advantages outlined in the SOCITM report can be delivered; and

(4)  the cost of the upgrade (£100,000) be met from the Efficiency Investment Fund.