Client Profile

Wyndham City Council, located in the dynamic region of Victoria, Australia, serves over 280,000 residents across a broad expanse. With a commitment to providing a high level of community services, the council oversees a diverse range of facilities, including community centers, cultural venues, sports grounds, and open spaces. These venues play a crucial role in fostering community engagement, offering a wide range of programs, activities, and events for residents.

Challenges Faced

Before partnering with OptimoGov, Wyndham City Council faced several challenges in managing venue bookings efficiently. The existing system relied heavily on manual processes, with some business units using online forms, paper forms, or basic diary systems to manage their spaces. A lack of integration with the council’s finance system, Oracle ERP, added to the administrative burden.

Furthermore, disparate booking processes across business units created inconsistencies in communication, booking procedures, and user experience. Existing software solutions were inadequate in addressing these integration and management challenges.

The OptimoGov Solution

To address these issues, Wyndham City Council entered into a 3-year partnership with OptimoGov, beginning in September 2023. The project was designed to unify the council’s booking system across five key business units. Initially, one business unit was onboarded, with the remaining four to follow in phase 2.

OptimoGov’s comprehensive solution included key features such as the OptimoGov Diary, OptimoGov Booking Manager, and OptimoGov Task Manager. These tools streamlined venue management and provided the council with a centralized system to handle bookings across all venues.

OptimoGov’s Casual and Regular Booking Portals offered an improved user experience for the public, allowing easy online access to venue availability, booking, and secure payments through BPOINT and BPAY integrations. In addition, the system was configured to replace the council’s internal room booking and catering portal, further simplifying venue management.

Setup & Configurations

OptimoGov implemented several integrations and configurations to meet Wyndham City Council’s needs:

• Oracle ERP Integration for seamless finance management
• BPOINT and BPAY Gateway Integrations for secure online payments
• Microsoft Azure ADFS for Single Sign-On (SSO)
• O365 Email Integration for communication
• SMS for instant notifications

These integrations ensured a unified and efficient system, improving internal workflows and simplifying the booking process for both council staff and residents.

Venues Managed through OptimoGov

Wyndham City Council manages all of its community centers and halls using OptimoGov. These include prominent facilities such as Manor Lakes Community Learning Centre, Point Cook Community Learning Centre, Tarneit Community Learning Centre, Arndell Park Community Centre, Dianella Community Centre, Featherbrook Community Centre, Penrose Promenade Community Centre, Truganina Community Centre, Saltwater Community Centre, Diggers Road Soldiers Memorial Hall, and the Old Shire Office. These venues play a crucial role in supporting sports, leisure, and community events, fostering local engagement and accessibility for residents.

Phase 2 Implementation

As part of the ongoing project, phase 2 will introduce OptimoGov to three cultural venues, one youth center, 500 plus open spaces and over 40 sports grounds/fields. The council is also set to replace its current catering portal, further enhancing the booking and management experience.

Implementation and Outcomes

The implementation of OptimoGov brought about significant improvements for Wyndham City Council. By automating booking processes and integrating with Oracle ERP, the system reduced administrative workload, providing real-time availability of venues and resources. Consistent communication across business units and the ability to manage venues in one unified system significantly improved the overall experience for residents and staff alike. The system’s flexibility allows for future expansion, with potential additions such as ticketing for events and management of courses and classes.

Implementation and Outcomes

Wyndham City Council is excited to continue its collaboration with OptimoGov, focusing on ongoing improvements and innovation in venue management. With the successful implementation of phase 1 and future developments in phase 2, the council is poised to deliver exceptional service to its community, driving engagement and efficiency. Through this collaboration, OptimoGov is proud to support Wyndham City Council in providing a seamless, unified, and accessible venue management experience.

For more information visit our website optimogov.com.

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Client Profile

Situated in the vibrant state of Victoria, Australia, the City of Port Phillip stands as a dynamic hub of community engagement and cultural diversity. City of Port Phillip is a local government area within metropolitan Melbourne serving a community of 103,550 residents, 85,000 ratable properties, and numerous bookable facilities across the council’s 20.7 km area. The council is a cornerstone of local governance and service provision. Notable venues include community centers, town halls, the Esplanade Market, outdoor event spaces, and sports and recreation facilities.

Challenges Faced

Before embracing OptimoGov, the City of Port Phillip encountered several challenges in managing venue bookings effectively. While utilising several different legacy booking systems across different business units, the council faced limitations, particularly in calendar functionality and the absence of a public web booking interface.

