a year in partnership - northgate public...

2014-2015

A Year in Partnership

Northgate Public Services and SDDC Partnership Annual Report 2014 / 2015 32

In one of the fastest-growing areas of the country, South Derbyshire District Council provides services to more than 90,000 people across urban and rural communities. The authority, in a changing economic and social landscape, continuously faces new challenges to deliver innovative services for local people at reduced cost.

In 2010, it chose Northgate Public Services (NPS) as its partner to deliver a £22m, seven-year contract to manage and improve Corporate Services.

Through a shared vision for business transformation, service improvement and efficiency savings, the partnership aims to deliver a series of core commitments.

Introduction

The Partnership is based on delivering these key objectives to the Council and its customers:• Sustain top-quartile performance

• Deliver cashable savings

• Retain and grow additional jobs in South Derbyshire

• Protect employee interests of both the current and future workforce

• Provide resilience in the provision of services

• Invest in continued business improvements

• Retain and improve access to a wide range of skills and competencies

• Ensure medium and long-term stability

• Introduce additional innovation

Core Commitments

Investment in Business

Hub

A £1.9minvestment in ICT to fast

track change and innovation

Top-quartile performance

£0.35mof savings through efficiency reviews of services under

Council control

£0.8mof procurement savings

£0.3mof debt collection

improvements

£2.1mof cashable savings over

the seven-year Partnership

28,410 new benefit claims processed within 18 days and changes

processed within 8 days

109,871 documents processed

through Document Services

Northgate Public Services and SDDC Partnership Annual Report 2014 / 2015 5Northgate Public Services and SDDC Partnership Annual Report 2014 / 20154

“Over the last five years our Partnership with Northgate Public Services has given us the opportunity to evolve and shape the future of our services. We have grown and adapted to challenges along the way. Our focus continues to be about doing more for less and delivering innovative and efficient services for the residents of South Derbyshire.”

Frank McArdle, Chief Executive, South Derbyshire District Council

“We have continued to build on the strong foundations of our Partnership. Collaborating and sharing knowledge has enabled us to transform services for residents and staff. Our ambition is to continue adapting and improving throughout the Partnership.”

Dave Meaden, Chief Executive, Northgate Public Services

98.07% revenues collection rate compared to 97.3% target

Our Partnership has grown and developed significantly. Each year this report summarises our achievements. Here is a round-up of some of the key statistics and highlights from 2014/15.

Year at a glance

382,544 website hits, with 50.5% return visitors, 46% of

visits from mobile phones and more than

1,000,000 page views, demonstrating the importance

of a robust Channel Shift Strategy. £180ksavings identified in

2014-15via Procurement

Payment machines launched,

with

1,224payments processed

in the first four weeks

360 feedback introduced

in Partnership with the Council and external

facilitator Penna

New Intranet launched in March 2015

reducing documents from 600 to 250 to improve quality.

6apprentices have been employed in full time roles

7Northgate Public Services and SDDC Partnership Annual Report 2014 / 20156

An increase in call volumes, coupled with more complex benefits enquiries and the continued desire to make efficiency savings, has ramped up the pressure in Customer Services. As a result, our focus has evolved from enhancing internal processes to making life easier for customers and ensuring they are getting the right messages at the right time in the right way.

We have used the NPS Digital Analytics Platform (DAP) to identify key trends in customer contact in order to deliver a wide-reaching Channel Shift Strategy. This data suite and analysis offers unique customer insight and key demographic information to enable targeted campaigns and business improvements.

In the second half of 2014, Customer Services staff handled, on average, between 6,000 and 7,000 face-to-face contacts each month, with a handling time of seven minutes per customer. With face-to-face transactions costing £8.62 versus 17p for web transactions, the case to go digital is compelling.

Channel shift is not simply about calls and enquiries; it’s also about helping residents to help themselves. In our most recent customer survey, 66% of customers said they would be willing to both contact us and perform transactions online or via mobile phone. On the back of this, NPS is introducing a ground-breaking smartphone mobile app for reporting environmental issues, such as fly-tipping, graffiti and dog fouling. This bespoke app, designed by the NPS Innovation Factory, has been shaped by the Council’s requirements with expert guidance from the Communications Team.

NPS has also supported the Council to embrace innovation by creating an animated recycling video to encourage the digital demographic to do their bit for the environment. The aim is to start one big conversation about recycling, allowing people to share best practice as well as hints and tips. This will further alleviate the demand on the contact centre.

NPS has specifically recruited Communications specialists with channel shift skills to ensure they can support the demand for digital. The team has facilitated Social Media Breakfast sessions with Council Officers and Elected Members to boost the Council’s social media presence, increasing Twitter Followers to more than 5,400 and Facebook Likes to more than 3,000.

