The Scottish Government

Bid number (for EG use)

Lead bidder

Aberdeenshire Council
Charles Armstrong, Director of Finance
Tel: 01224 665409
E-Mail: charles.Armstrong@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Brief description of the aims of the project

This element of the joint bid relates to the fourth and final step. It envisages:-

1. The establishment of a contact centre to handle a range of communication channels.
2. The development of local access points, allowing customers face-to-face access to the services of all partners.

Clear description of what the EFG money would be used to buy

EGF money would therefore be used to:

• Fund a central contact centre (building and ICT infrastructure);
• Develop a generic training programme for customer service advisers; and
• Establish face-to-face contact points in local areas.

Partners to the project likely to commit resources

Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and Moray councils and possibly Grampian Police

Names of other organisations with whom the project has been discussed (to assist the introductions process)

Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and Moray councils and Grampian Police.

Evidence that suggested approach has been deployed successfully elsewhere

Shared CRM is common practice within in the UK, e.g. Cumbria County Council. Integration of CRM into a common ICT platform is a step further.

Are there any restrictions to potential for enlargement of the project (i.e. technology, number of partners etc)

The project could be scaled up to cover, e.g. the entire north of Scotland. Practical barriers to this might arise where other areas have independently developed their own integrated public sector CRM arrangements.

Benefits projected from the project

These shared service delivery models will enhance the citizen experience through the provision of high quality and effective service delivery.

This will facilitate:

• Improvements in all partners' service delivery;
• Sharing of information amongst partners; and
• Shared use of resources including technology, buildings and training.

These benefits arise through the generation of opportunities to redeploy existing staff.

Financial projections:

Total

2004/05

2005/06

2006/07

Contact centre

-

£0.5m

£0.5m

Face-to-face access points

£0.1m

£0.1m

£0.5m

Training

£0.1m

£0.15m

£0.15m

Overall project costs (CRM element)

£0.2m

£0.75m

£1.15m

Benefits

-

£0.25m

£0.25m

Pilot

Not required

Why is EG funding required

Partners cannot find the funding required to create a joint contact centre and associated training, nor to develop a joined up network of face-to-face contact points across the whole NE Scotland

Does this project complement in any way other EG work

This element of the project will build on the work done by the three councils using MGF2/3 money to initiate local CRM projects. It will complement and be closely linked to process improvements being pursued by the partners, including Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen City Council's Continuous Improvement initiatives. It will develop the existing planned joint working and contribute towards joined-up, seamless and shared ways of working into the public sector in the North-East of Scotland.

Is "stage 2 development funding" requested?