“We’re now collecting millions of pounds in revenue each year, alongside service requests that previously would have been impossible to manage – for example the high-volume seasonal services like brown bin permits. In the past, our contact centre simply couldn’t have coped with the overwhelming demand, especially at peak times, with phone lines inundated. These are services that truly only work in a digital format.”
Paul Livingstone, Digital Leader at Falkirk Council.
Background
When Falkirk Council launched MyFalkirk in 2016, they made a bold choice – to fully integrate the national mygovscot myaccount sign-in from day one. They backed mygovscot myaccount as the long-term solution for secure, federated authentication across their services.
That decision paid off as in just over seven years, Falkirk residents have made more than £100million in payments through services accessed via mygovscot myaccount. What started out as a “softly, softly” approach has transformed into an online portal where residents can access 170 online services at any time.
Services available via MyFalkirk and mygovscot myaccount
Falkirk Council made the decision to have many of their services only available digitally. This is to help manage seasonal peaks and reduce pressure on the contact centre.
“Since the end of 2016, we’ve steadily introduced more and more services on the MyFalkirk platform – now sitting at around 160 to 170 live at any one time,” Paul said. “We’re collecting millions of pounds every year, along with service requests we couldn’t have handled in the past.
"Things like recycling centre permits and brown bin permits, which generate such high volumes that our contact centre simply couldn’t cope, especially during seasonal peaks like the brown bin renewals.
“Across the organisation, people are now starting to see that we can deliver services that were previously too difficult to manage, and do so in a drama-free way online – even collecting payments as part of the process when needed.”
Services available to residents online include:
- Council tax and rent accounts – view balances, bills, and payment history for multiple properties.
- Council tax payments – make payments directly online, with pre-populated account details when logged in.
- Benefits applications – apply for benefits, with the ability to save complex forms.
- School-related services – submit placing requests, access to parentsportal and other education-related applications. *Brown bin permits – pay for and request garden waste collection stickers.
- Recycling centre permits – request access permits.
- Reporting services – report missed bin collections, street issues, or other local problems.
- Complaints and feedback – lodge and track complaints digitally.
The quality of information coming in has improved significantly, especially when users sign in or when data is validated through the forms.
Benefits
“We’re hearing a lot of positive feedback about how this has changed the way services work,” Paul explained. “The quality of information coming in has improved significantly, especially when users sign in or when data is validated through the forms.
"Because submissions feed directly into our case management system, staff can resolve issues immediately instead of just receiving an email to action later. That shift has brought major benefits in both efficiency and service delivery.”
Another key benefit is reduced paper use – for example the shift from paper job sheets to a digital workflow. “The environmental impact is there as well,” Paul said. “In the past, a lot of work relied on paper job sheets being printed, collated, and handed out daily.
“Over the past few years this has changed through our digital systems. If a resident reports a missed bin through MyFalkirk, the request is processed in our system and automatically syndicated to the in-cab devices in the bin lorries.
“The crew can see the case, drive to the property, resolve it, and mark it complete on the device – which instantly updates the system and notifies the customer. Previously, this would have meant piles of paper job sheets, manual updates at the end of each day, and a process that only looked digital on the surface. Now, those manual steps have been almost completely eradicated.”
The numbers
The numbers from data collected speak for themselves. These include:
- 170 services available online
- 2.2 million transactions completed to date
- 65% of households signed up
- £36 average collected per minute
- £100million processed thanks to the help of myaccount
Conclusion
Falkirk Council’s commitment to digital transformation has changed the way residents interact with local services. By integrating mygovscot myaccount from day one, they’ve built a trusted platform that delivers value for residents and the council.
“Hitting the £100 million milestone shows just how much this has transformed the way we work,” Paul said. “mygovscot myaccount is a platform we can trust – it consistently delivers value for the council and for our residents.”