Cambridgeshire County Council is implementing customer relationship
management (CRM) software in a bid to process student loan
applications more efficiently
In rolling out Oracle's E-Business Suite CRM modules,
Cambridgeshire has become the first UK council to have a system
that links directly with the technology used to calculate loans.
The new system, implemented by services provider ICL as part of a
£11m contract, will allow student awards staff at the council to
electronically track all interactions with people applying for
student loans. The council deals with up to 12,000 applicants a
year.
With the CRM system, the student awards team will be able to
capture interactions whether they come from face-to-face meetings,
telephone calls or e-mail queries.
This will ensure that any team member is able to process an
application and tasks that are not assigned are automatically given
to the team leader.
The system will generate reminders and team leaders will be able to
see at a glance how busy their staff are.
Karen Smith, head of student awards at Cambridgeshire Council, said
the CRM system should significantly reduce the team's workload
during their busiest time of year.
"We will be able to see immediately where an application is in the
system, improve customer service and also the management of team
members," she said.
Smith said the system will be further developed to enable students
to request application forms and information packs via the Internet
and ask questions online.
"Once the students can access the system themselves via the
Internet, lengthy phone calls to check the progress [of
applications] should be a thing of the past," she said.
Cambridgeshire's £11m contract with ICL covers a number of other
projects including the implementation of Oracle Financials software
across the county council.
daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk