Trust is the key to a good managed services relationship for Welwyn Hatfield Council.
Since Digica took over the managed services contract at Welwyn Hatfield Council, the quality of service has always been high. Availability, cost savings and efficiency are just some of the words that Bob Jewell, Chief Resources Officer at Welwyn Hatfield Council, uses to describe the successful partnership between them.
Better service from an experienced Local Government supplier
In July 2000, Welwyn Hatfield Council's IT services contract came up for tender when their IT department realised that they could improve on the service they were receiving. Digica was anxious to prove that it could provide a better service.
For Bob Jewell, size was an important consideration. “Of course we wanted a company that could deliver the right service at the right price – that's what a managed services contract is all about. But one size doesn't fit all, and we felt that a medium sized IT services provider would be a better fit for us.”
Providing a helping hand
Services include desktop and application support; network and data management; as well as more specific requirements such as Digica's Enterprise Management Service, which provides capacity management and a configuration management database. Underpinning all of these services is a helpdesk support function for the 600 officers (council employees).
Officially known as an Interactive Service Centre (ISC), the helpdesk provides a focal point for Digica's work. 85% of problems are resolved locally, rather than remotely, so staff can see what they do and simply regard them as an extension of the in-house IT department.
An innovative mindset
As a result of a customer survey, Digica has developed a new concept called 'floor walking'. Staff walk around the Council's offices two days a month or as agreed and ask people what areas of IT they feel they need advice or training on. This has also provided the additional benefit of cutting down on the number of helpdesk calls. According to Bob Jewell, it's indicative of the innovative way in which Digica approaches the whole IT service philosophy.
“Having an innovative mindset is important to keep the relationship fresh. But more importantly you want to work with someone who has an easygoing and trustful manner. There has to be a lot of give and take on both sides in this type of environment, but you expect results and that's why we have a solid service level agreement underpinning the contract.”
Measuring the success
In fact, Bob and his team take measuring service levels very seriously. The Council has its own Technical User Group (TUG), made up of senior representatives from each department – including housing, benefits and council tax. The group meets each month to discuss the levels of service. The meetings are generally very positive, but it's also an opportunity to air any concerns or problems directly to Digica. According to Carol Ford and her team at Digica, staff satisfaction is good: “We have just completed our first customer satisfaction survey and the comments have been generally favourable. After three years we are in a strong position and have a positive frame of mind taking the relationship forward.”
An important part of the service is an understanding from the contractor of the importance of issues to the Council. For Bob Jewell, this was exemplified recently: “Authorities like Welwyn Hatfield Council rely on an up to date Electoral Register being available online. But last year the Council's online Electoral Register went down during the local elections and it became a serious problem that needed to be fixed immediately. Digica understood the gravity of the matter and worked throughout the night to get it back up and running.”
Underpinned with best practice
For Digica, which underpins all of its work with industry-recognised IT Service Management processes, this is how IT services should be delivered to customers. Carol Ford explains: “Our customers look to us to deliver high availability quality services every day of the year. Service Management, which is built around industry best practice guidelines, allows us to do exactly that. It all comes down to properly managed and implemented IT services that can support the business, instead of the business supporting IT”.
Going forward, the Council has just opened its new-look reception at its Campus site, complete with three terminals offering free Internet access to the public. It has also implemented a number of other e-Government projects, which include online payments, electronic ordering and document image processing. And will Bob Jewell hand over development of these projects to Digica? “The answer is 'yes', as they have proved themselves to be a reliable, trustworthy and innovative partner.”
“The team successfully distributed notebook computers to all of our Members providing a high level of support and training. The rollout was extremely successful in spite of the varying degrees of IT skills amongst our Members.”
Stuart Pile - Cabinet Member responsible for IT and e-Government projects , Welwyn Hatfield Council