iCARE Customer Relationship Management System (CRMS)
National Environment Agency

A. Problem Analysis

 1. What was the problem before the implementation of the initiative?
Over the past decade, Singapore has transformed itself into a modern city that many see as a place to work, live and play. This can be attributed to Singapore’s robust economic policies and its government’s long term planning strategies. However, such achievements are not without its challenges. Besides having to manage competing land uses in land-scare Singapore, the government also has to manage the pressures on Singapore’s environment over the years. This is largely due to the rapid pace of urbanization with a 5 million (and still growing) population with diverse ethnicities. With a more educated, well travelled and IT savvy population, the citizenry also has higher expectations of efficiency and effectiveness from the government to the growing number of feedback with increased complexity. One enabler which NEA leverages upon heavily in managing public expectations and demands is technology in face of limited resources. In 2009, NEA embarked on a project to enhance its overall service delivery excellence, the core of which comprises a CRM IT system coupled with the necessary processes, service standards and people to better serve the citizens. The project culminated in the implementation of a robust Customer Relationship Management System (CRMS). Known as iCARE, the CRMS allows NEA a 360-degree view of all the feedback cases that it receives from the people of Singapore. The CRMS tracks all points of interaction with a feedback provider, from the moment when a feedback is logged to the closure of the case with the customer. This ensures that all cases are promptly and properly handled by NEA officers. The analytical features in the system also allow officers to perform better policy sensing and sense making in the formulation of policies which impact the daily lives of Singaporeans.

B. Strategic Approach

 2. What was the solution?
The concept of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) was introduced to NEA senior management in the 14th Infocom Technology Steering Committee (ITSC) meeting on 13 May 2009. Between Nov 2009 and Mar 2010, IT Department had worked closely with Microsoft to conduct a series of CRM visioning workshops with NEA key stakeholders. On 31 Mar 2010, CRMS project was approved as one of the FY10’s ICT (Information and Communications Technology) workplan items in the 15th ITSC meeting. The business objectives set forth for the CRMS were defined as follows: • Enhance NEA’s response to critical events and changing trends • Improve effectiveness and consistencies in feedback response • Better case traceability and management • Improve ability to manage and build partnerships • Increase customer satisfaction • Enable business and data analysis to equip management with actionable, cross-functional insights from customer database and feedback received With the approval of CRMS project, a project team comprising of representatives from Customer Quality and Service Department (Project Owner) and IT Department (IT Project Manager) in the agency were formed to implement this project. The project team did an in-depth assessment on the CRMS products available in the market and ultimately the decision was taken to go with Microsoft Dynamics CRMS 2011 which would best fit in with the agency’s business objectives and strategic goals. One of the core considerations was to have an IT system which could handle the multi channels of feedback that the agency has, which includes emails, phone calls, faxes, online reporting, walk-ins. The ability to integrate Microsoft CRMS with Microsoft Outlook, which was the mailing system that the agency is operating on, meant that email feedback could be promptly tracked and converted to cases once our officers receive them with system automation. Aligned with Microsoft Office suite of applications that our officers were already familiar with, it also reduced the user onboard time necessary. After procurement of the Microsoft CRMS, the project team embarked on an on-going process of customizing and enhancing the system on top of the out-of-box features that it already had to increase relevancy of the system to our operational needs. User requirements gathering sessions were conducted with all business units in the agency, and an external vendor was engaged to translate all the business processes into system workflows. An enhancement that aided our field officers in their operations was the triggering of case notification when a case is logged inside the system. In the form of an email or SMS notification, the case notification contains vital case information that allows officers to attend to feedback on the go without the need to login to the system in order to retrieve the case. Officers are also able to close a feedback case on their mobile devices once investigation is completed and they have closed the loop with the feedback provider. Ultimately, this improves the effectiveness of our officers in managing the cases. Besides system enhancements, we have also integrated iCARE with other key systems in the agency, one of which is the EEMS, an enforcement system that tracks the enforcement work performed by the agency. Through this integration, officers no longer have to toggle between 2 separate systems while handing appeals and offence cases. Since system launch in April 2012, we have implemented more than 30 system enhancements arising from increased user utility and new business requirements. The system has also allowed more stringent service standards to be introduced and increased the overall productivity of our officers.

