Hounslow to Become First Digital, Platform-Based Council

Arcus Global

Arcus Global
July 9, 2013

Forget ‘Council in the Cloud’: SaaS and PaaS deal with Salesforce underpins first strategy to transform the way a Local Authority will deliver service to residents Hounslow Council has just selected Salesforce as its first step to delivering its customer focused technology strategy utilising servicecloud, force.com, marketcloud and salescloud.

The Council’s new platform-based approach puts customers at the heart of its services and fulfilment activity by creating the ability for staff, residents and partners to build applications on the platform. The development platform integrates seamlessly with the latest web and social technology and allows for the gradual replacement of ‘traditional’ propriety applications. Hounslow can use apps from Salesforce’s apps store and where appropriate develop its own which could be shared with other public sector organisations.

Anthony Kemp, Director and chief designer and sponsor of the project said: “Our strategy isn’t about technology; it’s about customer-driven business design and data exploitation. Rather than becoming merely a ‘Council in the Cloud’ we aspire to be the first platform based, digital and genuinely data-driven council. With a variety of partners, we have designed an architecture that will allow customers to self serve easily replicating the kind of experience they are used to at home. By embracing a platform based approach and integration with social media we can position ourselves to be able to listen to residents 24/7 and respond to them using virtual agents. As the next generation of workforce and customers emerges the full use of social media in Local Government will allow us to always be connected and part of the conversation. It is a crucial part of our approach that we embrace the latest customer-focused technology, but not as an end in itself. We believe that Salesforce’s heritage in CRM, their commitment to the UK public sector, the maturity and extent of their ecosystem makes them the best choice as our enterprise grade platform partner. Going forward we are keen to harness a diverse range of partners.”

Arcus Global were appointed as a implementation partner for Hounslow’s Service Cloud and Force.com platform. They bring expertise in Cloud Computing platforms, proficiency and certifications in Salesforce.com technology and a strong track record in delivering innovation in local government and beyond.

Denis Kaminskiy, CEO of Arcus Global. “We were proud to be selected by London Borough of Hounslow to help develop its ICT Strategy. Our recent appointment as a delivery partner for the Council’s Salesforce.com technologies is a great opportunity to continue our partnership.”