Tauranga City Council 2024 Best Run Award: streamlining a suite of variable processes into a single platform
Tauranga City Council implemented SAP Service Cloud and SAP Field Service Management to streamline processes, improve customer service, and meet regulatory requirements. The solution increased customer satisfaction, improved process efficiency, and reduced administration effort, enabling the Council to support a growing population effectively. Download the DocumentSAP Australia and New Zealand
Best Run Awards 2024
Best Run Awards 2024
Best Run SAP
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
Local government www.tauranga.govt.nzCommunity Services SAP Service Cloud
Tauranga City Council is a local government authority on New Zealand’s North Island. Located on the Bay of Plenty, and with a population of over 150,000 people,
Tauranga is a popular tourist destination in one of the country’s fastest-growing regions.
Tauranga City Council provides a huge raft of core community services, from business licensing and inspections, to authorising building developments.
As the Council’s teams used disparate systems for different processes and its legacy ERP software was end of life, the organisation knew it would not be able to
meet business demands in line with regulatory and legislation requirements. In response, the Council looked to simplify, streamline, and consolidate its range of
variable processes in a single system. This would enable internal teams to be effective in their roles, deliver a better experience for citizens, and plan more
effectively for the future.
Streamlining a suite of variable processes in
single platform
Tauranga City Council
Customer Experience
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
Local government www.tauranga.govt.nzCommunity Services SAP Service Cloud
Tauranga City Council is a local government authority on New Zealand’s North Island. Located on the Bay of Plenty, and with a population of over 150,000 people,
Tauranga is a popular tourist destination in one of the country’s fastest-growing regions.
Tauranga City Council provides a huge raft of core community services, from business licensing and inspections, to authorising building developments.
As the Council’s teams used disparate systems for different processes and its legacy ERP software was end of life, the organisation knew it would not be able to
meet business demands in line with regulatory and legislation requirements. In response, the Council looked to simplify, streamline, and consolidate its range of
variable processes in a single system. This would enable internal teams to be effective in their roles, deliver a better experience for citizens, and plan more
effectively for the future.
Streamlining a suite of variable processes in
single platform
Tauranga City Council
Customer Experience
Challenges
Tauranga is one of the fastest growing cities in New Zealand – having experienced, on average, 2.6%pa population growth over the past five years,
compared to 1.3%pa in New Zealand overall (Infometrics). As such, there is tremendous pressure for Tauranga City Council to handle this growth
effectively. This includes managing all community-based acts, such as the allocation and use of land, building developments, licensing, and inspections.
One of the most complex aspects to manage is the resource consent process, which enables people to use or develop a natural or physical resource and /
or carry out activities that affect the environment. This consenting process is bound by a regulatory clock, which, depending on the consent type, varies in
length and progress based on customer interactions. There is pressure to turn resource consents around quickly and accurately, ensuring regulatory
timeframes. Adding to this pressure, while council planners deal primarily with agents rather than citizens, they understood this process can be a highly-
personal and emotional one; as it often related to citizens wanting to use land to build a home. It was critical this process be delivered well.
The Council’s legacy system did not provide customer service or resource consent teams oversight across the consenting process. For external agents
requesting updates about resource consents via contact centres, it could take anywhere between three to four days to respond. There was little oversight
into how many resource consents were currently in the pipeline, making it difficult to coordinate team resourcing.
The Council needed a single, consolidated system to create internal efficiencies for all teams to better support the community at large.
Tauranga is one of the fastest growing cities in New Zealand – having experienced, on average, 2.6%pa population growth over the past five years,
compared to 1.3%pa in New Zealand overall (Infometrics). As such, there is tremendous pressure for Tauranga City Council to handle this growth
effectively. This includes managing all community-based acts, such as the allocation and use of land, building developments, licensing, and inspections.
One of the most complex aspects to manage is the resource consent process, which enables people to use or develop a natural or physical resource and /
or carry out activities that affect the environment. This consenting process is bound by a regulatory clock, which, depending on the consent type, varies in
length and progress based on customer interactions. There is pressure to turn resource consents around quickly and accurately, ensuring regulatory
timeframes. Adding to this pressure, while council planners deal primarily with agents rather than citizens, they understood this process can be a highly-
personal and emotional one; as it often related to citizens wanting to use land to build a home. It was critical this process be delivered well.
The Council’s legacy system did not provide customer service or resource consent teams oversight across the consenting process. For external agents
requesting updates about resource consents via contact centres, it could take anywhere between three to four days to respond. There was little oversight
into how many resource consents were currently in the pipeline, making it difficult to coordinate team resourcing.
The Council needed a single, consolidated system to create internal efficiencies for all teams to better support the community at large.
Solution
The Council initially wondered if it was feasible for all its
variable services to be conducted via one system.
After achieving great outcomes implementing finance into
SAP S/4HANA, SAP Service Cloud was the leading choice to
connect organisation-wide service operations as part of our
Citizen Engagement Strategy. To establish a baseline for
using the system, instil confidence, and position teams for
the best chance of success, the Council made the strategic
decision to implement processes successively aligning to an
agreed Release Plan.
With support and expertise from implementation partner,
DXC Technology, SAP Service Cloud and SAP Field Service
Management was used to successfully implement new,
streamlined processes, from licensing & inspections, all the
way through to resource consents adhering to Government
regulatory compliance and Service Levels.