 3. How did the initiative solve the problem and improve people’s lives?
Due to the complexity and scope of NEA's operations, frontline officers face the challenge of routing cases to the right party promptly for their action. The efficiency of this task depended on the officers’ experience and understanding of the business units. With iCARE, we have in-built an intelligent routing logic mechanism which identifies the business unit based on the case classification, resulting in shorter turn-around time for officers to attend to cases. To provide better service to the public, NEA officers are expected have a holistic historical view of feedback cases and points of engagement with customers. iCARE fills the gaps by providing linkages between all entities tracked in the system and allows easy retrieval of vital case information so that officers can attend to cases more swiftly upon receipt. For example when entering a case, officer is able to see the historical cases that feedback provider has approached NEA on. A follow-up request is tagged to an existing case that prevents duplicate cases from being created. Through iCARE, officers can generate statistical reports to analyse feedback cases for better policy formulating. Cases can also be plotted on a GIS for geospatial analysis.

C. Execution and Implementation

 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
The project team adopted a 4-step process in managing the CRMS project – Think, Create, Launch and Engage. Think The project team reviewed the old FTS and identified areas for improvements. Officers were also interviewed to get their user experience in using the FTS, as well as their expectations of what they hope to see in the new CRMS. System features were then sorted into out-of-box features and customized enhancements to be implemented in phases based on priority accorded to business needs. Create After the project plan and route map have been planned, an external application developer was engaged to develop the application. Numerous meetings were held together with the vendor and user departments to ensure that all parties were aligned with the strategic goals of the project and the ultimate product that was to be launched. Launch In moving to the launch stage, User Acceptance Testings (UATs) were thoroughly conducted to ensure that each of the modules and system flows mirrored that of business processes as well as users’ workflows. Prior to the official cutover of the new system, training sessions were also conducted for all the officers to ensure that user onboard would be smooth. Communications to officers were frequent to update all parties of the eventual launch of the new CRMS so that all parties were prepared for it. Engage After go-live, the project team constantly engages the users to get their feedback on the new system and identify gaps. A user experience survey was also conducted to understand user behaviour with the CRMS as well as the challenges that our officers face in adopting the new system. This allowed the project team to better strategise its change management techniques to ensure smooth transition from the old to the new. The project plan is shown in the attached file.

 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
A Project Steering Committee (PSC) co-chaired by Divisional Director of Service Quality Division, Divisional Director of Strategic Development and Transformation Office, and Chief Information Officer was set up to oversee the whole project implementation. The remaining PSC members included Divisional Directors and Directors of all business units to provide guidance and sponsorship, terms of reference set forth as below: • Ensure project is aligned with NEA’s organizational strategy • Ensure project makes good use of assets • Assist with resolving strategic level issues and risks • Approve or reject changes to the project with a high impact on timelines and budget • Assess project progress and report on project to senior mgt and higher authorities • Provide advice and guidance on business issues facing the project • Use influence and authority to assist the project in achieving its outcomes • Review and approve final project deliverables A mirrored structure of the PSC was also set up at the working level through the Project Working Committee (PWC), with terms of reference as below: • Ensure all participating departments contribute effectively to the progress of project • Monitor and control project progress • Participate and contributes actively in requirements gathering sessions • Report progress regularly to the Project Sponsor and Steering Committee • Review the Implementation plan • Propose new work processes and ensures compliance with agency’s procedures (if necessary) Other than internal stakeholders, the project also had the support and sponsorship of NEA’s parent ministry, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.
 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
The cost of implementing the CRMS was as below: • One-time development cost - $5.2 mil  Licensing costs  Professional services (vendor) for implementing iCARE  System Hardware and Software • Yearly recurrent cost - $1.3 mil In terms of human resources, the project was driven by the project manager from system owning department, Customer and Quality Service Department, together with project managers from IT Department and involved representatives from all business units. All the above costs involved in developing the CRMS were wholly internal funded.

 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
For NEA staff : With the rolling out of iCARE, officers can better capture structured information of cases to improve the accuracy of details so that they can better manage them. The system also presents a ready view of aged cases in the form of dashboards to remind officers of pending cases. The system also helps ensure quality in case closure by making mandatory fields necessary to be completed before officers can close a case. iCARE also allows officers to have a 360° holistic view of our customers and their history of cases so that we can serve and engage them better. NEA officers are also able to generate statistic reports of cases easily, which in turn assist them in policy sensing and sense making for the formulation of more relevant and beneficial public policies and regulations. G2G: Through iCARE, NEA officers can also route a case to other agencies if the reported issue does not fall under the purview of NEA. When a case is routed so, the system automatically sends all the necessary case details to the external agency so that the other party can attend to the case immediately without the need to contact the customer to get details all over again. This has enhanced the collaboration between NEA and other agencies in a concerted effort to deliver the No Wrong Door (NWD) policy.

 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
The project is closely monitored and endorsed by the PSC and PWC. A PSC meeting is convened every quarter to update Management on the progress of the project, whereas a PWC meeting is held every month to update all parties on the on-going issues as well as updates on the pipeline enhancements. Through the iCARE user representatives community comprising of 1 or more officers from all business units, the 1000+ users agency wide are kept updated of the latest developments involving the system, and at the same time, help and support are readily available for users should they encounter any issues in using the system. A user experience survey is also held annually to measure user satisfaction with each of the module in the system and to solicit new ideas for enhancements.

 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
One of the main challenges that the project team faced was the diversity in the scope of operations that NEA is involved in and the differing business processes inherent in each business unit. The user interface of various modules as well as system flows had to be designed to the best fit that could accommodate all the varying requirements. User requirements gathering and confirmation often involved a long tedious process in gathering the users together and to articulate their business needs to translate into system flows. To tackle this challenge, the project team thus prioritized the system enhancements and broke it down into phased implementation in order to mitigate the risks involved. Another challenge that the project team faced was change management in transiting from the old FTS to the new CRMS. More often than people, people are resistant to change and prefer work systems/processes that they are already familiar with. The project team mapped out the change management process into – Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing and anticipated users behaviour and sentiments in the transition period and managed accordingly. For example, expecting users to be “lost” in the first month of system cutover, the project team provided an on-site support in each of the off-site offices, and also ensured that users had ready access to the help and support service desk.

D. Impact and Sustainability

 10. What were the key benefits resulting from this initiative?
For NEA staff : With the rolling out of iCARE, officers can better capture structured information of cases to improve the accuracy of details so that they can better manage them. The system also presents a ready view of aged cases in the form of dashboards to remind officers of pending cases. Case overdue and escalation notifications are in place to ensure that officers keep to the Service Level Agreements pertaining to case management and do not delay the closure of cases with our customers unnecessarily. The system also helps ensure quality in case closure by making mandatory fields necessary to be completed before officers can close a case. This ensures that investigations are duly and fully conducted for all cases. iCARE also allows officers to have a 360° holistic view of our customers and their history of cases so that we can serve and engage them better. Statistic reports of cases generated from the system assist officers in monthly reporting and policy sensing and sense making for the formulation of more relevant and beneficial public policies and regulations. G2G: Through iCARE, NEA officers can also route a case to other agencies if the reported issue does not fall under the purview of NEA. When a case is routed so, the system automatically sends all the necessary case details to the external agency so that the other party can attend to the case immediately without the need to contact the customer to get details all over again. This has enhanced the collaboration between NEA and other agencies in a concerted effort to deliver the No Wrong Door (NWD) policy. NEA’s CRMS has been recognized in the public sector in Singapore as one of the most comprehensive and forerunning CRM systems implemented by a government body with pioneer features such as the GIS integration. Since launch, several parties have approached NEA to learn on the initiative, including Central Provident Fund Board (CPF), Singapore Police Force (SPF), Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Public Utilities Board (PUB), Changi Airport Group, and Ministry of Finance (MOF). The project has also received the acknowledgement of sponsorship of Public Service Division of Singapore.

 11. Did the initiative improve integrity and/or accountability in public service? (If applicable)
A route map has been planned for NEA iCARE system with various enhancements for the next 3 years, which includes advance business analytics features and integration with more NEA systems. Works are also in progress to include a mobile module for the system to further enhance our operational efficiency. There is an initiative by the PSD to develop a Whole of Government (WOG) CRMS, and NEA iCARE system has also been identified as a lead enabler to be incorporated into this initiative due to the advance and established features in the present system.

 12. Were special measures put in place to ensure that the initiative benefits women and girls and improves the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable? (If applicable)
As the iCARE project involved many parties with diverse expertise and background, it is a challenge to bring all parties to a common ground on expectations. For example, the vendor engaged to develop the application was unfamiliar with the complexities involved in implementing a government system initiative and the hosting environments which resulted in some hiccups in the initial setting up of processes. It is also important to ensure active user involvement and participation in all the requirements gathering sessions, UATs, and documentation of the requirements specifications such that the end product caters adequately to all our business needs.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   National Environment Agency
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   Irene Wong
Title:   Senior Assistant Director, Corporate Excellence  
Telephone/ Fax:   (T) +65 67319738 (F)+65 62352611
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   irene_wong@nea.gov.sg  
Address:   40 Scotts Road, #20-00, Environment Building
Postal Code:   Singapore 228231
City:   Singapore
State/Province:   Singapore
Country:  

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