Aberdeenshire Council: Agile ITSM Beyond IT

The challenge

Aberdeenshire Council had been using Cherwell for IT service management for several years but wanted to get more value from a single platform. Different business areas (HR, contact centre, and potentially finance and facilities) were running separate tools, leading to clunky handovers, double keying, and slower resolution for citizens reporting issues like potholes or street lights.

Our approach

We worked with the council to take an opportunistic, tactical approach: at contract renewal, business analysts assessed where ITSM could replace or complement existing systems. HR replaced a case management system with Cherwell in 2015; the contact centre later adopted Cherwell as a CRM. We helped leverage in-house Cherwell expertise (two full-time equivalents plus IT staff in HR and the contact centre) so the council could avoid external consultants and deliver projects efficiently. The shared platform provides workflow between teams and integrates with existing systems, reducing errors at handover.

Before & after

The outcome

The council now uses one ITSM platform across IT, HR, and the contact centre, with a shared way to integrate business systems and remove double keying. Workflow between people and processes is streamlined: contact time has reduced and citizen-reported issues like potholes or failed street lights are resolved faster. The approach is organic and sustainable: the council continues to explore ITSM for finance and facilities, choosing low-hanging fruit that benefits from service management methodology.