As we look to the future, ensuring the website is fit for purpose is a pressing concern. To date we have enhanced the home page to signpost customers to areas of high demand, including Benefits, Council Tax and online payments. The next stage is to work with the Council to review the site and build a better online platform.

Channel-shifting customers

“One of the key aims of our Channel Shift campaign is to encourage customers to get online, not in line. The team is developing a strong brand identity which will continue to be used as new changes and enhancements are introduced.”

Keith Bull, Head of Communications

17pper

online transaction

£8.62 per

face-to-face transaction

66%of customers asked saidthey’d be willing to do

more online

8

The improvement of the customer experience was at the heart of a decision to introduce two state-of-the-art payment machines. They went live in September 2015, marking an important step in the journey to educate customers about self-service as part of our Channel Shift Strategy. By giving customers confidence in new technology the aim is to increase their propensity to carry out more transactions online. We’re also demonstrating to customers that they can save time by using the machines or online payment methods. After all, why queue when there are better things to see and do?

The Council processed 24,882 face-to-face payments in 2014-15. With the introduction of the Welfare Reform Act and further predicted population growth, enquiries have become more complex and time-consuming for advisors.

What the payment machines are doing, in essence, is freeing up additional time for Customer Services staff to spend more time dealing with those customers who need more support.

The payment machines offer a direct route for making payments for all Council services including council tax, licensing fees, planning fees and housing rent. Customers can pay by card and cash and the experience, similar to that of an ATM machine, is quick and efficient. Payments can be processed in less than a minute - reducing waiting times by up to an hour at peak times.

Customers simply follow the on-screen instructions to complete their transaction. It’s a quick and easy process for cash-paying customers to use and, most importantly, it alleviates long waiting times. Since going live 100% of customers have made cash payments using the payment machines.

In order to help customers familiarise themselves with the new technology and to instil confidence, we have a team of Modern Apprentices on hand to guide and support when needed.

The introduction of payment machines is the first of many improvements for the customer. As traditional payment methods such as cheques become outmoded, we need to offer quicker and cheaper alternatives such as online payments. The next phase is introducing self-service for making a benefit claim.

The customer experience Payment machines

“Introducing the Payment Machines is a step forward in allowing customers to self-serve. They also have the added comfort of someone being on hand if needed. Improving the customer experience is really important to us and reducing waiting times is a positive move.”

Angela Leese, Customer Services Manager.

2 payment machines installed

52 secondsto process payments

100%of cash payments via the

payment machines



Improving internal communication, updating outdated technology and enhancing the user experience were all key factors for overhauling the Council’s intranet.Tired. Outdated. Dysfunctional. These are just a few of the words thrown back from user surveys and workshops about the old intranet site. In a nutshell, it was no longer fit for purpose.

The existing site was created over six years ago on open source software. Due to a lack of regular system updates and upgrades, the software was no longer suitable.

Armed with this information, the Communications Team took action. With antiquated search functions, duplicated and old documents coupled with low staff engagement, the old intranet site needed a major overhaul.

The project took six months overall to deliver. This included everything from researching best practice and devising a project plan through to appointing a supplier and developing the design.

NPS provided in-depth user training to a team of dedicated ‘super users’ to allow them to manage content autonomously. Documents were reviewed, revised and reduced from 600 to 250, with new templates introduced to offer greater consistency.

The site features a new prominent search bar function and a tile-based main menu feature to provide easy navigation. The handy new StayConnected section helps staff to keep up-to-date with latest news, blogs, social media and the internal staff magazine.

Feedback from staff has been extremely positive, with no issues after launch. With a sturdy foundation in place, the Intranet now has the potential to go from strength to strength. Next steps include augmenting the StayConnected section, improving the rolling news feed and adding more collaborative elements.

Developing the Intranet

The aim was to design and build a site that:

• Improved the user experience for staff

• Offered a better structure and governance for sharing documents and content

• Provided a mobile responsive site to future-proof the intranet

• Used modern design and branding to reflect the Council’s brand guidelines

• Was easy to administer, add content and manage

• Added functionality including self-service features for staff

• Featured an improved search function to enable quick and easy document viewing

• Became a platform for future development and enhancement.

“The new intranet is great. I’m one of the trained ‘super users’ so I’ve been involved in the project from the start. It’s given us a better platform to share documents, news and celebrate staff success. I’m looking forward to the next stage.”

Ray Keech, Client Services Manager

15,190 visits

between June – August 2015

£3k Saving

on intranet implementation

4mins 16 secondsaverage time spent on

site per visit


The results speak for themselves. Workloads have reduced from 4,000 documents to 300. New claims and change in circumstance processing sit comfortably within targets.

The team continues to take a proactive approach to legislative changes and has been preparing and training for the ongoing roll-out of Universal Credit and the Welfare Reform 2013 Act.