• Ecosystem architecture
• Keep core clean
• Citizen Experience engagement with Service Cloud and Field Service
Management.
o Extend in Systems of Innovation (i.e. BTP)
• Alignment with Local Government Regulatory requirements
The Council initially wondered if it was feasible for all its
variable services to be conducted via one system.
After achieving great outcomes implementing finance into
SAP S/4HANA, SAP Service Cloud was the leading choice to
connect organisation-wide service operations as part of our
Citizen Engagement Strategy. To establish a baseline for
using the system, instil confidence, and position teams for
the best chance of success, the Council made the strategic
decision to implement processes successively aligning to an
agreed Release Plan.
With support and expertise from implementation partner,
DXC Technology, SAP Service Cloud and SAP Field Service
Management was used to successfully implement new,
streamlined processes, from licensing & inspections, all the
way through to resource consents adhering to Government
regulatory compliance and Service Levels.
• Ecosystem architecture
• Keep core clean
• Citizen Experience engagement with Service Cloud and Field Service
Management.
o Extend in Systems of Innovation (i.e. BTP)
• Alignment with Local Government Regulatory requirements
Impact
Increased Customer Satisfaction:
Customer response times: From 3-4
days, to instantaneous, resulting in
higher customer satisfaction and
greater self-service usage.
Improved Process Efficiency:
Successfully met Service Level
Agreements (SLAs) without
expanding teams, signifying improved
efficiency and enabling the Council to
serve a growing population without
compromising service quality.
Reduced Administration Effort:
99% Faster renewal process, from 22
minutes per application to fully
automated administration.
SAP Service Cloud enables Tauranga City Council to manage its entire suite of variable processes, from simple to complex, in a single platform. It is a
far more streamlined and easier system to use, with greater data transparency to view everything in one place. For consents, council staff can easily
view which Planner work is assigned to, what stage it is in, and why certain consents may be on hold. This enhanced visibility means customer service
representatives can answer queries instantly, and can connect them to the relevant planner if needed. The system is combined with a web app to
support regulatory clock management. It integrates with the Council’s document management system, for all teams to access associated documentation
with ease.
Dashboards have eliminated manual reporting methods. Reports are automated, accessible, and provide real-time data. This has drastically
strengthened resource planning, as the Council understands how many resource consents are in the pipeline, at what stage, at any given time. Planners
are better allocated, for instance, senior planners can be assigned to more complex projects. Reporting also ensures focus on the regulatory clock. For
workers in the field, SAP Field Service Management integration enables them to deliver customer invoices on the fly, as well as take and file inspection
photos. Licensing renewal processes are automated, with notifications sent to agents when inspections are required.
Creating internal efficiencies for teams has translated into higher-quality, better support for citizens. As the region’s population has grown, the Council
continues to meet SLAs (service-level agreements), without expanding its teams unnecessarily, through pure efficiency of the system. The organisation
is looking forward to enhancing reporting capabilities, automation, and online self-service customer capabilities.
Increased Customer Satisfaction:
Customer response times: From 3-4
days, to instantaneous, resulting in
higher customer satisfaction and
greater self-service usage.
Improved Process Efficiency:
Successfully met Service Level
Agreements (SLAs) without
expanding teams, signifying improved
efficiency and enabling the Council to
serve a growing population without
compromising service quality.
Reduced Administration Effort:
99% Faster renewal process, from 22
minutes per application to fully
automated administration.
SAP Service Cloud enables Tauranga City Council to manage its entire suite of variable processes, from simple to complex, in a single platform. It is a
far more streamlined and easier system to use, with greater data transparency to view everything in one place. For consents, council staff can easily
view which Planner work is assigned to, what stage it is in, and why certain consents may be on hold. This enhanced visibility means customer service
representatives can answer queries instantly, and can connect them to the relevant planner if needed. The system is combined with a web app to
support regulatory clock management. It integrates with the Council’s document management system, for all teams to access associated documentation
with ease.
Dashboards have eliminated manual reporting methods. Reports are automated, accessible, and provide real-time data. This has drastically
strengthened resource planning, as the Council understands how many resource consents are in the pipeline, at what stage, at any given time. Planners
are better allocated, for instance, senior planners can be assigned to more complex projects. Reporting also ensures focus on the regulatory clock. For
workers in the field, SAP Field Service Management integration enables them to deliver customer invoices on the fly, as well as take and file inspection
photos. Licensing renewal processes are automated, with notifications sent to agents when inspections are required.
Creating internal efficiencies for teams has translated into higher-quality, better support for citizens. As the region’s population has grown, the Council
continues to meet SLAs (service-level agreements), without expanding its teams unnecessarily, through pure efficiency of the system. The organisation
is looking forward to enhancing reporting capabilities, automation, and online self-service customer capabilities.
“”"Implementing this innovative technology solution for managing resource
consents has been a game-changer for our team. Moving from manual
emails to a streamlined system has significantly enhanced our efficiency
and accuracy. This success not only meets our operational goals but more
importantly means we can deliver a much better level of service to our
community. It is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our team,
and we look forward to continuing this trajectory of progress and
innovation."
Sarah Omundsen,
General Manager: Regulatory & Compliance, Tauranga City Council
consents has been a game-changer for our team. Moving from manual
emails to a streamlined system has significantly enhanced our efficiency
and accuracy. This success not only meets our operational goals but more
importantly means we can deliver a much better level of service to our
community. It is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our team,
and we look forward to continuing this trajectory of progress and
innovation."
Sarah Omundsen,
General Manager: Regulatory & Compliance, Tauranga City Council