Issue - meetings

To agree the provision of revenue funding for the delivery of Contact Centre as a Solution (CCaaS)

In 2020 the Council introduced Microsoft Teams telephony to facilitate agile and flexible working. Whilst this was sufficient for most of the workforce, an additional integrated solution was needed to manage calls in the Contact Centre environment. A Contact Centre solution was introduced, using skills-based routing to direct incoming calls to available agents, and to manage calls waiting in queues. That solution is now nearing a break clause in its contract and so the opportunity has been taken to review the market, identifying newer more reliable CCaaS solutions which also enable the introduction of new customer channels (omnichannel).

Options have been considered, including retaining the status quo as well as stopping using a Contact Centre solution. However, both options have a negative impact on customers.

The original Contact Centre solution was funded by a combination of transformation funding and Covid grants. This report seeks CCaaS funding to be built into base budgets in recognition that a cloud-based solution requires ongoing funding on an annual basis.

Decision:

RESOLVED that Cabinet: -

(a) approved the letting of a CCaaS contract; and

(b) agreed to include in the general fund base revenue budget of the Council, from 2024/25 onwards, the £169,000 annual costs of the CCaaS contract.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holders: Customer, Communications and Culture

Transformation and Resources

Reason

CCaaS is a key element of the BCP Contact Centre and fundamental to managing incoming calls. It will also enable BCP to move towards the delivery of the Customer Target Operating Model through the adoption of an omnichannel environment.

Minutes:

The Portfolio Holder for Customer, Communications and Culture presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that in 2020 the Council had introduced Microsoft Teams telephony to facilitate agile and flexible working, and that whilst this was sufficient for most of the workforce, an additional integrated solution was needed to manage calls in the Contact Centre environment.

In relation to this Cabinet was informed that a Contact Centre solution was introduced, using skills-based routing to direct incoming calls to available agents, and to manage calls waiting in queues, and that that solution is now nearing a break clause in its contract and so the opportunity has been taken to review the market, identifying newer more reliable CCaaS solutions which also enable the introduction of new customer channels (omnichannel).

Cabinet was advised that options have been considered, including retaining the status quo as well as stopping using a Contact Centre solution, and that both options would have a negative impact on customers.

Cabinet was informed that the original Contact Centre solution was funded by a combination of transformation funding and Covid grants, and that this report sought CCaaS funding to be built into base budgets in recognition that a cloud-based solution requires ongoing funding on an annual basis.

Members addressed the Cabinet stressing the importance of this system to residents and to enable the council to work more efficiently. Further to this, questions were raised with regards to the inclusion of break clauses and the Portfolio Holder advised that he would confirm this aspect.