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Connecting Wales
The shared communication & contact centre platform for the Welsh public sector
Streamlining citizen access to services. Saving taxpayer money. Cost-effective access to the latest technology.
What is
Connecting Wales?
Backed by the Welsh government, Connecting Wales is a framework which enables any Welsh public sector body to procure the latest communication, collaboration and contact centre capabilities via the cloud.
Connecting Wales is a pioneering shared contact centre platform for councils and other public sector organisations across Wales. It provides access to a modern digital platform that’s both affordable and efficient, and hands Welsh citizens more control over the services they receive and access to the information they need. The platform enables working between councils and other public sector bodies including NHS Trusts and GP services providing a holistic service to citizens
Using technology to transform service delivery
Connecting Wales can help Welsh Public Sector bodies deliver their legislative obligations and meet the needs of both citizens and employees.
There is growing citizen demand for simplified access to services both within and across the Public Sector, delivered via their channel of choice. Connecting Wales helps support this Digital First agenda: offering citizens the choice to digitally self-serve or access support and services via the contact centre.
Connecting Wales enables Welsh public sector employees, whether contact centre or back office, to work from anywhere; helping support the Welsh government target of enabling 30% of Welsh employees to work remotely. The platform is dual language and supports the government objective of 33% of the population being Welsh language speakers by 2050.
Designed in line with the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act; Connecting Wales is a solution for the long term benefit of Wales: encouraging collaboration within and between Public Sector bodies to support the delivery of integrated services across areas such as health, social care and housing.
Supporting the Welsh digital agenda
Connecting Wales is an integral part of delivering the Welsh Government’s digital-first agenda. The Connecting Wales board is comprised of representatives from many of the end-users of the service, as well as representatives from the key organisations driving Wales’ digital agenda:
- Centre for Digital Public Services Wales
- Chief Digital Officer for Wales
- SOCITM Wales – Society for Innovation, Technology and Modernisation
- PBSA – Public Sector Broadband Aggregation
- Welsh Local Government Association
1
Platform
6
Contact centres
700k+
Citizens
100+
Public services delivered
20%+
Welsh Population
24/7
Service
Benefits for Welsh public sector
Meet legislative obligations
Adopt technology that helps you meet your obligations; Welsh language, Digital First strategy, the Wellbeing of Future Generations, 30% remote workers and the Social Care and Wellbeing Wales Act 2014
Meet changing citizen expectations
Respond to growing citizen demand for simplified and multi-channel access both within and across the public sector
Increased operational efficiency
Better MI and improved benchmarking, comparable between organisations, can help drive up performance
Cost Savings & speed to deploy
With Connecting Wales you can expect typical savings of 20% with a solution that is tried, tested and quick to roll out
Pathway to increased collaboration
A shared technology platform removes a key barrier to the development of collaborative and regional services
Develop streamlined processes
Use existing resources and share operational support functions, such as Resource Planning and Quality Assurance
Share scarce resources & skills
Shared access to Welsh language or limited support expertise via the shared technology platform
Increase operational resilience
Cloud solutions deliver disaster recovery and continuity benefits; shared services mean services can be failed-over to partners
All the benefits of cloud
A scalable and agile platform to test and trial new functionality and quickly roll out new capabilities
“This project is an excellent example of what can be achieved when local authorities and other public sector organisations work together. I am delighted Welsh Government funding is supporting collaboration across local government, allowing them to develop and use innovative technology to provide a better service to their customers and to make their staff’s jobs easier.”
Julie James
Minister for Housing and Local Government
Citizen Benefits
Powered by FourNet
Connecting Wales was born from discussions at the Customer Focus Wales groups which identified that much of the Welsh Public Sector was facing the same challenges of ageing, obsolete technology in the face of increasing citizen expectations and reduced budgets.
Spearheaded by the Vale of Glamorgan Council, a business case was presented to the Welsh Government who have supported and funded the creation of the Connecting Wales framework and platform.
After a competitive tender, FourNet, the award-winning communication, collaboration and contact centre specialists for the public sector were appointed to deliver the service.