Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon Council serves residents with more efficiency, visibility, and accountability

Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon Council is one of 11 local authorities in Northern Ireland, handling a wide range of public services that keep the borough running. This includes regulatory tasks like planning and environmental health, as well as offering community services such as leisure centres, parks, and community spaces. The council also manages essential neighbourhood services like bin collection, waste management and cemetery services.

A manual system with no clear oversight

The council previously managed customer complaints manually. Complaints arrived through forms, phone calls, or emails, and each department recorded them in its own spreadsheet, making it hard to compile data and get a full view across the council. “There were inconsistencies across departments with some recording complaints and others reporting no complaints received,” says Denise Girvan, Improvement Manager at Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon Council. “We had no clear picture of how complaints were being handled and importantly how we were putting improvements in place to avoid reoccurance of complaints.”

While the council was looking for ways to streamline its complaints process, a new statutory requirement added a sense of urgency. The Northern Ireland Public Service Ombudsman (NIPSO) released comprehensive guidelines detailing how all public sector bodies should report complaints. “One of the new requirements was being able to accurately track and report complaint deadlines,” shares Girvan. “On top of that, we also wanted a solution that would allow our departments to work in a decentralised manner, and the old spreadsheet-based system simply wasn’t robust enough for this.”

Turning to a trusted solution and partner

The council’s Programme Management Office (PMO) had already been using Smartsheet for project management, previously implemented with help from Project Plan Services (PPS), a Smartsheet Platinum Partner. The council recognised that Smartsheet could also streamline its complaints process. “While councils weren’t required to use a formal tool like Smartsheet, the council wanted more than just the bare minimum. They aimed to genuinely improve the system and achieve the best possible outcome, and Smartsheet made that possible,” says Alyssa Champion, Marketing Manager at PPS.

The council started by rolling Smartsheet out to select departments, holding weekly meetings with PPS and department representatives to keep everyone on the same page, stay engaged, and meet tight deadlines. “The timeline was pressurised, but using Smartsheet and working with PPS helped us move quickly,” says Girvan. The process wasn’t without its challenges—NIPSO guidelines were still being finalised, meaning the council had to design the system while requirements were shifting. “PPS really stepped up, giving us a solid foundation despite all the changes,” Girvan shares. Andrew Gerrish, Head of Consulting at PPS, adds, “Because the NIPSO requirements were evolving, we had to be agile. We designed a framework that could adapt to changes and still keep everything running smoothly for the council.”.

Continuous improvement for a smooth adoption

To make adoption smoother, PPS provided hands-on training to employees. The departments quickly adopted the system, occasionally coming across tweaks, errors, or anomalies and reaching out to PPS for help. “When teams ran into issues or had ideas for improvements, PPS quickly made the necessary changes. This helped us fine-tune the system before going live and rolling it out across the entire council,” says Girvan.

The solution gradually expanded to 14 departments. Now, when a customer submits an online form, the details go straight into Smartsheet, automatically being assigned to the correct department and alerting staff. The data is kept secure and only accessible to relevant teams, ensuring privacy. The platform also allows complaints to be escalated and resolved while tracking every step to ensure nothing is missed. “Smartsheet tracks all key information automatically, including whether complaints are resolved on time, escalated, or require an extension,” Girvan shares.

Visibility that keeps teams on schedule

Each department now has its own dashboard with key metrics, giving senior management a clear view of how their teams are handling complaints. All this information feeds into a central council-wide dashboard, offering a complete overview of performance. “Critical details—like recording the date a complaint is received—are locked in, so they can’t be changed. This is crucial for meeting NIPSO’s reporting standards,” says Girvan. 

Beyond simply tracking complaints, the council relies on Smartsheet automation and built-in formulas to actively manage tasks and keep processes running smoothly. For instance, the solution automatically alerts staff when a complaint deadline is approaching, helping them stay on schedule without constant supervision. It also prompts employees to log any remedial actions taken, ensuring timelines are met. 

More clarity with less effort

Some of the benefits of the new solution are improved efficiency, time saving, and improved accuracy of data.  Before Smartsheet, responses times were manually entered and manually calculated.  Now, the solution does it automatically. “At first, some departments were concerned if the new guidelines would create more work,” says Girvan. However, with the introduction of Smartsheet users quickly realised the benefit of automated inputs. “It became part of their daily routine, they realised it actually made things easier, and the data is more robust and accurate.” 

One of the biggest improvements has been in reporting. Previously, departments would need to analyse spreadsheets manually to generate insights. Now, they can access meaningful insights in real time with just a few clicks, and senior management can view dashboard performance data on how complaints are being handled.

Visibility that improves service

With standardised, centralised data collection, the council has a clear, strategic view of trends. “Before, if the same issue appeared in different parts of the departments, we had no way of ensuring shared learning of handling complaints throughout the council,” says Girvan. “Now, we have a holistic picture of what’s going on across the organisation.”

This real-time, 360-degree visibility has enabled the council to focus on its ultimate goal: improving its service. The designed solution makes it simple to spot delays and step in if a department is falling behind. “It also helps us identify trends and patterns, allowing us to make proactive changes—whether that’s staff training, clearer signage, or better communication with customers,” adds Girvan.

More accountability, happier citizens

Girvan has also noticed a cultural shift within the council. Previously, with little structure, a lack of accountability, and no requirement to report, complaints were not always analysed or shared with senior leaders or councillors. Girvan says, “With the new solution, we can focus on continuous improvement and see any negative feedback as a chance to grow.” Staff are now encouraged to value complaints and explore their root causes. Any service improvements are now based on meaningful data.

Meanwhile, citizens are seeing faster responses and better service. “We’re consistently meeting our target response times,” says Girvan. “We’ve also seen a notable increase in complaints—not because there are more issues, but because we’re now logging and resolving them. We’re listening to our citizens and providing better services. Our reputation has improved, and the council comes across as more responsive and efficient because we value feedback and act on it quickly.”

Built for Armagh, designed for everyone

The collaboration between PPS and the council has set up a strong foundation for the future and resulted in a standardised, off-the-shelf solution now being promoted to other councils. Even for councils not bound by the same reporting requirements, the system offers clear benefits, making it a versatile tool to improve complaint handling and boost data transparency.

As for the council, the organisation is open to exploring its use of Smartsheet even further. “Now that I’ve seen what Smartsheet can do and how versatile it is, I plan to use it for other projects as a management tool,” shares Girvan.

If you're looking to streamline complaint handling, increase transparency, and deliver better service to your community, like Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon Council, contact us today to see how we can support your transformation