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Oxfordshire County Council receives Zoom CX Excellence Europe Award: A Model for Public Sector Innovation
Oxfordshire County Council receives the Zoom CX Excellence Award 2025 for transforming citizen services with Zoom Contact Centre and AI, cutting wait times by over half.
7 min read
Updated on January 08, 2026
Published on January 08, 2026
In this blog
- 01 Transforming the Citizen Experience - Jumplink to Transforming the Citizen Experience
- 02 Innovation in Action - Jumplink to Innovation in Action
- 03 Success through Partnership - Jumplink to Success through Partnership
- 04 A Culture of Care - Jumplink to A Culture of Care
- 05 The Road to AI - Jumplink to The Road to AI
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Ben Neo
Head of CX Sales, EMEA
Last December, at Oxfordshire County Council County Hall, a significant milestone in local government innovation was celebrated. Zoom officially presented the CX Excellence Award 2025 to Martin Reeves, CEO, and Councillor Dan Levy, recognising the Council's outstanding achievement in transforming the citizen experience.
This award highlights the Council's successful deployment of Zoom’s customer experience (ZCX) solutions to replace legacy infrastructure with a modern, AI-driven support system that puts residents' needs first.
The impact of this transformation has been immediate and measurable. Since implementing the solution in December 2024, the Council has moved away from departmental silos to redesign services around "life events," supporting a more intuitive journey for residents.
Despite an increase in call volumes, the improvements in efficiency and accessibility have been remarkable:
- Drastic Reduction in Wait Times: Average wait times have dropped from 5.23 minutes to just 2.37 minutes.
- Faster Resolutions: Average Handle Times (AHT) have been slashed from 14 minutes to 4.42 minutes, freeing up agents to help more citizens.
- Smoother Journeys: Internal transfers for key services like Adult Social Care have decreased by 30% thanks to data-driven improvements in the IVR.
- 100% Quality Assurance: Supervisors can now analyse sentiment and engagement on 100% of calls, compared to just a 7% sample previously.
The Council hasn't just sped up processes; they have made them smarter. By leveraging AI and digital channels, they have introduced features that genuinely make life easier for residents. For example, during Blue Badge applications, citizens can now send photos via SMS or WhatsApp while on a call, reducing the need for separate emails and potential week-long delays.
Staff are equally empowered. With AI-driven knowledge bases assisting advisors in real-time, training time has been reduced by up to two months, giving the team more confidence to handle complex queries consistently.
Achieving this level of transformation on a tight timeline required exceptional teamwork. Oxfordshire County Council, Zoom, Softcat and Acceleraate worked worked closely together to implement the solution within a tight timeline.
Despite the pressure of a rapid Phase 1 rollout, the commitment from the Council's team—led by dedicated figures of Tom Parsons, Richard Merritt and Clare Martin—alongside Acceleraate’s technical expertise, ensured a successful launch. This collaboration serves as a blueprint for how public bodies can leverage expert partners to navigate complex digital shifts safely and effectively.
During the presentation, Ben Neo, Head of CX Sales for Zoom EMEA, emphasised that this award recognises more than just technology implementation—it honours a "culture of care."
"We looked at nominees who went beyond standard delivery to build sustainable services where both the customer and agent benefit," said Neo. "No one chooses their council, but Oxfordshire is creating advocates among their residents by proving they are listening and improving every day."
Accepting the award, CEO Martin Reeves commented:
"We are delighted to receive this award and we will continue to use the technology to deliver simpler, better services to our residents. We’ll keep learning, keep improving, and keep putting our customers at the centre of everything we do."
This award marks the beginning, not the end, of Oxfordshire’s journey. The Council has a robust roadmap for the next six months, including the introduction of Zoom Virtual Agent to supportHighways, Blue Badge, and Congestion Charge enquiries. The goal is to move toward "just say what you would like help with" routing and 24/7 autonomous AI agents, aiming to make services available whenever residents need them.
As the UK public sector faces the dual challenge of budget constraints and rising digital expectations, Oxfordshire County Council stands as a powerful case study. They have shown that by embracing cloud technology and AI, local governments can save money, empower staff, and, most importantly, deliver a standard of service that residents deserve.
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