In addition, the Fraud Error Reduction Incentive Scheme rewards and reminds customers to inform the authority about any changes to their circumstances. This developing campaign aims to improve accuracy and reduce fraud.

Mission impossible has become mission possible. The public purse is protected, as are the most vulnerable in society. That is the true embodiment of doing more with less.

Revenues and Benefits

“The Revenues and Benefits teams have had another challenging year and I am always impressed by their positive response and innovative thinking. It’s great that as the demands on the Revenues service increase, collection rates continue to rise. Automation has been key for handling the ever-increasing demands upon the Benefits service and I am so very proud of how everyone has risen to the challenge. The Benefit Service has never been in such good shape”

Kim Mason, Client Services Director

The Revenues and Benefits teams have faced unprecedented challenges and competing priorities this year due to legislative and operational process changes. A proactive approach, complemented by expertise and insight, has allowed them to overcome hurdles and further improve the service. South Derbyshire District Council serves more than 41,000 households and, though the population is rapidly expanding, the Revenues team continues to flourish. Even in this time of austerity, figures show a council tax collection rate of £44,888,817 or 98% - well above the target of 97.3%.

This is invaluable for the authority. The more income it can generate, the more it can reinvest to help those most in need.

It is fair to say 2014/15 was another challenging year for the Benefits team as new processes and systems were adopted, all while dealing with an increase in workload.

Stumbling blocks have been turned into stepping stones. In has come ATLAS automation, a new system for processing change in circumstance (CiC) requests. It has seen 75% of records automated within its first six months.

This has been supported further by the introduction of a risk-based verification process for new benefit claims which gives a risk rating and required evidence list for each claim, reducing time spent gathering unnecessary data from claimants.

67.7%of payments are

by Direct Debit

28,410benefit claims/changes

processed

75%of records automated within first six months


NPS has invested £1.9m in major IT projects to transform technology for the Council throughout the Partnership.Things that weren’t previously achievable, due to a lack of finance and resources, have now come to the fore – with staff the main beneficiaries.

As well as the day-to-day management of networks, servers, applications, recovery, security and remote working, the Council has been supported to deliver cost-effective services by using ITIL-aligned processes and industry-leading tools.

These projects demonstrate the team’s ability to take an outdated system and make it fit for purpose to improve system efficiency.

Keen to make improvements, the team has worked to communicate the progress of IT calls to ensure users are informed every step of the way. This has resulted in improved help desk management and quicker IT call processing times.

With the need for speed showing no sign of abating, several exciting possibilities are in the pipeline, including expansion of mobile working, remote working capabilities and self-service. In an ever-changing environment IT Services continues to strive for excellence using modern solutions.

Transforming IT

The team has delivered:

• The replacement of the Citrix system and multi-factor authentication to support and enable remote working for the Council

• Worked with a third party to support the replacement of the corporate Wi-Fi network to improve speed, accessibility and coverage

• Worked with a third party to upgrade the Mitel Telephony system. This included implementing new automation options, increasing choice for customers

• The preparation and implementation of Disaster Recovery processes to reduce the risk of failure and add resilience

• Improvements to systems to ensure Public Services Network compliance

• Upgrades to Windows platforms and servers continue for PSN compliance.“Building on our success from previous years, the team has

continued to deliver more high-profile projects to benefit the Council. Having efficient and cost-effective IT services is more important than ever to help achieve more for less.”

Mark Sabin, ICT Service Delivery Manager

5308IT calls Sep 14-Aug 15

100%of calls resolved within service

level agreement

£1.9minvested inIT projects


The most fundamental aspect of the Partnership is the people. Building effective working relationships and developing talent has been crucial to delivering aims and expectations.In the last five years Northgate Public Services has welcomed 24 apprentices to the Regional Business Hub. The Modern Apprentice Scheme helps young people to grow their personal skills, gain qualifications, build their experience and kick-start their careers.

The support and guidance on offer is second to none. With the support of a mentor and regular skills workshops, the apprentices get to learn in a forward-thinking, dynamic work environment.

Throughout the partnership six apprentices have secured permanent positions at NPS after demonstrating a passion for good customer service, innovative ideas and a commitment for personal development.

“After working in Document Services as an apprentice I secured a permanent role. The opportunities have been excellent and I’ve learned a lot along the way. My latest challenge is to actually manage the programme for the new apprentices. This has been a great learning curve and I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved.” Hannah Mansfield, Support Services Assistant.

While NPS takes care of its own, it also looks after the welfare of Council employees via the HR team.

The team, which boasts staff on and off site, has supported the Council through a range of transformation and change programmes. These programmes have led to both improved services for the community and cost savings for the Council.

NPS has introduced a different model of service delivery throughout the course of the Partnership which has helped achieve more for less. This model has given the Client access to a range of extra resources, strengthened the capacity of the team and provided a more resilient service.

