Regional Government of Biscay Local Authority Gives Its Citizens Easy Online Access to Services

The Diputación Foral de Bizkaia (Regional Government of Biscay) wanted to improve services for citizens and minimise operating costs. To achieve these goals, it deployed the Microsoft Citizen Service Platform, which gives local people fast, easy, 24-hour access to a wide range of public services online. Additional benefits of the solution include an improved service for rural communities, free e-mail services for citizens, and new productivity tools for council employees.

Business Needs

Local authorities are under significant pressure to improve the quality of services for its citizens, while increasing efficiency and minimising operating costs. This is the case at the Regional Government of Biscay, where technology is a critical tool for maximising service quality and efficiency.

The population of Biscay is distributed across a large, rural area, making it difficult for citizens to attend council offices in person. To save people time and reduce the cost of service delivery, the local authority decided to make a range of public services available online. Ibon Oñate Zamalloa, General Manager, BiscayTIK Foundation, says: “Nearly everyone in Biscay has access to broadband Internet at home. We wanted to deliver a range of public services electronically to improve interaction with local people and make best use of council resources.”

As an additional goal, the local authority wanted to provide a free e-mail service to citizens across the region. “We need to give people as many choices as possible when it comes to contacting us,” says Oñate Zamalloa. “We wanted to provide a free e-mail service to all our citizens in both Basque and Spanish languages, creating a direct line of communication between citizens and the government.”

To maximise operational efficiency, the Regional Government of Biscay wanted access to the latest office productivity tools. “We understand how the latest technologies can improve workflow, reduce routine tasks, and enhance collaboration between distributed employees and teams. We wanted to make all this possible to increase our productivity, optimise administrative processes, and keep costs down,” says Oñate Zamalloa.

The Biscay local authority created the BiscayTIK Foundation and asked it to deploy a solution. After investigating a range of options, the BiscayTIK Foundation chose to roll out the Microsoft Citizen Service Platform, which incorporates Windows Server, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, and Microsoft Dynamics. The solution supports next-generation communications and electronic service delivery, helping governments serve citizens and businesses more effectively.

The Citizen Service Platform gives local people access to an intuitive Citizens’ Advice Centre portal. Here, they can quickly access public services by telephone, Internet, e-mail, or instant messenger, and fill in and submit relevant forms electronically. Oñate Zamalloa says: “Citizens can use the Microsoft solution to complete more than 100 of the most commonly requested tasks online. This has made interacting with us much easier from the citizen’s point of view. Plus, we cut the cost of providing services by delivering them online.”

As a central element of the solution, the Citizen Service Platform provides a free e-mail account for every citizen who wants one. The service, which is available in both Basque and Spanish languages, offers a five-gigabyte inbox and is compatible with all Internet browsers. “Local citizens and businesses now have instant access to contacts across the local authority, making it much easier to work with us,” says Oñate Zamalloa.

The Microsoft Citizen Service Platform provides next-generation enterprise resource management tools that are helping the Regional Government of Biscay streamline procurement, accounts, human resources, and a range of other key functions. It also supports a cross-council intranet portal, fully integrated voice and data communications, and enterprise search functionality to give employees fast access to all the information they need.

Council employees can track the progress of citizens’ requests using sophisticated file and document management features. “Because we can monitor requests and queries through to resolution, we are improving the quality of services and experiencing much higher rates of citizen satisfaction,” says Oñate Zamalloa. “We are also working faster and spending far less time on routine administration.”

The Microsoft Citizen Service Platform gives citizens in the Biscay region access to a wide range of public services 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the comfort of their homes and offices. “People can complete more than 100 tasks online, including applying for permits, requesting certificates, and enrolling for courses,” says Oñate Zamalloa. “As a result, we’re saving people time and increasing our competitiveness as a society.”

• Excellent service for citizens. By making services available online, the Regional Government of Biscay is saving local people many hours a year. Oñate Zamalloa says: “People no longer have to come to our offices and wait in line. Instead, they get personalised services, fast turnaround times, and secure access to what they need from any Internet-connected computer.”

• Improved access to public services. Electronic service delivery is giving Biscay’s rural population better access to council services. “Many municipalities are too small to deliver the full range of council services locally,” says Oñate Zamalloa. “Where residents previously had to travel to the nearest big town, they can now do everything online.”

• Compliance with central government guidelines. The Regional Government of Biscay can now comply with e-government directives from central government. “Electronic service delivery has helped us meet nationwide requirements, specifically for improving access in rural areas and serving people with disabilities better,” says Oñate Zamalloa.

• Enhanced communications with citizens. By providing a free e-mail service, the Regional Government of Biscay has improved communications with local citizens. Oñate Zamalloa says: “Citizens can now find contact details for government employees and departments, making it quicker and easier to contact us than ever before.”

• Increased efficiency through next-generation IT. Town halls across the region are now using IT to improve productivity and maximise efficiency. Oñate Zamalloa says: “Services were previously fragmented and departmentalised. Our Microsoft solution gives us full visibility of what’s happening across the authority and helps us work together effectively to improve the experience of the citizens who depend on us.”

For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit: www.microsoft.com/casestudies