As the CEO of Jadu, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the most innovative and forward-thinking public sector organisations in the world, and one of the most exciting trends I’ve seen in recent years is the shift towards a customer-centric approach to digital service delivery. A focus on user needs.
This is something that Birmingham City Council has embraced wholeheartedly, and the results they’ve achieved are truly impressive, including launching a customer strategy that is driven by digital and a huge focus on working with customers. At Birmingham, the entire Jadu Digital Platform from the website to the CRM is managed within Customer Services.
One of the key elements of Birmingham City Council’s digital transformation has been the implementation of Jadu’s Digital Platform, which has enabled them to completely redesign their public-focused digital services. By using Jadu’s low-code, cloud-based platform, Birmingham City Council’s internal teams have been able to redesign services in an agile way, quickly delivering a whole suite of new, customer-focused digital services centred around a new Citizen Account. With a population of 1.14 million people, this account, known as the 'BRUM' account, has been widely adopted by well over 500,000 customers and businesses.
The 'BRUM' account has not only allowed Birmingham City Council to replace its legacy CRM system, but it has also enabled customers to register for access to personalised information, including council tax, benefits as well as housing, and crucially, the ability to track any service requests made to the council. This has enabled Birmingham City Council to deliver seamless digital services, with automation and integration being key to this. The Jadu Integration Hub strategy and toolset have enabled the free flow of data using APIs and other services to help keep customers notified and updated on their cases, thereby preventing failure demand and saving tens of thousands of pounds in operating costs. Download the Birmingham City Council case study to learn more about the ‘BRUM’ account.
The impact of Birmingham City Council's digital transformation has been huge. The council has over two million customer cases being tracked through the BRUM account, and has 2.7 million digital forms, with the top 10 forms accounting for 60% of submissions last year. Additionally, over 1000 forms are published on birmingham.gov.uk using the low-code tools, and there have been 1 million+ submissions per year across all forms. This has led to better customer satisfaction and a reduction in complaints, with channel shift targets, achieved year on year for the last two years across high-demand services.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted which councils could instantly switch to a remote and digital operating model, and those which could not. Local authorities with a digital core were able to seamlessly provide their essential services online with efficiency and take on new responsibilities from the national government with relative ease. In other areas of the country, local government bodies struggled. As the pandemic gripped the UK in 2020, Birmingham City Council saw registrations and demand on its BRUM account grow, with 500,000 city residents having a BRUM account now.
More recently, Wigan Council saved over £100,000 a year in failure demand by delivering integration with a legacy back office system. The system, called ‘Mayrise’ manages Highways assets and jobs for the council's Highways teams. Because of the excellent accessibility of their Jadu Digital Platform, the council just focused on the critical tasks involved in delivering the integration, ensuring the redesigned process was as simple for the user as possible.
Accessibility is a critical aspect of delivering digital services, as it ensures that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and use the services. Automation and integration also play a crucial role in delivering end-to-end digital services, as they streamline processes and improve the overall user experience. By automating repetitive tasks and integrating different systems and platforms, organisations can provide faster, more efficient, and more convenient services to their users.
Furthermore, automation and integration can also help organisations to reduce costs, improve data accuracy, and increase scalability. However, it is important to note that accessibility must be taken into consideration during the automation and integration process to ensure that the services are inclusive and usable for all.
It’s clear that the website is now the CRM for local authorities. By implementing the Jadu Digital Platform, councils can empower their internal teams to redesign services in an agile way, quickly delivering a whole suite of new, customer-focused digital services. This not only improves the customer experience but also saves time and money, enabling councils to be more responsive to their citizens' needs. I’m excited to see what the future holds for local authorities like Birmingham City Council, and I believe that the ‘Website is the CRM’ strategy, is the key to delivering a truly customer-centric digital self-service.
Save the date: the next Jadu Academy is coming to London on July 4th at 30 Euston Square where you can learn more about how the councils such as Birmingham and Wigan adopted the ‘website is the CRM’ strategy.
Last year was filled with opportunities to learn about the latest innovations and chances to network with other senior leaders in local government. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to discover new ways to improve digital service delivery and make a lasting impact on your citizens. Register now and secure your spot!
Not currently working with Jadu and want to enhance digital public services for your community? Book a consultation with our team.