Recognising the power of constructive feedback, a 360 degree Leadership and Development programme for the Council’s senior leadership team was introduced in partnership with industry specialists Penna. This offers peer-to-peer recognition as well as personal development opportunities.

Highlights from this year have included external recognition and accreditation. With NPS support the Council achieved Investors in People reaccreditation, showing its strong credentials in people management. The Council also won the prestigious RoSPA Gold Award for the fifth year running, an official acknowledgement of its excellent occupational health and safety management.

As the old adage goes, look after your staff and the rest will follow. This ethos has been key in helping the Partnership achieve transformation and results.

People and Growth

6 Apprentices offered

permanent roles

28 Jobs created

24 Apprentices joined since

2010.

“It’s all about the people. This has always been our mission and continues throughout the Partnership. We’ve used our technical expertise to support both organisations, especially with the continuous improvement of MyView. We’re proud to see our apprentices excel as they take a proactive approach to developing their skills and learning about the business.”

David Clamp, Head of Organisational Development


Northgate Public Services is committed to delivering £0.8m of procurement savings over the seven-year partnership. Our Procurement Team is at the heart of achieving savings for the Council by providing a rigorous procurement service, challenging expenditure and focusing on getting more for less.Using an e-Contract Management System (e-CMS), the team manages contract lifecycles from sourcing suppliers and tendering to contract exit and renewal. This 24/7 platform makes the contracting process much easier and more accessible.

The e-CMS is an online portal that allows suppliers to submit offers into the secure site. This can be modified and amended until the closing date. Once the closing date has passed the offers can then be viewed by Procurement. The submissions cannot be modified after the closing date, ensuring a robust, secure and auditable process. To date, 11 procurement exercises have taken place using the new e-CMS. The value of these exercises varies from £20,000 up to multi-million pound new-build projects for the Council.

The team offers expert advice, best practice and support to the Council for all its procurement needs to help ensure compliance with both internal governance requirements and the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

The Procurement team has proposed £339K in cashable savings to the Council over the course of the Partnership. In the last year total cost reductions totalled £180,000, resulting in improved value for money.

Savings come in many shapes and forms. The team reduced the costs of gully cleaning by £34,000 by carrying out an open tender process

for the Council. Similarly, by changing mobile phone provider the Council’s annual running costs are expected to reduce by more than £20,000 per year.

One of the biggest successes was achieved by supporting the Council and their appointed developers to reduce costs of two new-build projects. By taking a more pragmatic approach to risk management and construction methods costs were reduced by more than £80,000.

As the Council looks to cut costs not services, every penny counts. It’s not about the cheapest option, but the best option, one that encompasses quality and care. This ensures the proper arrangements are in place to secure economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

Savings and Investment

£34k – reduced costs for

Gully Cleaning

11procurement exercises completed on e-CMS

£180kprocurement savings

identified during 2014/15

“Ultimately our goal is to help the Council achieve more for less. The introduction of our e-Contract Management System has helped us improve the tendering process. The new system is more efficient as its automation reduces time spent on manual tasks. It also ensures robust governance of the process and improved security.”

Kevin Coxon, Head of Procurement

Launch of

ePod online post system

Delivering top-class services, efficiency savings and investment in new technology have always been important elements of our Partnership. However, for us ‘it’s all about the people’ - this continues to be our driving force. Our dedicated, ambitious and resilient colleagues have overcome challenges, embraced change and utilised what they’ve learned along the way.As our Partnership celebrates its fifth year, it seems only natural to reflect on our achievements at this milestone. Despite increased pressures on services, our work continues to go from strength to strength.

This page showcases some of the key achievements of the Partnership so far.

Celebrating five years

Channel Shift Strategy encouraging self-service and online payments for residents£399k

savings identified through contracts tendered and £180K savings delivered with

Value for Money in mind

Replacement of IT infrastructure

providing state-of-the-art technology

Introduction of

‘MyView’ an online HR self-service system

Launch of e-Contract

Management System (eCMS)

Launch ofself-service payment machines

Development of disaster recovery strategy and off-site

capability

Direct Debit increases to

67.7%from 59.22% in Aug 2010

Investors in People Accreditation for

five yearsRoSPA Gold

for five years

New SDDC intranet

launched for all staff

Launch of e-committees

for Elected Members and introduction

of iPads

24 Apprentices recruited

360 feedback

introduced with Council and partners

New procurement framework launched

for New Build Housing

Introduction of Northgate Public Services

Digital Analytics Platform for customer insight

Northgate Public Services and SDDC Partnership Annual Report 2014 / 2015 21Northgate Public Services and SDDC Partnership Annual Report 2014 / 201520

About Us Northgate Public Services is a software and outsourcing company with extensive experience in the public sector. We help to rethink public services, build seamless connections and put vital information in the hands of those who need it.

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