The FAQ System
Developed using FoundationsTM, and employed by organisations such as PNLD for their innovative "Ask the Police" portal, helps members of the users find answers to over limitless Frequently Asked Questions.
www.askthe.police.uk developed using FoundationsTM, helps members of the public find answers to over 750 Frequently Asked Questions ranging from personal safety and anti-social behaviour through to road traffic collisions and fixed penalty notices. It has been designed to allow individual police forces to submit their own information and FAQs so content can be tailored for their local audience.
It's also of huge benefit to police call handlers, reducing the burden on busy switchboard operators and saving time and also helping to ensure consistency of information. The use of the portal has continued to grow and in 2008 their were over 125,000 transaction on the database a month.
The savings for the police, based on a non-emergency call lasting on average 3.5 minutes, means that this innovative project has saved 87,500 hours a year at a cost of £1.75 million. The project was highly commended at the Information Age Effective IT Awards and was also shortlisted for a national e-Government award.
The FAQ platform has recently been enhanced to include an advert manager which enables PNLD to provide advertising on the FAQ portal which can be targeted at specific categories. For example, the answer page to a question that deals with insurance can be used to advertise a specific insurance company.
This innovative FAQ portal system could benefit other organisations and businesses, helping save considerable time and expense by reducing the volume of calls handled by call centres.
FAQ for Mobile Devices
A new version of the portal has been developed for use on mobile devices. Many Police Officers in England and Wales have been issued with Blackberries and the new version means they have access to the large database of frequently asked questions and answers whilst they are out on the beat. The FAQ portal has been designed to automatically recognize the device used to access it and automatically displays the relevant version.
FAQ Scotland
PNLD's innovative "Ask the Police" portal has recently been launched in Scotland. The Scottish version features answers to questions which reflect Scottish legislation. As with the existing portal, it includes regional content, specifically tailored to a local audience, which can be added directly by the different forces in Scotland.
