Future Developments

The Worcestershire Hub is constantly evolving and there are a number of further developments that we are actively working on, or considering as part of the Worcestershire Hub. Any further developments will be business driven and prioritised taking into account the availability of funding.

Some of these developments include:

• Working with other partners – this could include (1) co-location in a centre, (2) holding regular surgeries in a centre, (3) signposting using agreed, up to date information
• Smaller centres – the introduction of the main centres is just the start and we hope to have a number of secondary centres throughout Worcestershire handling face to face contacts. Again these centres will use the same technology and processes as the main centres, thereby providing a complete picture of customer contacts in Worcestershire. These centres are likely to be located in existing public buildings
• Self-Service - enhancing the ability to access and use services online
• Kiosks – the technology being implemented will enable the use of stand alone information points or "kiosks"
• Further process and systems integration – on the basis that at least 80% of the enquiries will be dealt with at the first point of contact and to streamline the flow of information throughout the organisation, further work will be carried out to improve both process and system integration
• Smart Cards – used to enable the cardholder to get access to certain services, they will also enable individual authentication
• SMS Text Messaging – increasingly customers wish to make use of mobile phones and test messaging to make contact with organisations as well as receiving information
• Mobile Service – through the use of mobile technology, we want to take the same standard of customer service into communities on a regular basis.
• Shared Services – enabling real efficiencies to be gained through joint working.