Why OneVale?
OneVale will radically alter the way we work and do business as
a Council. But some of you may have been wondering why we need to
make such ambitious changes.
Below are the main reasons that underpin the OneVale
programme.
Improve customer service
We are committed to improving our customers' experience to
ensure that they receive the high standard of service they
deserve.
The OneVale Contact Centre and One Stop Shops will ultimately
provide a single point of contact for all our services regardless
of how our customers wish to contact us, e.g. by phone, fax,
letter, email or in person. Many enquiries will be able to be
resolved straightaway by Contact Centre/One Stop Shop staff.
Only the more complicated enquiries will need to be dealt with
by colleagues in the "back office", which means customers will not
be subject to the "pillar to post" experience which is sometimes
the case now.
Also, the Contact Centre will log all queries so that next time
a customer calls, we can offer any aftercare that might be required
and start to build up a better rapport with our residents.
Free up time to do the job
Many staff spend a lot of time dealing with basic customer
enquiries rather than carrying out core tasks and duties. The time
we spend dealing with these queries often means we don't have
enough time to do the core job.
The introduction of the OneVale Contact Centre/One Stop Shops
will mean that, ultimately, all but the most complicated enquiries
will be dealt with by Contact Centre staff, releasing the time
staff currently spend on customer enquiries, requests for service
and the paperwork that goes with them.
This means that we should have more time to spend on delivering
quality services and improving our performance as a Council, which
has benefits for us as an organisation, for our employees in terms
of job satisfaction - and for you, the customer.
Simplify our systems to avoid duplication and waste
Here at the Council we all store information in different ways
and in different places. Similarly, we all have different methods
for buying goods and services, which are often not the most cost
effective.
The OneVale programme is not just about the setting up of a
Contact Centre. It is also about looking at the way we work, buy
products and services and store and share our information. There
will an emphasis on joined-up service delivery and the sharing of
information between service areas. The Council will seek to provide
services and process information with regard to the rights of its
citizens and for their benefit.
If we can eliminate waste, duplication and unnecessary
expenditure, it will not only save us money, it will make all our
lives easier.
Save money to reinvest in quality services
Everyone knows and understands that resources are not plentiful
in local government.
By eliminating waste and duplication, improving our procurement
practices so that we always get the best deal and improving the
efficiency of our processes, we will save time and money which we
can reinvest in our services.
Business Case
OneVale is underpinned by a viable financial Business Case. The
Business Case was developed by the Council and outlines all
predicted costs to the programme with initial start up costs in the
first five years. This includes the major purchases for the
hardware and software (Oracle). The Business Case looks at the
financial impact and affordability of the OneVale programme over
the coming 10 years. However, the broader business justification
for the programme is presented at a summary level drawing on
existing recommendations for change that have already been agreed.
A copy of the Business Case can be accessed below.
Read the
OneVale Business Case (PDF)