Agenda item

The report provides an update on the ongoing implementation of the           Corporate CRM system (Microsoft Dynamics) in Housing Management, an outline of what has been delivered to date, how that is being managed and working, and what remains to be delivered.

Monika Singh (Director of Transformation, Brent Council) introduced the report which provided members with an update on the management and implementation of  the  Corporate  CRM  system  (Microsoft  Dynamics)  as  part  of  the  ongoing

Transformation programme within the Housing Services department. The project, which began in November 2017, had been seeking to address a number of challenges in the current digital environment and create a more efficient, reliable and transparent system for tracking housing related works and enquiries. As part of the process, significant investment had been made to improve the Council’s digital toolkit and in so doing improve the overall customer experience for residents.

The Committee welcomed the report and raised a number of questions on the progress made to date in the subsequent discussion.

Spotlighting on the newly introduced automated Financial Inclusion Casework, members heard that the aim of the casework was to enable tracking of works as well as give opportunity for residents to feedback, with relevant support and training being offered. The casework system was also intended as a vehicle to extract data that was missing the previous environment and quantify financial and social outcomes in order to determine which interventions were of most value to the customers and the Council.

Another improvement which the project was focusing on was the creation of a Customer Portal, providing comprehensive information and self-service tools to residents. Ms Singh stated that the Portal would significantly reduce the number of customers calls to the Council and instead provide them with the necessary online facilities to report problems, share images and make enquiries. The Portal was in advanced stages of the development and was anticipated that alongside the rest of the project, would be completed by July 2019, followed by data integrity checking and events to raise publicity. Official release of the portal to the public was expected between September and December 2019.

Discussions moved on with Members spotlighting on the current issues and inefficiencies around  accessing information.  Officers advised  that  a total of 18 systems existed, which were not centrally coordinated. As a result, accessing information had become a time consuming and cumbersome process, affecting handling times and customer experience. The CRM system would seek to address these problems, by collating all relevant data into one central database, creating a single page profile for each customer and therefore leading to greater efficiency and automation.

Addressing members’ concerns about the accessibility of the new digital platform to customers who may not be au fait with technology, Ms Singh advised that a number of alternative provisions were being considered, including introduction of local hubs and surgeries where residents could get face to face help and support. In addition, customer would be able to rely on improved call-centre functionality, with the new system allowing the council to better target the needs of the residents, meaning that waiting times would be significantly reduced for those customers identified as vulnerable.

Introduction of the CRM would also result in changes to corporate performance monitoring, with a different set of targets to be determined. Current oversight and management of the CRM sat with the Service Improvement team as part of the transition from Housing Transformation but the functionality was still limited. Ms Singh assured the Committee that the system had the potential to supply management with real time information which in turn would provide better insight upon which to plan improvement, enhance service monitoring but also replace the need to use external supplies to provide satisfaction data.

RESOLVED:

      i.        That the contents of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System Management and Usage report be noted

    ii.        That a report on progress and satisfaction of the CRM be provided at an appropriate committee meeting in autumn of 2019 to ensure targets were being met.

   iii.        That a Member Development session be organised upon completion of Customer Portal