Searching for a better solution

When the document management system used by its Benefits team was going out of support, Crawley Borough Council launched a tender for a replacement. The team was looking for a system that could help to:

• speed up claims processing
• improve accuracy
• reduce costs
• improve customer satisfaction

To deliver on these ambitions they chose NEC Document Management, which offers deep integration with back office systems, including Crawley’s NEC Benefits solution. At the same time, the council chose to connect Citizen Access – Benefits to transform the online claims process.

Improving productivity with real-time integration

NEC Document Management (NEC DM) controls all kinds of information with ease, from forms to email, voice, video and paper. It uses smart workflow and deep integration to get the right data to the right people quickly. Since going live in October 2024, Crawley has already realised significant benefits for its staff and customers.

Previously, if a new application or a change in circumstances was missing some evidence, the team would need to request the documents separately by email, download them once received and upload the details to their old document management system. Sometimes, this delay could lead to late or incorrect payments.

Now, the council can request, receive and index documents automatically from Citizen Access, saving staff time and reducing the risk that emails get missed. It’s improving the customer experience too, because their documents are shared with the council in real time, helping to prevent delays or errors and making sure they get the right amount of support every time.

Working faster and more efficiently

Crawley is also making good use of NEC DM’s latest tools, which we designed to keep teams focused on high-value work and not admin. This includes Email Connect, which automatically indexes incoming emails to take accurate information straight into NEC Benefits.

They also use Document Bundling, which allows them to collect, redact, bundle and share multiple files as a single PDF, eliminating hours of manual work associated with court hearings and Subject Access Requests.

Enjoying total customer focus in our cloud

To improve resilience and keep the focus on its customers, Crawley uses NEC DM in our fully-managed cloud. With advanced cybersecurity controls, continuous monitoring and a dedicated support team, this approach helps them to keep costs down, sustain high productivity and avoid adding to the pressure on in-house IT staff.