Welcome to the fifth instalment of our blog series showcasing Open Data Manchester’s decade of data-driven change. In this series, we’re diving into eight case studies that demonstrate the real-world impact of our projects.
Today, we’re exploring our advisory work with Citizens’ Advice Manchester (CAM), showcasing how our guidance can help organizations leverage data to enhance service delivery in the voluntary sector.
Citizens’ Advice Manchester: Guiding Data-Driven Improvements in Community Support
Citizens’ Advice Manchester, one of 280 independent charities under the Citizens’ Advice banner, helps 60,000 to 70,000 clients across Greater Manchester every year. They sought our advice on how to better understand and utilise their rich dataset to improve service delivery, report to funders, and support campaigning and lobbying activities.
Our Advisory Approach
Our collaboration with CAM focused on providing guidance and advocacy for making their extensive contact centre data more accessible and useful across the organisation. Our advisory role included:
- Data surgeries: We offered guidance on identifying useful data and appropriate tools;
- Data maturity assessment: We advised CAM on how to evaluate their current data capabilities and areas for improvement;
- Stakeholder engagement strategies: We provided recommendations on involving managers and trustees to foster an organisation-wide approach to data understanding;
- Data visualisation guidance: We offered advice on creating easily accessible data formats for staff and volunteers;
- Performance metric development: We provided insights on creating data-driven Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Key Outcomes
Following our involvement, CAM were able to take steps that helped them implement several significant changes:
- Improved accessibility of contact centre data across the organisation.
- Development of data-driven KPIs with team involvement.
- Enhanced decision-making capabilities for managers.
- Increased call handling capacity without additional staff.
- Greater trust in data-driven decision making among staff and volunteers.
Impact
Our advisory work has had a substantial impact on CAM’s approach to data and its operations. As Stuart, Chief Digital Officer at CAM, noted:
“Like a lot of charities, we are looking to better understand our data and how we can use it to improve our service. I found Open Data Manchester surgeries a great help. It provides a great jumping off point as you start on your data journey.”
Ultimately, CAM was able to handle a 12% increase in calls during 2019 without the need for additional staff, demonstrating the power of data-driven decision making in enhancing service efficiency.
Looking Ahead
This project highlights the potential for expert data advice to transform service delivery in the voluntary sector. As organisations continue to grapple with increasing demand and limited resources, the kind of data-driven approaches we advocate will be crucial in ensuring efficient, effective, and responsive services.
Read more posts in this series, where we explore more impactful ODM projects. Together, these case studies showcase our commitment to using data and user research for positive change and building a more informed, ethical, and data-empowered future.
If you want to learn more about how ODM can support your organisation’s data strategy, get in touch.