Report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer.

This report provides an update on the Resident and Business Digital Experience Programme (RBDxP) which sits under Future Shape: Digital by Default, Customer Access and Front Door.

Future Shape of the Council is a two-year transformation programme designed to enable Manchester City Council (MCC) to be in the best possible shape to deliver its ambitions as set out in the Our Manchester Strategy whilst meeting the external challenges the council face from budget pressures.

The Committee considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer which provided an update on the Resident and Business Digital Experience Programme (RBDxP).

The key points and themes within the report included:

·         RBDxP forms part of the Future Shape transformation programme which aims to enable the Council to be in the best possible shape to deliver its ambitions whilst meeting external challenges as a result of budget pressures;

·         RBDxP will see the replacement of the existing customer relationship management system, content management system (website) and integration layer in one single integrated platform;

·         The works will allow the Council’s front-facing systems to interact to the benefit of residents and businesses;

·         3 core user groups have been devised, made up of service users, residents and businesses, to help design digital services, support implementation and ensure that solutions meet user requirements and accessibility needs;

·         Key progress of the programme to date; and

·         Next steps and an indicative implementation plan.

The Programme Manager also provided a presentation at the meeting, which highlighted objectives, examples of improvements, progress to date, the engagement approach and next steps.

Key points and queries that arose from the committee’s discussion included:

·         Reiterating the importance of co-designing the system with users;

·         How the new system would improve usability and what benefits it will provide residents;

·         The work that core user groups would be involved in and what this would entail;

·         How the Council could reduce the number of digitally-excluded residents; and

·         Welcoming the Technology and Implementation Partner which the Council has contracted to support the programme; and

·         Whether the Council was confident that the Technology and Implementation Partner was a suitably sized organisation to work with.

The Programme Manager acknowledged that the current services were fragmented and users had to login multiple times to reach Council services.RBDxP would create a single system for data to be held in and this would allow future works to offer richer services to residents and business and to identify trends in what services customers are accessing through the Council’s website. It would also enable the Council to react quicker to changes.

The Head of Revenues, Benefits and Customer Service explained that feedback from engagement sessions with members and residents had been incorporated into the aims of RBDxP. Suggestions which the Council was looking to enable included uploading photographs when reporting issues and reporting on behalf of someone else and being informed of outcomes.

The Deputy Member for Finance and Resources also advised that the programme would enable the growth of the Council’s in-house digital expertise.

In response to a query regarding the work of the core user groups and what this would entail, members were informed that respective Neighbourhood Area Managers would advise members in their neighbourhood meetings on what this work involved.

The Digital Social Inclusion Lead informed the Committee that there was an estimated decrease in the number of digitally-excluded residents since 2019 but a widening skills gap was acknowledged. The Digital Social Inclusion team was working closely with the ICT team to ensure that service design meets the needs of those digitally-excluded.

The Digital Social Inclusion Lead also expressed a desire to work with voluntary and community sector organisations to help those who are less likely to seek out digital inclusion opportunities.

It was also highlighted that RBDxP would improve service delivery through traditional routes and channels such as telephony as a result of staff delivering services via these channels using the new and improved technology introduced as part of the programme. A recent example of new technology improving service provision through the telephony access channel was the option to request a call back from the customer service centre without having to wait on the line.

The Programme Manager expressed confidence that the Technology and Implementation Partner organisation was suitably sized to work with the Council and that this allows them to meet the needs of Manchester City Council compared to other, larger tenders who were inflexible to the Council’s requirements.

The Deputy Executive Member for Finance and Resources expressed his thanks to the presenting officers and to those in the customer service centre who provide advice and help for Manchester residents.

The Executive Member for Finance and Resources commented that ICT is one of the Council’s most complex services which undertakes transformative work to provide residents and businesses with a seamless digital experience. He expressed his thanks to the Deputy Executive Member and officers and wished them luck with the further rollout of the programme.

Decision:

That the report be noted.