Newham Borough Council is realising the advantages of BI software -
from benefits claims to heating.
The London Borough of Newham, one of the poorest boroughs in the
country, is using business intelligence (BI) software to help to
identify people who are eligible to claim benefits but are not
doing so, writes
Karl Cushing.
The council uses the software to analyse its data and then carries
out targeted mailshots to make sure people know about the types of
benefit they could be claiming. BI software is also used to measure
the change in benefit take-up periodically. Over the past four
years, Newham has increased the amount of benefit delivered to
citizens by £2m, and continues to add £500,000 per year.
Geoff Connell, the council's development services manager, says the
BI initiative is part of a four-year drive, based on a data
warehouse project, to move information away from the IT department
and into the hands of end users. "It is effectively about getting
better and more timely information to the end users to allow them
to make better decisions," says Connell.
The BI software is being used by several departments. The
regeneration services department is using it to analyse the cost
impact to the borough of building roads along different routes by
looking at a number of "what if" scenarios. The council's WarmZone
project, which aims to identify members of the community who are
entitled to a heating grant, is also using BI to sift through
information in the data warehouse.
Another key area where BI is helping the borough to achieve its
goals is through improved customer service. The council is using
the BI software in conjunction with its customer relationship
management system to monitor and analyse the way customers use its
call centre and other local services centres.
This information is helping the borough to establish the shift
requirements of personnel, resourcing needs and the best opening
hours of the centres. Originally, the council had intended to
permanently lengthen opening hours to include evenings, but when it
looked at the timing and number of visits it became apparent that
this was not where the core demand was.
The BI software, from Business Objects, is also supporting the
drive towards self-service. While the council recognises that
improving service levels and increasing choice are important
drivers, the key objective here is to reduce costs. Whereas
person-to-person meetings cost from £15, the equivalent interaction
on the telephone costs £2 and self-service using the Internet just
10p.
"It is all about trying to migrate users away from the expensive
type of channel to the cheaper type, while all the time maintaining
choices," says Connell. All of these initiatives should result in
major cost savings for the council, although the figures are hard
to quantify. As Connell asks, "What's the value of a better
decision?"