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Map-based reporting system saves council call centre advisors

Local government: Planning and delivery

Map-based reporting system saves council call centre advisors
 Using maps has allowed us to integrate our highway asset management system, Customer Service Centre and the Internet. Members of the public without any training can accurately report faults online. Allowing self-service clearly has cost savings as it reduces the time to handle information but also improves the service to the public, as automated feedback can be given if required.
Bernard Younger, Service Manager Highway Assets and Programmes, Nottinghamshire County Council

At a glance

Nottinghamshire County Council Nottinghamshire County Council introduces a fault-reporting system that enhances the service to members of the public without additional costs and is 80% faster in response to enquiries.

Printable version: download PDFVisit the Nottinghamshire County Council website

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Nottinghamshire County Council needed to implement a web-based system to allow members of the public to report problems with the highways network, to encourage citizen self-service and to reduce the length of call centre enquiries (which in April 2009 averaged 11.5 minutes each). The new system needed to work in conjunction with existing platforms such as Confirm (the council’s highways asset management system) and Lagan® Frontline for customer relationship management.

Using geographic information from Ordnance Survey, together with the authority’s own data (such as the location of street lights, bollards and illuminated signs), Nottinghamshire County Council launched a map-based public fault-reporting system and a ‘gritting map’ service in late 2010. Both systems can be accessed directly online but in addition, call centre advisors are able to use the fault-reporting system to speed up response to enquiries (from November 2010 the average call duration dropped to 2.5 minutes – representing a time saving of 80%) and ensure smooth integration with Confirm and Lagan Frontline. Calculations from the team demonstrate that in a 51 day period in late 2010, the reduction in call duration equated to an impressive 631 hours (therefore averaging a time saving of over 12 hours a day).

OS VectorMap District (raster) and OS MasterMap showing gritting routes and street light locations.Members of the public use the system to report issues with street lights

  • map-based fault reporting system is 80% more efficient in terms of time spent on customer calls;
  • savings on purchase of additional licences for existing software;
  • additional time savings from the reduction of ‘double-entered’ enquiries; and
  • a steady increase in web-based highways enquiries and fault reporting.

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