Council migration to new CRM platform trims costs and accelerates service delivery
Wokingham Borough Council has reduced the annual cost of its customer relationship management (CRM) platform by £218,000 after migrating services to a new digital system as part of a wider transformation programme. The change is intended to give residents simpler online access to services while easing pressure on council teams working under tight financial constraints.
The council has replaced its legacy CRM platform with Netcall’s Liberty platform and moved a range of transactional services into Netcall’s Citizen Hub. Services migrated so far include waste management, garden waste subscriptions, highways maintenance requests, general enquiries and Blue Badge applications.
According to the council’s programme, the new platform has changed the pace and nature of digital work. What were previously lengthy development cycles can now be completed far more quickly, with new services described as moving from concept to deployment in days rather than weeks or months. The programme has also been used to automate high-volume processes and to reduce the council’s reliance on specialist development skills.
- Annual licence savings: £218,000
- Development team size: four people
- Garden waste renewals online: around 90%
Operational changes are tangible. The council says around 90% of residents now renew garden waste subscriptions online through a fully automated process. That replaces a previously manual system which required some residents to visit local libraries or shops to renew.
“The change has created a more consistent digital experience for residents while giving its four-person development team the tools to build and improve services internally.”
That shift matters for everyday life in Wokingham. Automated online renewals reduce queues and paperwork for both residents and staff, and freeing the development team from routine work should allow the council to focus on improving or expanding services without always needing external suppliers.
Context: tight finances and rising demand
The transformation comes against a backdrop of rising service demand and constrained public finances. The council notes it has one of the lowest levels of central government grant funding in the country and therefore needs to ensure each technology investment delivers measurable value.
Moving services to the Citizen Hub is intended to create a consistent digital front door for residents and to let the council scale services without the heavy licensing costs and slow development processes associated with its previous CRM. The council says simplification and automation have already delivered significant operational improvements.
| Measure | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Annual CRM cost | Higher licensing and operating cost | £218,000 lower per annum |
| Garden waste renewals online | Mostly manual; visits to libraries/shops | About 90% automated online renewals |
| Development capability | Dependent on complex external development | Four-person team using internal tools to develop services |
For residents, the most immediate effects will be easier access to services such as garden waste subscriptions and faster handling of enquiries. For the council, the financial saving on licensing is one part of a broader aim to reduce costs, automate common tasks and free staff to concentrate on cases that need human attention.
Wokingham’s move mirrors a wider trend among local authorities seeking to deliver more digital services while cutting costs. By adopting a platform that promises quicker in-house development and automation of routine transactions, the council aims to stretch scarce resources further and maintain service levels despite funding pressures.
How far the programme will be expanded and which additional services will move to the new platform has not been detailed in the council’s statement. But the changes already rolled out will be felt by many residents who now complete routine tasks online instead of attending an office or third-party outlet.
