4.5 Direct citizen benefits
4.5.5 Improved service delivery
The improvement in service delivery is mainly measured by improvement in response, amongst other key indicators. That is, from the time the service is requested to the time it is delivered. This response time is always relative but a significant improvement is also visible with the use of the ERP system. If your personal details are already on the system and readily accessible, then there will be an improved response every time you need a service.
The value of any system is in its use. This means that the value of the ERP system is in what it can do, how it can improve service delivery standards. The ERP system implementation is definitely a service improvement strategy. The ERP system provides effective tools for measuring and optimising performance within business processes, resulting in improved service delivery to the citizen.
One stop shop
An example is the one stop shop whereby a citizen can access a variety of services from one service delivery shop. It is the responsibility of the Municipality management to ensure that the true value of the ERP system is upheld by putting in place mechanisms that ensure maximum benefits to the citizens. The ERP system brought about new ways of doing things and new things that were never thought of before. The capability of the ERP system is described by one of the research respondents as follows:
“The ERP system implementation creates opportunities or new organisational capabilities by enabling Municipalities to do something new, involving using the ERP system, doing something in a new way using the ERP system and using new ERP system to do something it could not do before” (Interviewee 6, 2012).
The foregoing demonstrate that the Municipality is now at a point where all the investment into the back-end processes is now maturing as that can now be taken to the front front-end.
This can now be accessed through portals to support the citizens better because as the citizen logs on to the portal, he or she is actually accessing the back-end. This back-end can
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now support any communication channel, whether the citizen walks in or phones in, walks into a cash office, or sends an SMS or emails; there is always one similar business process that is supported by the back-end. The configuration that comes with the ERP system gives it the value that can never be compared with the ordinary computer‘s usage. A senior manager who recognised the value of the ERP system in operation suggested that:
“The citizens are benefitting because the resources of the City have now been able to be released to actually offer value-added service to citizens that business processes and computers couldn‟t do in the past” (Interviewee 4, 2012).
Apart from the above-mentioned scenario, the ERP system implementation and utilisation enabled a number of capabilities that consequently benefitted the citizens.
The free call line
The call centre can be accessed through free calls. This becomes the basic point of interaction with modern businesses and the Municipality is no exception. The ERP system supports a truly functional call centre by providing accurate information timeously. Citizens utilise the call centre to access a variety of services such as service requests, personal information update, complaints, or even tracing service requests. According to one of the interviewees:
“The volume of calls that is enabled by the ERP system is awesome. Imagine! We are able to talk to five and half thousand customers per day. We have details of all the customers, employees who log complaints, for example, drain cover stolen, or branches, and can be traced through the service request and its status at any time. We can now keep track of which roads need more attention…” (Interviewee 3, 2012).
The quotation above highlights the fact that the ERP system did not just support the ordinary business processes but also brought about new processes and services. These new services are thus contributing to value for the citizen. For those citizens who have been interacting with the City from the pre-ERP system utilisation up to now, the post implementation period, the value of this system is clearer. These citizens can see the difference in all the business processes of the Municipality. For example, previously you would not expect to successfully call any department of the Municipality to complain, let alone to request a service. The ERP system has now enabled anyone to call the City. The majority of citizens in the towns own or have access to a cell phone or a telephone. This makes it the easiest channel that anyone can access, especially given that the calls are free of charge.
121 Overcome the legacy of apartheid
The evidence indicates that the integration of business processes, as discussed in Section 4.3.1 above, is of paramount importance. The residents of Cape Town now have equal access to services, irrespective of their physical location or socio-economic background. The ERP system thus has a central role in removing the disparities which were created through apartheid planning. It brought about the eradication of preferential services. The ERP system has transformed the service delivery differences where some suburbs were preferentially treated. Citizens can now access the City through multiple channels, regardless of their economic status. Those citizens who were previously disadvantaged tend to benefit most, even though every citizen is perceived to be enjoying this improvement in service delivery.
This is endorsed by one of the interviewees, who indicated that:
“Our citizens now have equal treatment. The ERP serves them at equal level with the same respect, regardless of their wealth or status” (Interviewee 7, 2012).
This benefit of equal treatment is enabled mainly through ―self-service‖ features of the ERP system where services are rendered without human interference. The levelling of the playing field also extends to those services that involve human interaction. For example, anyone with internet access will be able to contact the City and anyone with a cellphone, even without airtime, can access the call centre and engage with the Municipality. The following excerpt demonstrates that the Municipality management is aware of how the ERP system impacts on service delivery through the establishment of a solid ‖back-end platform‖:
“The ERP system brought a new life to the whole municipality. Accessing the City free is the best thing ever to happen to the citizens. The call centre is a busy hub …”
(Interviewee 3, 2012)
It is worth noting that the reality at the grassroots community level as constantly reported in the public media indicates that residents are still protesting about poor service delivery.
Nevertheless, in terms of the evidence in this study, there is confirmation that the ERP system does play a role in improving service delivery. However whilst the efficiencies of the ERP are evident, there are still outstanding issues that require the attention of the City‘s planners and management, as service delivery is dependent on other factors as well, e.g.
political issues, budget allocation, etc. Given all the benefits enabled by the ERP system, it is clear that the residents have other services that cannot be catered for by the ERP. An
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example is the free houses politically promised but economically not viable. It is also possible that the residents are abusing the term ―service delivery‖ to refer to anything they expect to receive from the local government or even the state. The head of change management confirmed this argument when she said:
“…deliverables in the first phase were primarily aimed at addressing the core back office business processes associated with any large enterprise, such as the accounting, financial processes, the human resources and payroll type processes, logistical processes like supply chain and procurement, and inventory management, revenue processes, all that was put in place. People always complain that the rate is too slow…” (Interviewee 5, 2012).
The strategy that was applied to implement all the modules that constitute the core back office ensured that all the services would improve as they are linked to the ERP system. All the ERP system benefits are supported by the back office modules because of the way they support services. Therefore, complete back office ensured that all the related services would improve. It is perceived by the City management that no key services will be left lagging behind, as all the key services will be driven by the ERP system. A special note about the improved service is that citizens can now access the City for service requests or complaints at any time of the day as the ERP system can handle the interactions without human intervention. All routine requests are now accessible from the ERP system, giving every citizen an equal opportunity. One respondent said:
“If you call for a pothole, the system records it and initiates the same process all the time, regardless of who called and from where…” (Interviewee 11, 2012)
The concept of accessing the Municipality from multiple channels and affording a standard response to anyone who interacts with the City is provided by the ERP system. The efficiency of the interaction is felt by those who can compare with the previous quality of service delivery they experienced before the ERP system was implemented. The perception of citizens of improvement in quality of service enhances the overall efficiency of the Municipality.
The foregoing is an overview of ERP system benefits as envisaged in the original business case when the ERP system was introduced. However, an analysis of the evidence indicates that there are other benefits which may be (are being) realised. It was also prudent to find out if there are any benefits that are not yet realised but also contribute to a higher value for the
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citizen if included in the current list of benefits. These were analysed and interpreted as illustrated in the section below.