Local Government software developer Civica has launched a new SharePoint platform to provide online portals, enterprise workflow, and integration and CRM capabilities. Contact360 is decribed as a customer contact and transactional platform for councils in Australia and New Zealand.

The platform allows residents to use a wide range of automated communications channels when dealing with the council – from contacting the council via Facebook, to booking and paying for services online. 

Built on Microsoft SharePoint, Contact360 can be fully integrated with Civica Authority as well as third-party software systems, hosted in the cloud or as an on premise installation.

Matt Burgess, Managing Director, Local Government, Civica, said Contact360 provided a comprehensive solution to help local governments transform service delivery.

“Councils need to transform the way services are delivered to meet the changing needs of citizens and consistently deliver improvements and efficiencies, particularly when it comes to citizens’ increasing need and expectation to engage digitally,” Mr Burgess said.

“Tailored public service requirements that meet the needs of all citizens must be effectively captured, delivered and communicated through multiple channels. Civica’s Contact360 is now setting the standard for this new world of public service delivery, and we believe this will be especially relevant in an environment of local authority consolidation.”

Contact360 has a range of features designed to effectively capture, deliver and communicate interactions and requests from customers, employees and partners across a number of channels. These include:

• Capture – A multi-channel solution that effectively captures data and information from all customer and employee interactions across online, social media, call centre and office queries.
• Deliver - Seamless front-to-back office integration ensuring every interaction is processed efficiently and effectively.
• Communicate - Empowering customers with real time updates to reduce avoidable contact. While also providing employees and partners enriched business intelligence for improved decision making.

The Contact360 launch follows a recent study commissioned by Civica, The Changing Landscape for Local Government, which found that councils were increasingly concerned about the way they interacted with citizens.

The study was conducted by the University of Technology Sydney Institute for Public Policy and Governance and included the opinions of 250 council CEOs, Corporate Services Directors and other senior executives from across ANZ. Key findings included:

• 67 per cent of councils agreed that faster provision of information and services would be a priority for residents in the future
• 83 per cent of survey respondents said a mix of communications tools such as Twitter, Facebook, email, phone and printed materials would be mandatory for councils by 2025
• 79 per cent said interactive self-service portals would be increasingly important in interacting with residents

Mr Burgess said residents want the same level of digital service from their council as they receive from other online services such as banking, shopping and travel.

“Local authorities not only need to deliver a future proofed digital strategy but also continue to meet the needs of citizens who still require, or indeed prefer, face-to-face or telephone communication,” Mr Burgess said.

“To fully respond to the digital agenda, local authorities need to go beyond channel shift and deliver a ‘360-degree’ approach to service delivery. Digital transformation that simply moves services online can only partially address these challenges. Contact360 allows government organisations to fully respond to current consumer demands and prepare for future expectations of service delivery.”

For more information visit www.civica.com.au/digital360