Surrey County Council has completed a major upgrade to its communications infrastructure which will improve delivery of key services to its citizens.
A new telephony and contact centre project, delivered in collaboration with FourNet and 4C Strategies, has been successfully completed and launched - meeting tight deadlines set by the council.
Switchover to the new system, which included 130 council sites and 1,700 users, was completed in one weekend, without any interruption to services.
The project marks a significant milestone in the Council’s ongoing digital transformation strategy, which will enable it to provide an enhanced experience to more than 1.2 million residents, with faster call handling times resulting in reduced waiting times.
The Council receives more than 870,000 inbound calls every year - of which around 550,000 calls will now go through the new Microsoft Teams telephony system and around 240,000 calls to the Council's contact centres.
Liz Mills, interim director of customer digital and change at Surrey County Council, said, “Our telephony upgrade ensures efficient communication, benefiting our community as well as our teams. As an organisation, we are committed to ensuring that no one is left behind and will continue to harness technology to better serve our residents.
“I am immensely proud of our colleagues’ efforts on the day and their endeavours in the months and weeks leading up to the transition. This robust groundwork ensured that the project was completed in a timely manner without causing undue disruption for our customers.”
With the council’s existing communication systems nearing end of life, the project involved the integration of Microsoft Teams telephony and the deployment of NICE CXone contact centre technology across multiple locations.
Lorraine Juniper, senior responsible officer at Surrey County Council, said, “The success of this project is a testament to the strong partnership between Surrey County Council, FourNet, and 4C Strategies. The collaboration has been exceptional, ensuring that the switchover was completed seamlessly.”
FourNet has more than 30 government departments and agencies among its public sector customers. The company was selected to lead this project via a competitive tender process.
Richard Pennington, CEO at FourNet, said, “By working so closely and successfully with 4C Strategies and Surrey County Council, we’ve ensured that we met some extremely tight deadlines, while enhancing the Council’s communication systems and streamlining processes for staff and the county’s residents.
“We have delivered a future-proof communication infrastructure that will support SCC’s mission to provide outstanding public services to all of its citizens.”
4C Strategies provided strategic guidance, business case development, procurement support and implementation advice, drawing on experience from similar public sector projects.
The new systems have not only modernised SCC’s communication capabilities, but have also provided the Council with advanced analytics tools. These tools allow SCC to gain deeper insights into system usage, enabling them to optimise operations, enhance service delivery and ensure that resources are allocated efficiently.
With a modern, flexible communication system now in place, the Council is well-equipped to meet future challenges and expand its digital offerings to better serve its communities.