Remote links boost council efficiency

Staff will equipped with phones, BlackBerrys, and electronic tablets

Torfaen County Borough Council has adopted a range of mobile solutions to enable its staff to work from remote locations and increase productivity.

T-Mobile is providing connectivity for phones, BlackBerrys, electronic tablets and wireless access to about 60 per cent of council buildings.

Farooq Dastgir, head of IT at Torfaen, says the authority wants to improve efficiency across the board.

‘We are trying to promote wireless and mobile activity so that council staff can work on the move. These systems will reduce the amount of paperwork and help people spend more time doing their jobs,’ he said.

More than 1,400 mobile workers have been equipped with a T-Mobile handset. Another 450 staff who need access to email on the move, such as truancy officers, housing repair staff and IT engineers, have been given BlackBerry devices.

Some IT engineers have increased productivity by 30 per cent, enabling them to visit two or three extra sites a day. Housing inspectors will have electronic forms on their BlackBerrys to make inspections faster.

‘Occupational therapists have electronic tablets, which have improved efficiency by at least three times,’ said Dastgir.

‘These electronic tablets recognise staff handwriting and improve efficiency by allowing workers to fill out forms and file them electronically while on the move,’ he said.

The devices are all connected to the council server where information is stored.

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