Councils are at a pivotal point in their digital evolution
Only 17% of public-sector organisations surveyed considered their digital transformation efforts successful, contributing to a 21 percentage-point gap between private and public sector customer satisfaction. Rising resident expectations, matched with the rapid pace of technology, are driving the need for transformation.
- 01Improve the local government customer experience
- 02Reduce operating costs
- 03Enable flexible, future-proof service models
Sources: KPMG/Forrester, Public sector digital transformation; Deloitte, Government Trends 2025.
How expectations have moved
Select a periodThe expectation was more on the people than on the technology
- Phone and counter service dominant
- Limited CRM for government
- Siloed systems and slow response times
A brief period of empathy and tolerance
- Most workers went remote
- New demand for digital channels
- Shift to cloud-based infrastructure
A rise in resident digital literacy, and impatience
- Government CX under new scrutiny
- Uptake in email, chat, video and online self-service
- Overdue focus on disaster resilience
Increased intolerance for limited technology options, and a need for 24x7 support
- Steady growth of omnichannel
- Surge of interest in AI (chatbots, virtual assistants)
- CRM for local government gaining traction
A growing expectation of faster, smarter, secure, accessible and personalised service for everyone
- Taking advantage of generative and agentic AI’s transformative effect on automation and analytics capabilities
- Focus on accessibility and data protection responsibilities
Phone and counter still dominate. Digital is catching up fast.
Local governments typically manage a high volume and wide variety of resident interactions through inbound calls, emails and counter services. Digital adoption is increasing rapidly, driven by changing demographics and service availability expectations.
Key trends- Self-service and digital-first engagement
- Growing interest in AI for insights and service automation
- Increasing recognition of the critical importance of responsible AI adoption
of customers say their interactions are easier when companies use generative AI.
Source: Customer Insights 2026: Align GenAI Investments With New Customer Behaviours
Matching the channel to the interaction
Emotional importance, urgency and complexity shape which channel residents reach for first, and where they go next.
| Example interaction | Emotional importance | Urgency | Complexity | First channel | Second channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Routine or casual research | Low | Low | Low | Web chat | Self-service |
| Instructions on finding out about proposed planning or house building | Low | Low | High | Self-service | |
| Understand service charges before ordering | Low | High | High | Phone | Web chat / self-service |
| Simple question about the above | High | High | Low | Phone / social | Web chat |
| Complaint about incorrect billing | High | Low | High | Phone | |
| Household emergency advice | High | High | High | Web chat | Phone |
| Booking inspection | High | Low | Low | Phone | Self-service |
Source: based on ContactBabel Contact Centre Decision-Makers' Guide.
Siloed systems make it harder to do more with less
Many local governments still operate with siloed operations and technology stacks, contributing to inconsistent service and poor transparency and visibility. These problems compound when councils are expected to do more with less.
Source: Accenture, Reimagining public services in the age of AI.
- 01
Disconnected channels
Communication channels disconnected between departments, delaying resolution.
- 02
Legacy phone systems
Phone systems unable to support recommended technology.
- 03
Limited integration
Little integration between the contact centre and back-office systems.
- 04
Inadequate reporting
Difficult to measure performance or make improvements.
- 05
Long waits, low FCR
Long wait times and low first contact resolution, exacerbating customer frustration.
- 06
Underequipped teams
Limited resources, increasing agent dissatisfaction.
A fit-for-purpose platform empowers agents and residents
Your contact centre technology must be reliable, with capabilities that help you reduce costs, optimise resources and improve both customer and employee experiences. It must provide a flexible AI-enabled foundation for future development and growth.
Local government's top six reasons to adopt AI
- 1Improve accuracy of responses
- 2Improve knowledge base
- 3Reduce call queues
- 4Better understand customers
- 5Handle more enquiries through self-service
- 6Predict customer behaviour
Source: ContactBabel, AI in Local Government.
Start with the symptom you recognise
Pick what your council is experiencing to see the likely technology limitation behind it, and the solution to explore. The guide maps 16 symptoms, from hiring more staff to agent attrition.
Break your aspirations into manageable steps
In a contact centre, progress is often incremental. Start from where your council is today, derisk the process, and move forward strategically from the capabilities you already have.
Consistent customer experience
The same CX team can handle both voice and email, ensuring unified messaging and tone across both channels.
Measurable performance
Email interactions are tracked and reported alongside voice, giving leaders a more complete view of service quality and contact centre activity.
Operational flexibility
Administrators manage emails just like calls, shifting resources between queues to meet demand in real time.
Choose a partner, not just a feature list
Selecting a vendor is about more than technology features. Councils need a partner that understands the public sector and has a strong pedigree in customer experience. Look for:
- Proven business longevity and financial solidity
- Consistent reliability and trusted performance
- Specialist expertise in customer experience (CX)
- Deep industry knowledge and operational experience
- Strong local presence and availability
- A diverse, innovative technology and AI portfolio enabling future growth
- 01Can your solution integrate with our existing systems and CRM, or support APIs that make this possible?
- 02How do you support unique local government workflows?
- 03What experience do you have with councils of our size?
- 04Can you demonstrate outcomes from other councils?
- 05How frequently is your solution updated with new capabilities?
- 06What does your AI roadmap look like?
- 07How will you support our current platform and business needs, and adapt as our business evolves?
Built for government compliance is non-negotiable
Government bodies must adhere to strict standards for privacy, accessibility and data management.
Essential requirements- Compliance with regional privacy and security regulations, e.g. AU/NZ Privacy Acts or UK GDPR
- WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards for all digital interfaces to support disability accessibility
- Local data centre hosting and documented data sovereignty controls
- Full audit trails for resident interactions
Local government organisations list legacy systems, financial pressures and insufficient staff capacity.
