Council Customer Service Case Study
How Barking & Dagenham Council improved adviser response time and accuracy.
By implementing a single source of approved service information, searchable in seconds while advisers handle live resident enquiries.
The Operational Problem
When advisers scramble for answers, service slows down
Barking & Dagenham faced a familiar challenge: the information advisers needed existed, but it wasn’t always in one place, easy to verify or quick to use during a live resident enquiry.
Answers were spread across shared drives, personal notes or with long-serving staff. When an adviser was unsure, the quickest route was often to ask a colleague or manager.
Remote and hybrid working added another layer of complexity, turning quick questions into Teams messages and line manager interruptions.
The outcome was all too familiar: slower responses, greater reliance on experienced staff and less confidence that every resident was receiving the same, accurate answer.
The KPSOL Transformation
Barking & Dagenham Council changed how advisers found answers
Rather than relying on knowledge spread across different places and people, Barking & Dagenham Council introduced KPSOL as a single source of approved service information for frontline teams.
Advisers use the system to quickly search for up-to-date information across Council Tax, housing, repairs, waste and parking during live calls.
Managers also gained a simple way to keep guidance current, alongside reporting that shows the most frequently accessed enquiries across their teams.
The result was a much simpler working model: one place to find answers, information that was accurate and controlled, and less need for advisers to ask a colleague or manager.
Before KPSOL. After KPSOL.
A direct comparison of daily customer service operations.
Advisers search shared drives, message colleagues or ask a manager.
Personal notes and long-serving employees become the fallback source of truth.
Team leaders are repeatedly pulled into day-to-day enquiries.
Training has to carry too much information upfront.
Older information can still be relied on.
Approach
They find approved, service-specific answers while handling the resident enquiry.
Advisers can access the same approved information, regardless of experience.
Advisers resolve more questions independently.
Staff can revisit videos, documents and required reading when needed.
Content can be reviewed, updated and flagged when something is wrong.
What changed for advisers, managers and new starters
The impact went beyond faster access to information. Barking & Dagenham Council saw practical changes in how frontline staff worked, how managers spent their time and how new starters were supported.
Advisers became self-
sufficient
With one place to find approved, current information, advisers could resolve more enquiries without checking with a colleague or manager.
That reduced internal back-and-forth and helped lower call handling times across complex enquiries.
“I don’t have to keep telling people to look at the knowledge base now. They do it first.”
Marilyn Adeyan | Barking & Dagenham Council
Managers got time back
Before KPSOL, managers and experienced colleagues were often pulled into routine questions from frontline staff.
As advisers became more confident using the system, that reliance reduced, freeing managers to focus on their wider responsibilities.
“The reliance on managers was less, allowing managers to get on with their other roles and tasks.”
Marilyn Adeyan | Barking & Dagenham Council
Training and compliance
became easier to manage
Training materials, videos and service guidance were kept in the same system advisers used day to day, so new starters could revisit information when they needed it.
Managers could also use required reading to make sure important updates, including GDPR guidance, were seen by the right teams.
“Guidance remains accessible after onboarding, ensuring frontline compliance without continuous retraining.”
Marilyn Adeyan | Barking & Dagenham Council
The impact in day-to-day customer service
Lower average handling time
Less back-and-forth waiting for colleagues or managers during live calls.
All three teams using the base
Up from only one team actively using the previous system.
Shorter training time
Delivered in a smaller timeframe, with videos and written guidance supporting different learning styles.
Improved accuracy & confidence
Advisers trusted the information and increasingly went to KPSOL first.
How Barking & Dagenham introduced this system
Reviewed the current setup
Barking & Dagenham took up a consultation with Joanne Southward,
KPSOL’s knowledge management consultant, to review how advisers were
finding information and where the operational gaps were.
Saw the platform in action
Jo then demonstrated the KPSOL platform against those needs, showing
how advisers could quickly access approved, up-to-date answers during
live resident enquiries.
The business case made sense
The team could see how KPSOL would solve the problem without replacing
existing systems or requiring a major IT project, making the decision
to proceed relatively simple.
Live in 2 weeks
KPSOL configured the system around the council’s team and their service
requirements. With only 3 days of consultancy time, and training the
system was live in 2 weeks.
Self-sufficient, with support when needed
The team quickly adopted the platform and became increasingly
self-sufficient, while Jo remains available for ongoing training
and support.
“Jo really worked with me to understand what I wanted to achieve… and the ongoing support has always been good.”
Marilyn Adeyan — Barking & Dagenham Council
FAQs
SharePoint and OneNote are excellent for storing and sharing information, but KPSOL is purpose-built for knowledge management. It makes knowledge easier to find at the answer level, captures and manages expertise, and provides governance, feedback, and insight into how knowledge is being used.
No. KPSOL is designed for a fast, low-effort rollout with minimal IT involvement. As a SaaS solution, KPSOL take care of both the hardware and software and provide full support during and after implementation.
Yes. KPSOL can be introduced around a specific team or business process and expanded over time. Starting small lets you demonstrate value, establish your knowledge structure and workflows, and then scale across the organisation when you’re ready.