Kempsey Council
interAction is saving Kempsey Council pain and money by modernising its billing of rates
The Client
Kempsey Shire Council provides local government services, including water and wastewater services, to 28,000 people as well as local businesses. Council sends out 14,500 rate notices and 9,000 water bills four times a year worth almost $80 million in revenue. The Shire covers an area of more than 3,300 sq km of the Macleay Valley on the NSW mid-North Coast.
The Situation
A NSW Local Council was looking for more than just a traditional printer to help it to “move with the times” in its distribution of rate notices.
The Solution
- A new-look rates notice
- Easier distribution with one file required
- A portal to allow Council staff to easily look up a ratepayer’s notice and other billing and rating information, with an eye to self service options in the future.
Kempsey Shire Council had a great traditional printer that they had used for many years. When the contract was up for renewal, they also talked to interAction about how technology could modernise the process.
Saving time
- The rates notice is more professional looking and easier for customers to read.
- Less time dealing with emails going to spam.
- Less time spent by council staff retrieving lost notices and rating information.
Benefits of using interAction
interAction’s key strengths are its:
- understanding and expertise with technology
- can do attitude
- understanding staff that make things easy
Council Officer Nicole Poe says there have already been some efficiencies gained. Whilst the cost savings have not been major to date, the benefit of switching to interAction is that the potential is there for bigger, future cost savings and efficiencies. Nicole says Council still sends a file of information as it used to do beforehand. The difference is that interAction only need one file, which it easily splits into email and print files. Their knowledge of technology means spam rates are no longer an issue for the growing number of ratepayers opting to receive bills via email
When ratepayers lose notices, staff can now easily use a portal to quickly retrieve them, rather than having to access the traditional printer’s CD of files.
Stage 2 of the digital service rollout will allow ratepayers to be able to access this information themselves, providing further savings for Council and even more convenient service.
interAction’s hard work makes our job easy
Nicole is impressed by interAction’s knowledge of technology yet being so easy to deal with. Nicole says
interAction worked very well with Council’s IT staff.
“Previously we had to change some programming but
with interAction they do the hard work to suit us. When you request something they will have a go. Nothing is too hard for interAction.”
- Nicole Poe, Kemspey Shire Council
“Their office staff are very understanding and don’t speak in another technology language. I just talk about the results I want and they do the rest.”
The project’s success means that Council is now working with interAction on the introduction of a single rates and water bill from mid 2015.