Source: Local Government Association, State of Digital in Local Government.
- S Accessibility for all users
- E Rights-based access
- C Secure client communications
- U Encryption (256-bit AES)
- R Local data storage compliance
- E GDPR and AU/NZ Privacy Acts compliance tools
It's easier than you think
Well-managed change starts with a strong business case, and its most critical element is ROI. Securing approval is far easier when you can show the cost and risk of doing nothing, in both direct financial impact and potential brand damage.
Work with your procurement team to understand the processes for purchases at this level.
- 01
Identify mandates you can’t meet today
- List the regulatory and business mandates you can’t comply with today, and the cost of non-compliance.
- 02
Compare total cost of ownership
- Current system
- Potential cloud solution (private or multi-tenant)
- Potential on-premises solution
- 03
Project ROI on financial and service criteria
- Improved overheads from better call volumes and shorter average handle time, through omnichannel, automation, self-service and back-office collaboration
- Fewer repeat calls, escalations and complaints through improved call handling and resolution of preventable calls
- Improvements in resident satisfaction, NPS and public trust
- 04
Look for funding opportunities
- Digital transformation grants and public sector innovation programmes can offset costs.
Why ROI matters for your CX projects
Justifies budget allocation
Demonstrating ROI secures executive buy-in and sustained funding by proving the business value of CX initiatives.
Aligns CX with business priorities
Links customer experience efforts to outcomes like revenue growth, retention and cost reduction.
Improves strategic decision-making
Data-driven ROI insights help teams prioritise initiatives, allocate resources and make informed trade-offs.
Optimises resource utilisation
Knowing what delivers ROI helps you invest time, talent and technology where it makes the most impact.
Allows benchmarking and performance tracking
Evaluate performance over time, compare teams or markets, and set realistic goals based on industry standards.
Encourages accountability and ownership
When CX success is measured, teams are more invested and see how their work contributes to business impact.
Supports continuous improvement
ROI feedback loops highlight what’s working, and what’s not, enabling agile adjustments.
Strengthens the internal case for CX
Reinforces CX as a business-critical function, not just a “nice to have”.
What councils are achieving with Enghouse
Councils that chose solutions matched to their goals, challenges and growth plans, and the real-world impact for their CX teams and residents.
Boosting service visibility and efficiency through integrated contact centre solutions
“Before we had Enghouse there was no visibility of what our team was doing, or the value they add to the business. We’ve got very talented people helping our customers, and they can do so much more when they have the right tools at their disposal.
I have nothing but admiration for the service and support we’ve been getting from Enghouse. It’s a huge benefit for us that the full Enghouse portfolio has so much potential for our future growth.
Our contact centre migration with Enghouse to Microsoft Teams went exceptionally well and the Customer Service team especially loves having visibility of people’s availability with Teams Presence.”
Improving efficiency and effectiveness with AI Quality Management and cloud-based customer service
annual QA evaluation coverage at a mid-sized council handling 120,000 interactions a year.
“As a mid-sized council, we need to achieve a lot with limited resources. Enghouse provides us with a comprehensive customer service platform that completely fits our needs, allowing us to increase our annual agent evaluation coverage from fewer than 1% of our calls to 90% now.
Our partnership with Enghouse is a continuing journey, built on innovation and support for our needs. We’re focused on using technology such as AI to do things smarter. The success of AI Quality Management perfectly demonstrates this, improving our effectiveness and efficiency.”
More customer stories at enghouseinteractive.com/customers/testimonials
See how Enghouse ticks the boxes
Tick the capabilities each provider on your shortlist offers. Features are always important, but also weigh support capability and reputation, roadmap alignment and public sector expertise.
| Feature | Vendor A | Vendor B | Enghouse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omnichannel capabilities | ✓ | ||
| Meets your deployment needs now and in future: public cloud, private cloud, on-premises or hybrid | ✓ | ||
| CX-focused AI, including virtual agents, agent assist, AI quality management and voice of the customer (VoC) capabilities | ✓ | ||
| Microsoft Teams integration | ✓ | ||
| Self-service | ✓ | ||
| Local live support, in region | ✓ | ||
| CRM for local government integration | ✓ | ||
| Support for councils under 50 agents, and higher | ✓ | ||
| Experienced contact centre vendor and advisor | ✓ | ||
| Score | 0 / 9 | 0 / 9 | 9 / 9 |
Talk to Enghouse about successfully modernising your contact centre technology to better meet your community's needs
- Book a discovery session
- Speak with a local government CX expert
- See a live demonstration tailored to your environment
Or email [email protected]
Enghouse Interactive supports over 300 local government organisations across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom with secure, cloud-ready contact centre technology built for public service, from cities to regional and rural districts.
Enghouse Interactive is a leading global provider of AI-enabled contact centre software and services, serving thousands of customers for over 40 years. Its portfolio spans cloud, on-premises and hybrid CX platforms along with quality management, workforce optimisation, outbound communications and video technologies. Enghouse Interactive is a subsidiary of Enghouse Systems Ltd (TSX: ENGH).
KPMG/Forrester, Public sector digital transformation · Deloitte, Government Trends 2025 · Customer Insights 2026: Align GenAI Investments With New Customer Behaviours · ContactBabel, Contact Centre Decision-Makers' Guide · Accenture, Reimagining public services in the age of AI · ContactBabel, AI in Local Government · Local Government Association, State of Digital in Local Government
Contact Centre Technology in Local Government: Buyer's Guide