Oxfordshire County Council: Closing the digital divide with a true technology partner and Zoom Contact Center

For Oxfordshire County Council, the journey began in a state of frustration. The team was tethered to a previous CCaaS and voice supplier that was failing to keep pace with the modern world. Richard Merritt, Service Delivery Manager, recalls the disconnect: "It wasn't where we wanted it to be. The experience that our residents had not been what our vision matched".

The Council faced a classic public sector dilemma: modernisation often risks exclusion. Richard highlights the specific anxiety they faced: "How do we make sure that we're offering digital solutions to people that can use them whilst making sure that those that can't don't get left behind?".

To solve this, the team spent a year scouring the market. The sheer weight of the search took a toll on the team's morale.

The gloom lifted during a visit to Zoom's Experience Centre in London. The goal of this session was to provide a broad overview of how the Council could improve customer experience across the organisation. For a team accustomed to rigid legacy systems, seeing the variety of the Zoom portfolio was a revelation.

Richard Merritt describes the immediate shift in perspective:

This affordability was the key to unlocking innovation. Like most local authorities, the Council is under pressure to "do more with less". The accessible pricing of Zoom Contact Center allowed them to look at efficiency gains delivered through AI, personalising the resident journey through omnichannel support.

Turning this vision into reality required exceptional teamwork. The Council worked closely with partners Softcat and Acceleraate to implement the solution within a tight timeline. The commitment from the Council's team, combined with Acceleraate's technical expertise, resulted in a rapid and successful launch, serving as a blueprint for how public bodies can navigate complex digital shifts safely.

The implementation brought immediate clarity to the organisation. Previously, the Council lacked visibility into their operations, but the new system provided access to real-time historical reporting and analytics - information they never had access to before. This allowed them to understand better why residents were contacting them and tailor services accordingly.

By redesigning services around "life events" rather than departmental silos, the advantages for residents have been staggering:

• Drastic Reduction in Wait Times: Dropped from 5.23 minutes to 2.37 minutes.
• Faster Resolutions: Average Handle Times (AHT) slashed from 14 minutes to 4.42 minutes.
• Smoother Journeys: Internal transfers for services like Adult Social Care decreased by 30%.

Despite the high-tech backend, the focus remained strictly human. As Richard Merritt emphasises:

Ultimately, the transformation was successful not just because of software code, but because of the relationship between the teams. The Council didn't want a transactional vendor; they wanted a partner.

Clare Martin reinforces that this relationship was built on mutual respect from the start:

Having spent the last 12 months "catching up to where we should have been," Richard notes that they are now looking to the future, aiming to "offer council services outside of the working hours".

The result is a dynamic ecosystem where both parties grow. As Clare concludes: "They're learning from us, we are learning from them, and it is an excellent relationship in terms of its mutually beneficial".