- By Lanner
- In Customer Stories
- Posted 14/04/2011
Nottinghamshire Police Drives Improvements in Call Handling and Incident Response Operations with Software Solution from Lanner Group
Background
Nottinghamshire Police serves a region of over 800 square miles consisting of a diverse population of more than one million people. With a growing population, Nottinghamshire faces a number of challenges, not least of which include delivering high service levels to the public and meeting national and local performance targets.
Building a Business Case
As part of delivering against these performance targets, Nottinghamshire began a major project in its call handling and across its incident response (IR) operations in 2007. The prime objectives of the project are to improve customer service by ensuring that incoming telephone calls and deployment of officers are as efficient as possible. Fundamental to the review is that Nottinghamshire must identify areas for improvement and re-tune existing processes in order to drive these improvements.
In order to ensure that the strategic review was sufficiently thorough and scientific in the conclusions and recommendations it reached, Nottinghamshire required a comprehensive decision-support software solution. This solution needed to be sufficiently rich in functionality to cope with the volume, complexity and dynamism of the variables facing Nottinghamshire Police’s call centre. It also had to be cost effective, quick to implement and easy for non-expert users to navigate.
Nottinghamshire Police had previously undertaken successful simulation projects incorporating WITNESS software and consultancy from simulation specialist Lanner Group, in order to provide in-depth modelling for major projects. Having derived substantial benefit and return on investment (ROI) from using this kind of simulation, Nottinghamshire Police was keen to explore a similar approach for its call handling and IR project. However, with a view on the long term needs of the force, Nottinghamshire Police was also keen to deploy a tool which it could modify and use beyond the lifespan of a one-off project.
Multi-dimensional thinking
In order to find a solution, Nottinghamshire Police reviewed the market and consulted with Lanner Group. Following discussions, Nottinghamshire Police selected Lanner’s PRISM solution to support its call handling and IR review. Having selected PRISM, the force was trained and the solution delivering results within a two-week period.
Results
Ernie Brummitt, Head of Performance Analysis at Nottinghamshire Police comments:
“In a sector which is subject to stringent financial and service targets it was imperative that we deployed the right tools to help us maximise the ROI of this project. Having worked with Lanner on a number of other projects over the years, we had absolute confidence that PRISM would be the best solution for the task. PRISM can drill down into the processes we are currently using and highlight bottlenecks which previously inhibited our ability to maximise resources and provide an excellent service to the public and our officers. PRISM’s ability to map out scenarios based on multiple dynamic variables in order to build a business case is invaluable.”
“In order to review and evaluate alternative means of improving service to customers, the force required a modelling tool that was both flexible and responsive. PRISM from Lanner presented a solution that built upon current knowledge and expertise. While a bespoke simulation project would have delivered the information we needed, it would have taken up to six months to implement. PRISM went live in just two weeks using existing data and equipped us with the functionality we needed to examine business processes and develop recommendations that are evidence-based. As a result of the initial research the platform is already being fine tuned to meet other requirements. PRISM has provided the force with the ability to provide accurate and responsive evaluations of complex problems.”
Having purchased licences which enable the force to use the software on an ongoing basis, Nottinghamshire Police can now build a watertight business case for any area that requires attention in a timely, cost effective manner. The force is committed to extending the use of PRISM models to support evidence based decision making.
Ernie concludes:
“PRISM is already reaping dividends in providing the decision-support we require for our call centre and IR project and we are confident that we will continue to reap significant value from it for future projects. For initiatives where we need to identify areas for improvement, establish the best approach to making improvements and build a business case to make these improvements quickly and cost effectively, there is little on the market to rival PRISM.”