Innovative practices in Bulgaria
Sharing innovations for improving local self-government
Improving services through a Customer Service Center and developing a system for automated information processing
Municipality of Aetos
Background
The Aitos municipal authorities approved the idea to build a Customer Services Center functioning on the one stop principle. The Center was designed to offer citizens all information and services provided by the Municipal Administration and, in the same time, avoid the direct contact with the executive of the service needed.
For this purpose, a project for building a Customer Service Center was implemented in 2001. Together with Alternatives Association , the Municipality of Aitos developed the idea and raised funds for a project for reconstruction and repairing of an old one-floor building situated on the Municipality grounds. The Center was established in one of the halls of the building, while the other one was given to the Association for building a Center for professional re-training of unemployed citizens .
Simultaneously, the level of automation of the municipal administration work was assessed (e.g. the availability of a local computer network, number of stations connected to the net and their hardware features, operational systems and software products, peripheral mechanisms, as well as access to the Internet).
The project team prepared technological cards of the services offered and defined the ones that could be automated. The main purpose of the technological card was to optimize the activities for providing various services and to clarify the legal grounds and expenses, in order to guarantee for the quality and fast implementation.
The financial inability to buy sofware or hire a firm for automating the activities incited the Municipality of Aitos to assign the task to the system administrator.
A special survey collected not only citizens` opinions and expectations of the Center, but also publicized the new way of providing municipal services. Future employees of the Center passed the necessary training, organized by RAM Trakia with trainers from the Foundation for Local Government Reform.
The Aitos municipal authorities approved the idea to build a Customer Services Center functioning on the one stop principle. The Center was designed to offer citizens all information and services provided by the Municipal Administration and, in the same time, avoid the direct contact with the executive of the service needed.
For this purpose, a project for building a Customer Service Center was implemented in 2001. Together with Alternatives Association , the Municipality of Aitos developed the idea and raised funds for a project for reconstruction and repairing of an old one-floor building situated on the Municipality grounds. The Center was established in one of the halls of the building, while the other one was given to the Association for building a Center for professional re-training of unemployed citizens .
Simultaneously, the level of automation of the municipal administration work was assessed (e.g. the availability of a local computer network, number of stations connected to the net and their hardware features, operational systems and software products, peripheral mechanisms, as well as access to the Internet).
The project team prepared technological cards of the services offered and defined the ones that could be automated. The main purpose of the technological card was to optimize the activities for providing various services and to clarify the legal grounds and expenses, in order to guarantee for the quality and fast implementation.
The financial inability to buy sofware or hire a firm for automating the activities incited the Municipality of Aitos to assign the task to the system administrator.
A special survey collected not only citizens` opinions and expectations of the Center, but also publicized the new way of providing municipal services. Future employees of the Center passed the necessary training, organized by RAM Trakia with trainers from the Foundation for Local Government Reform.
Practice
The system for automated information processing consists of four interacting modules:
1. Secretary Office entirely developed by the project team, it keeps the incoming and outgoing mails of the system. It gives the opportunity for control over the processing of a document needed by the administration, by date of incoming or outgoing number and date of fulfillment and release.
2. The Center Module supports the work of the employees who receive citizens` requests or feedback, and directs them to the administrative structure, which takes care of their implementation. It is important that the secretarial system automatically registers the document. Once the administration completes the service, the Center employee receives the outcome. At this point, the team had used the experience of other Bulgarian municipalities, but the module had been developed especially for the needs of the Municipality of Aitos.
3. The Administration Module supports the work of the administration, connected with issuing of various documents. There, management receives information about the number of services completed, as well as whether legal regulation terms have been considered, and if not what are the arguments of the administrative structure that completed the service. Once again, the experience of other municipalities served as a base for developing the module, especially for the needs of Aitos Municipal Administration.
4. The Cash-desk Module will be more thoroughly presented, as it is a self-dependent development, which successfully organizes the incomes of the Municipality.
The work screen covers all the services the Municipality offers to its citizens. It helps organizing all the data needed in the system, based on which the employee (disbursing official) uses the Financial Report Menu, where he/she checks daily, monthly, and periodical reports. Another advantage is the possibility for combined work with the services of more than one department, e.g. a delivery note for several departments could be issued.
The system for automated information processing consists of four interacting modules:
1. Secretary Office entirely developed by the project team, it keeps the incoming and outgoing mails of the system. It gives the opportunity for control over the processing of a document needed by the administration, by date of incoming or outgoing number and date of fulfillment and release.
2. The Center Module supports the work of the employees who receive citizens` requests or feedback, and directs them to the administrative structure, which takes care of their implementation. It is important that the secretarial system automatically registers the document. Once the administration completes the service, the Center employee receives the outcome. At this point, the team had used the experience of other Bulgarian municipalities, but the module had been developed especially for the needs of the Municipality of Aitos.
3. The Administration Module supports the work of the administration, connected with issuing of various documents. There, management receives information about the number of services completed, as well as whether legal regulation terms have been considered, and if not what are the arguments of the administrative structure that completed the service. Once again, the experience of other municipalities served as a base for developing the module, especially for the needs of Aitos Municipal Administration.
4. The Cash-desk Module will be more thoroughly presented, as it is a self-dependent development, which successfully organizes the incomes of the Municipality.
The work screen covers all the services the Municipality offers to its citizens. It helps organizing all the data needed in the system, based on which the employee (disbursing official) uses the Financial Report Menu, where he/she checks daily, monthly, and periodical reports. Another advantage is the possibility for combined work with the services of more than one department, e.g. a delivery note for several departments could be issued.
Results
The successful practical results of the Customer Service Center show an easing of the process and saving time not only for the administration, but also for the citizens of the Municipality of Aitos. The practice could be successfully applied in other Bulgarian municipalities similar to the Municipality of Aitos, which has already given the opportunity to some of its colleagues to get familiar with its work.
The successful practical results of the Customer Service Center show an easing of the process and saving time not only for the administration, but also for the citizens of the Municipality of Aitos. The practice could be successfully applied in other Bulgarian municipalities similar to the Municipality of Aitos, which has already given the opportunity to some of its colleagues to get familiar with its work.
[Nominate]
back