Chesterfield Borough Council chose EasyPay Network to take operational ownership of their existing payment kiosks, and to provide a bespoke package of technical support and management.
Challenge
Chesterfield Borough Council had been using three self-service kiosks to enable customers to access and pay for a multitude of Council Services. Their kiosks were well-used and demonstrated excellent value, generating over £6 million in revenue per year – much of which was cash payments.
The existing payment kiosks were purchased outright from Banking Automation, along with a package of support. After the agreed support term had expired, this provider was no longer able to deliver support or offer any additional warranty for the kiosks. With no remote or in-person technical support in place, the Council would face immediate detrimental impact both financially and operationally, in the event of a fault.
To purchase new, replacement payment kiosks would not have been cost effective, so Chesterfield Borough Council took the decision to go to tender to find a qualified supplier to take over the management, warranty and support of their existing kiosks. In addition, they were looking for the development of an online ‘portal’ they could access to give staff visibility of the kiosks performance, the ability to manage them, and to generate reports.
Action
EasyPay Network were delighted to have won the tender for this project early in 2020. We took initial steps to upgrade numerous internal hardware components, before developing and replacing the existing software and user interface with a bespoke solution. This included integration with Capita’s Income Management System and the AIM system used by Chesterfield Borough Council.
COVID-19 has had a huge impact on normal day-to-day services and business operations for both the Council and the EasyPay Network. Delivering this project under lockdown conditions presented a lot of new challenges, but regular communication and operational transparency ensured that the project was delivered within COVID-19 guidelines.
EasyPayNetworkhaveprovidedimprovementstoourexistingkiosksthatshouldmakethecustomer’sjourneybetter,aswellastocreateefficienciesinourownday-to-dayworking.Remoteaccessforsupervisorsissomethingweneverhadbefore,butnowreal-timevisualsonourownPCsallowustoremotelymonitorthekioskstatuses,freeingupavailabilitytoworkonothertasks.
Christian Walton
Head of Customer Services
Chesterfield Borough Council
Solution
Chesterfield Borough Council now have their own bespoke payment kiosk software, user interface and online portal, with increased functionality and services for both the kiosk users and the Council Revenue Team. The kiosks are fully supported by our technical team, and operationally they will continue to provide exceptional value for the foreseeable future.
Cost Saving
Making the decision to look for a provider to take over their existing payment kiosks rather than buying new machines has resulted in a large cost saving – the benefits of which will be seen across the Council’s budgets for the next 7 years. The Chesterfield Borough Council Revenue Team have increased their operational efficiencies and have streamlined the time spent on kiosk related tasks, resulting in an additional cost saving.
Almost all of our interaction has occurred during the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic, but I have to say that I have found communication to be regular and clear, efforts to resolve issues first class, and overall professionalism to be excellent. EasyPay Network area knowledgeable company who are forward thinking, looking at ways to make technology work for us and our customers.
Christian Walton
Head of Customer Services
Chesterfield Borough Council
Find out more about how EasyPay Network can support your Council or local authority with the installation and management of self-service kiosks, or contact us to book a demo.