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| Cambridgeshire County Council has become the 50th local authority to offer Cobalt Telephone Technologies' automated Penalty Charge Notice payments. The Council joins a prestigious list of authorities, including seven London Boroughs, the City of Edinburgh and the whole of Northern Ireland, in offering the innovative internet and telephone-based payment services. For Cambridgeshire Council, the service enables tens of thousands of motorists each year to make quick and easy penalty charge payments, at any time, without the expense of engaging staff to handle calls and avoids any potential negative interaction between staff and customers, as Joanna Miller, Technical Director for Cobalt Telephone Technologies points out: "Drivers may be upset about receiving a penalty charge notice and if they don't get the service they expect when they come to pay it, a situation can easily turn sour. Our easy-to-use, automated system, helps people pay quickly and efficiently and isn't so personal. That puts people in a better frame of mind - meaning the Council is less likely to receive negative feedback." Cobalt operates two data centres to ensure business continuity day and night, and records and maintains an audit trail of all transactions, so whichever payment method is used, there is clear evidence - for both the motorist and the council - in the event of a dispute. The service to Cambridgeshire is being offered in partnership with NSL, with whom Cobalt have preferred supplier status, in recognition of Cobalt's focus on quality and security of service. Bruce Gardner, NSL's BPO and IT Director, says: "As one of the leading suppliers in the parking industry, we obviously want to ensure that any partner we work with is going to reflect well on us and provide the highest standards of service. Cobalt's focus on quality and security is recognised industry-wide, and was a key factor in our choice of them as a preferred partner. "This latest implementation with Cambridgeshire County Council is just one of a number of projects our two companies are working on and we are sure that, like the others, it will prove a great success for all concerned." |
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