Powering the CRM

Bolton has taken a customer centric approach in order to provide better services to its citizens. Bolton adopted a CRM three years ago and for it to work effectively, the chief source of property based information, the LLPG, had to be of a high quality so that the CRM and other departmental systems can be linked with confidence either directly with the gazetteer or through their eBusiness Suite.

Bolton undertook a rigorous data management exercise to ensure that the LLPG was entirely fit for purpose.

• The LSG was improved to ensure strict spatial accuracy and as this the core foundation of the LLPG.
• Disparities between the LLPG and Royal Mail have been resolved so that postal districts are now mirrored in the LLPG to ensure all letters reach the correct destination.
• The authority worked closely with Council Tax and Business Rates inspectors and also from the local Valuation Office to improve positional accuracy and deliver better cross referencing between address datasets.
• Aerial photography was also used to resolve some of the positional enquiries.
• Council Tax and NDR inspectors carried out many site visits to help resolve some of the more difficult queries.
• The LLPG data was matched with the VOA data in mid 2006 and achieved an exceptional 99.6 per cent match rate, and is consistently moving towards its 100 per cent match rate target.

The LLPG now resides in a database allowing the LLPG to update the CRM and the e-Business Suite. The LLPG and the NSG are maintained using a much 35 more robust GMS, which enables full and change only exports to the NLPG and NSG as well as much improved productivity and data handling functionality. It also makes file exchange easier with other systems such as Planning and Building Control, Land Charges and Environmental Health.

Outcomes

Bolton now has a much higher quality LLPG which is maintained in a sustainable environment and fit for its role as a key tool in joining up services and improving the service to the customer.

Having much greater confidence in the LLPG gave Bolton the assurance to expose it to the public through a web mapping project, a response to DCLG priority outcomes.

Other areas to benefit from the improved LLPG are fly tipping, dog control, education and enforcement and bulky refuse collection.

‘For self-service, an individual would go to their local area public service portal, when they ring the single non-emergency number they get through to their local contact centre and if they wish to they can walk into a convenient local one-stop-shop. This single point of access triggers a comprehensive, fast and accurate service both locally and nationally’ - Sir David Varney (Dec 2006); Service Transformation.

Key benefits

• The LLPG is now fit for purpose to become the trusted source of property and address information for the whole of the council and is already in use by a number of different systems.
• The IT infrastructure has been designed to facilitate the gazetteer being used as the key tool in joining up services and improving service to citizens at all touch points