Croydon Council | A Netcall success story

In 2019, Croydon Council faced expensive and inefficient challenges. Maintaining their Microsoft Dynamics CRM and paying for consultant fees cost about £1.5 million each year. Their digital systems were disconnected, with multiple platforms and form-based tools that didn’t work well together. This made it hard to deliver joined-up services quickly and efficiently.

Many key services relied on spreadsheets, which were error-prone and difficult to manage as the council grew. Croydon needed a more sustainable and efficient way to deliver digital services.

Croydon chose Netcall's Citizen Hub solution – a full-stack, low-code platform that streamlines case management, workflows, and process automation, specifically designed for councils, powered by Liberty Create. Previously, they faced costly and inefficient challenges. Maintaining their custom-built applications with Microsoft Dynamics CRM and consultants cost about £1.5 million a year. Their digital systems were fragmented across multiple disconnected platforms and forms, making it hard to deliver joined-up services and respond quickly to residents’ needs.

Legacy system replacement

The Covid crisis accelerated change, pushing the rapid adoption of new technology and proving the strength of the platform. In 2021, the team refocused on their goal to systematically replace outdated systems. They achieved:

Fully retiring Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Eliminating Azure Stack hosting expenses
Moving from spreadsheets to integrated applications
Phasing out several old e-form solutions

Since then, the team has developed a diverse and impressive suite of applications, outlined below.

AI & integration

Croydon built a powerful Document Intelligence solution, integrating with AI to streamline their citizenship process. Every month, the Home Office sends a printed list of people eligible to apply for citizenship in Croydon. Instead of manually processing this data, the council now scans the documents and automatically extracts the important details using AI, saving time and ensuring accuracy.

This data is sent to a smart engagement platform that connects with a simple, user-friendly portal. People can interact with the council directly on the website – no registration or login needed. The Digital Team’s top priority is delivering a smoother experience by removing unnecessary steps, following Government Digital Service (GDS) principles of clarity and user-focused design.

Moving from the main website into forms is seamless, so users can quickly complete tasks without any disruption. After finishing, users receive clear instructions on what to do next, sent straight to their email. Submissions are available instantly for back-office council staff to process, and contact centre teams can view the case and offer help as needed. This fast, intuitive approach meets the needs of today’s residents.

Increased conversions

Croydon has developed innovative applications, including apps that have transformed fostering recruitment and citizenship ceremonies by replacing outdated spreadsheets with modern, data-driven solutions.

The new fostering enquiry form streamlines initial engagement and training for foster carers, allowing prospective carers to easily connect with the council through a user-friendly public portal. Each interaction is scored, enabling staff to identify and prioritize the most engaged candidates. This strategic approach has increased the percentage of interested individuals becoming foster families from 6% to 16%, establishing it as a key part of Croydon’s fostering program.

The Births, Deaths, and Notice registrations app (including marriages and civil partnerships) is in development based on the successful model used for citizenship ceremonies. This new app will feature seamless booking and integrated payments to enhance the registration experience for all users.

Investing in existing staff as low-code developers

Croydon’s eight-person development team is a great example of successful skills development. The team includes three experienced developers, a former Microsoft Dynamics system administrator, a lead tester focused on quality assurance, and a junior developer moving into form building. Everyone has trained in Liberty Create and most were already part of Croydon Council. They also get support from colleagues specializing in UX design, product management, content design, and user research.

The experienced developers have adapted well to low-code tools, quickly seeing the benefits of faster and more efficient delivery. Any initial worries about losing traditional coding skills, like C#, faded once they saw how much more quickly they could build solutions without sacrificing quality.

A vast array of applications

The team has developed a wide range of user-friendly applications:

Place applications (Built environment)

Licensing platform: Managing 14 different licence types on a single platform architecture, from skip permits to animal licensing, making it simple to manage licences affecting multiple sites effectively.
Dropped kerb applications: Driveway permissions with real-time conflicting roadwork checks through One Network API integration.
Street naming and numbering: Allowing developers to apply for new properties.
Land charges: Solicitor and conveyancer services.
Healthy Homes: Energy efficiency grants program.

People applications (Human services)

Disabled person’s freedom passes: Apply for London transport travel passes.
Directory of services: Self-maintaining directory which enables third-sector organisations to self-register and includes automated email reminders to keep their details up-to-date – reducing administrative work for the council.
Equalities data collection: Centralised council-wide equality monitoring tool, where data is accessible from any other app or external system, centralising equalities data collection.
Red file: Alerts staff to high-risk properties or individuals, supporting safety and data protection.
School admissions appeals: Seamless process for Key Stage 1 and 2 school allocation appeals, removing the need for spreadsheets, with end-to-end process automation for appeals.
Foster parent recruitment: Foster carer recruitment and training management.
Citizenship ceremonies: Online bookings for general and private ceremonies, with the use of AI to extract data from Home Office printed documents and automated communication for eligible citizens.
Shared lives: Matches people seeking or offering accommodation, helping to provide disability support and companionship for vulnerable residents.

Waste and recycling services

These all integrate via API to Echo, Croydon’s waste services provider’s system:

Bin collection days
Missed bin reports/crew-related issues
Assisted bin collections application
Garden waste service – new subscriptions, renewals, managing your service
Bulky waste orders – new orders, amending orders, cancelling orders.

Homelessness booking appointments

Croydon’s first booking system, which has evolved to include Registrars service – citizenship ceremony booking, birth, death, marriage, and civil partnership notice appointments.

Core services

General enquiries: One place for enquiry application handling 400+ council service lines within Croydon’s corporate contact centre.
Contact the council: Self-service tool with a decision tree to guide you to the right service.

Payment processing and reconciliation

The following applications unlocked new revenue streams with secure integrated payment processing: