Bath and North East Somerset Council
Developing a strategic digital transformation to modernise a legacy telephony and contact centre system.
Location: Bath, UK
Client Type: Local Government
Implementation Strategy
Project Overview
Bath and North East Somerset Council engaged 4C to support the transformation of its legacy telephony and contact centre environment. Working closely with key stakeholders, 4C provided strategic, commercial and technical consultancy to develop a future-state communications strategy, build a business case, support procurement and oversee implementation.
The programme enabled the council to transition to a cloud-first, AI-enabled contact centre platform, improving citizen engagement, service delivery, operational efficiency and sustainability while creating a modern foundation for future digital innovation.
“4C was instrumental in embedding a delivery framework that balanced strategic oversight with operational agility. By integrating commercial insight with public sector priorities, they ensured that each stage of the programme—from procurement to implementation—was executed with clarity, accountability, and measurable impact. This strategic alignment not only improved internal processes but also enhanced the council’s ability to engage with external citizens and deliver value to the community”.
Liam Abbott
Head of Digital and Customer Experience
Vision
- To improve the overall customer experience
- To replace outdated telephony infrastructure with a scalable, cloud based solution
- To integrate AI-driven tools to streamline customer interactions and reduce response times
- To improve accessibility and service quality for residents across all channels
- To support the council’s sustainability goals by reducing the carbon footprint of its digital estate
- To enable data-driven decision-making through enhanced analytics and reporting capabilities.
Our Approach
4C partnered with the council to deliver a structured, end-to-end transformation programme that aligned technology modernisation with wider service improvement objectives. Project began by developing a clear strategic vision through digital maturity assessments, stakeholder engagement workshops, sustainability reviews and the design of a future operating model for a cloud-first, AI-enabled contact centre environment.
To support investment decisions, a robust business case was produced, combining financial analysis, efficiency modelling, carbon reduction assessments and risk management planning. This provided stakeholders with the evidence needed to secure funding and build organisational alignment.
4C guided the council through the procurement process, helping to define requirements, evaluate suppliers, navigate public sector frameworks and negotiate contracts that delivered value and compliance.
Throughout implementation, 4C provided programme governance, change management, technical assurance and post go-live support. This ensured the transition was delivered smoothly, minimised disruption to services and established a foundation for continuous improvement and long-term digital transformation success
Outcomes and benefits
Bath and North East Somerset Council undertook a bold transformation to modernise its legacy telephony and contact centre infrastructure with the goal to deliver a more responsive, accessible, and sustainable service for residents – powered by cloud and AI.
Key Outcomes
- Future-Proofed Infrastructure: Migration to a scalable, cloud native platform ensures long term adaptability and resilience
- Improved Public Service Delivery: Enables a more responsive, citizen-centric model of engagement and improves overall customer experience
- Unified Communications: Integration across voice, email, and digital channels improves consistency and efficiency
- Optimised Digital Estate: Consolidation of platforms and extended asset lifecycles reduce waste and procurement needs
Stats and Figures
- AI-driven routing and virtual agents streamline interactions, cutting average handling times by up to 30%.