Scottish council spends £1m on contact centre

Argyll and Bute Council has given IT services company Steria a £1m contract to provide a customer contact centre.

The deal is in line with the council's strategy to streamline the number of telephone lines and calls from citizens by making it easier to track and log enquiries.

The council hopes the system - part of a wider business process re-engineering initiative - will help it identify recurring community issues and improve the efficiency of services.

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Argyll and Bute Council head of democratic services and governance, Charles Reppke, said in a statement: "We are looking forward to being able to offer the public a premium service in terms of response time as well as easier access to council services.

"This solution is a fantastic way for us to communicate effectively with residents and build their trust in the fact that their calls are being actioned as a matter of priority."

The council is the second largest Scottish local authority in geographical terms, covering six towns, 25 islands and more than 2,700 miles of coastline.