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Revenues and Benefits teams across Local Authorities are facing mounting operational pressures, tightening staffing ratios and declining collection rates, forcing difficult choices about how services are delivered. As councils look to manage demand on front-line teams, self-service options and long-term organisational sustainability become increasingly important. Ensuring effective resources exist for residents to self-serve is critical for UK councils to maximise revenue collection without compromising resident experience.
In our latest webinar, Richard Moore shared his experience managing the Revenues & Benefits function at Rugby Borough Council. Operating with “the leanest, meanest revenues team in the West Midlands (if not the world)” meant that Richard needed to find a solution that would bolster his existing resource. Over £1m later, it's fair to say the Council's partnership with Voicescape has proven a resounding success.
Keep reading for further insight into how Councils are promoting self-service, utilising behavioural science, and automating omni-channel communication to enhance their revenue collection processes.
Operational pressures on Revenue and Benefits services
In particular, low engagement and resource constraints are one of the biggest challenges we hear our customers are facing, so how do you address that? The answer is omni-channel communication and assistive technology solutions.
The power of omni-channel communication and behavioural science
At Voicescape, we’re all about connecting Local Authorities like yours, with your residents, to evoke a positive response - using a compelling combination of omni-channel communication and behavioural science. That's Voicescape’s mission and purpose. We find that regardless of whether we’re trying to get someone to pay or we’re promoting them to use things like e-billing, the “recipe for success” is the same. That's because behaviourally, as humans and individuals, we prefer situations where we are given a choice. As people, we like to feel in control and empowered - and recognising this is exactly how Local Authorities can address challenges with revenue collection.
Imagine issuing 5,000 statutory letters as a single method of communicating with a group of residents. Some will engage, but how many will not? The fact is that ‘traditional’ recovery relies on resources available for the last 30 years, even though we know that they present practical and emotional ‘barriers’ to payment.
Behaviourally, people are far more likely to act when they are given a choice of response channel. Whether that’s SMS, automated voice, web portal, or live transfer, residents appreciate choice. That is the reasoning behind what we call an “omni-channel approach.” Our technology allows Councils to provide just that, increasing the likelihood of revenue success.
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The purpose of our solution? To create sustainable payment solutions for you and your residents. We do this by developing and specialising in voice-led communications, with the main focus on enhancing resident engagement and increasing operational efficiency for all Local Authorities. |
As you can see on the diagram above, letters are on the lower side for engagement levels. Thinking about your residents, how long and how easy is it for them to respond or engage with a letter? For your Local Authority, what proportion of statutory notices letters yield a positive response or a payment?
- Our research shows it's only around 13% of all letters sent
Now, think about the volume of letters that your authority is sending out, and how much each one of those costs? Our customer research shows:
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Approximately 87% of letters sit either unopened or ignored by residents
If letters are the only method of engagement that is used, teams are not necessarily giving people that choice, which is important behaviourally. The answer to this is not to stop sending your residents statutory letters, but to be aware of the multiple opportunities for us to engage with them; thinking about what prevents residents from becoming a “postage burden.” This is the advantage of implementing and effectively using a cost-effective digital solution, such as Voicescape Collections for Revs and Bens.
1% collections uplift = £1.15M gained: How Rugby BC are benefitting from using Voicescape Collections for Revs and Bens
During our webinar, Richard Moore, Revenues and Benefits Manager at Rugby Borough Council, discussed both his and his Council’s experience with our solution:
Rugby BC’s previous challenge:
Rugby had to find a way to automate; 6.8 FTE cannot physically dial thousands of residents each time a payment is missed. The team found themselves stretched and debt was on the rise. Automation was essential for them to solve this challenge.
Upon successful implementation, they used Voicescape Collections to:
The impact and outcomes:
Two years ago, Rugby were collecting Council Tax at a rate of 94.8% → last year they hit 95.8%. In just two-years, they increased their collections by 1% using Voicescape. Whilst other Councils are seeing collection rates flatline or drop due to the Cost of Living crisis, Rugby BC has moved the other way. But what does this 1% increase mean?
Rugby BC’s message for other Councils with resource constraints:
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Download our full Revs and Bens Webinar here
Interested in hearing further insights and more on our solution in action? Discover the full story on how Voicescape Collections empowers residents to self-serve in our webinar recording.
Explore how you can see a similar £1.15m uplift in revenue in your authority, and get in touch with us today.
Download the full webinar here for free.