Background

The Royal Borough of Kingston Council, serving the vast community of Kingston Upon Thames in Greater London, stands as a pivotal local authority among the 32 borough councils in the United Kingdom’s capital city. Proudly acting as the initial and concluding touchpoint for their 179,000 citizens, the council manages an array of enquiries, ranging from bin collections and birth registrations to marriage notifications and council tax queries. With 2,000 to 2,500 calls pouring in weekly, they shoulder the responsibility of being the primary and ultimate point of contact for the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames.

In 2022, the Royal Borough of Kingston Council embarked on a transformative journey. The goal was clear: to upgrade their telephony system and seamlessly transition to an omnichannel cloud contact centre solution. This initiative aimed not only to optimise operational efficiency but also to champion the delivery of exceptional and empathetic customer service. All of this, of course, was carefully aligned with the council’s budgetary considerations, ensuring a seamless experience for the citizens of Kingston Upon Thames.

Solution

Their requirements were clear: UK Government-approved (G-Cloud framework RM1557.13), reliable, secure, and aligned with a forward-thinking vision.

The solution came swiftly in Puzzel, offering a cloud-based omnichannel platform. Tom Mann, Customer Service Team Manager, found in Puzzel the ideal match to meet growing contact centre needs, prioritising scalability, remote and user-friendly interfaces.

With Puzzel’s ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certifications, the council gained assurance in delivering not just customer service, but the highest quality service and security for their citizens. The move marked a transformative step, ensuring elevated standards and an exceptional customer service experience.

The results

The impact was immediate. The first noticeable change was the security, reliability and elimination of downtime. Soon after, they noticed the true value of the data and insights, information that they never had on hand before. Beyond just tracking call volumes, the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames can now pinpoint the essence of each call—crucial information that allowed them to address citizens’ concerns at their core.

In the pre-Puzzel era, handling a weekly load of 3,000 to 3,500 calls was the norm for Kingston Upon Thames. Now, with Puzzel’s efficient IVR system, they seamlessly manage 2,000 to 2,500 calls per week, streamlining operations and enhancing overall efficiency. The power of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) journeys has given citizens the ability to effortlessly report issues like fly-tipping, subscribe to garden recycling, apply for blue badge parking, and more.

The future

Driven by a commitment to enhance both the agent and citizens experience, Tom and the dedicated team at Kingston Upon Thames are set on resolving customer enquiries seamlessly at the very first contact. In collaboration with Puzzel, Tom envisions a transformative journey ahead.

Kingston’s plans for the future include the implementation of Puzzel Smart Chatbot, AI Knowledgebase, SMS survey, Customer Insight, Video, and co-browsing with the aim to improve first contact resolution.

This forward-thinking approach aims to not only meet but exceed the evolving needs of both agents and citizens, fostering a more intuitive and efficient citizen interaction landscape.