The OptimoGov Solution

In a strategic initiative to address these challenges, the City of Port Phillip worked with OptimoGov to create a solution that was tailored to meet the council’s specific requirements, encompassing a comprehensive suite of features and integrations. Key components include the OPTIMO Booking Calendar, Booking Manager, Document Generator, Task Manager, Casual and Regular Online Public Portals, Reports, and Event Registrations, Courses & Classes Registration functionalities. Integration with internal systems such as TechnologyOne and Azure AD ensures seamless operations and data accuracy. Additionally, primary features and integrations implemented include Diary, ECM, Email Integration, BPay to Support Bank Format, BPoint, Customised Report, Task Management with Reminder, Function Sheet, and Waitlist.

The City of Port Phillip’s business areas that use OptimoGov span Community Venues & Town Hall, the Esplanade Market, Outdoor Events, and Sports and Recreation. Since 2020, the City of Port Phillip has worked with OptimoGov, forming a strong and responsive relationship to deliver, support, and implement a booking management system that replaced spreadsheets and inconsistent tools previously used to manage booking event sites. Booking Officers have found OptimoGov easy to use, significantly redefining and managing the service bookings offered to the community. Logged issues are addressed within Service Level Agreements, meeting high standards. The portal’s flexibility and automation capabilities are critical to City of Port Phillip’s business processes, supporting the community effectively.

Implementation and Outcomes

The implementation of OptimoGov marked a significant shift in the City of Port Phillip’s council venue management practices. With setups and configurations for portals, integrations, and internal bookings auto settlements completed, the council experienced improved efficiency and user experience. Seamless bookings via the Internal Booking Manager and Casual and Regular Booking Portals have streamlined operations, while features like email integration with Outlook, diary notes, automated notifications, and task management enhance communication and workflow. Additionally, custom reports and function sheets facilitate informed decision-making and resource allocation.

The council has also experienced numerous benefits through enhanced features such as the Customer Portal, Email Correspondence, Diary Notes, and Task Management. These improvements have led to more efficient handling of bookings, higher customer satisfaction, and improved communication and workflow.

Belinda from the City of Port Phillip shares her experience:

“OptimoGov has been great to work with from their implementation to their almost immediate response support. Our community has the opportunity to self-serve, and our council users are loving how they can really serve the community effectively from managing their bookings on behalf of them to providing a true CX (Customer Experience), taking pride in their work due to efficiencies that have resulted in positive customer satisfaction and feedback.”

Future Collaboration

The City of Port Phillip looks forward to continued collaboration with OptimoGov, aiming for ongoing innovation and improvement in venue management. City of Port Phillip remains committed to delivering exceptional services to its residents while driving efficiency and excellence in community engagement and event management.

For more information visit our website optimogov.com.

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Client Profile

Mildura Rural City Council

Located in Victoria, Australia’s picturesque Mildura region, Mildura Rural City Council serves a thriving community of approximately 55,000 residents. The council oversees a range of public venues, including community venues, recreation centers, event spaces, parks, courts and sports grounds. As a key local service provider, the council is committed to boosting community engagement and ensuring efficient management of its diverse venues.

Mildura Rural City Council

The Mildura Sporting Precinct stands as a cornerstone for sports and events in North Western Victoria, offering a comprehensive array of facilities spread across its expansive grounds. The precinct serves a wide variety of groups, teams, societies, and clubs within the community. At its core is a purpose-built, two-story stadium designed to cater to a variety of sports and seamlessly transform into a versatile event venue.

Key facilities include function rooms that provide sweeping views of the ovals, offering a prime vantage point for observing activities on the show court. These flexible spaces are adaptable for both large-scale events and smaller gatherings, accommodating formats ranging from conferences to community gatherings.

The precinct boasts six multipurpose indoor courts distributed across two halls, with Court Hall 1 designed as a premier show court featuring excellent viewing options from elevated seating and adjacent function rooms suitable for elite events. Additionally, outdoor netball courts equipped with competition-grade lighting enhance the precinct’s capability to host competitive matches.

Two AFL-standard sporting ovals form the core outdoor facilities, featuring amenities such as six turf cricket lanes, high-quality broadcast lighting, and premier pavilions with dedicated cricket practice nets. Indoor squash courts complement the offerings, ensuring a diverse range of sporting opportunities within the precinct.

Furthermore, the Football Pavilion provides essential infrastructure including coach and timekeeper’s boxes, competition-grade change rooms, a canteen, and public amenities, underscoring the precinct’s commitment to supporting both players and spectators alike. The Mildura Sporting Precinct not only serves as a hub for local sports enthusiasts but also as a venue capable of accommodating a wide range of events, from grassroots competitions to high-profile tournaments and community gatherings. Its strategic design and comprehensive amenities make it a vital asset in enhancing sporting opportunities and community engagement across the region.

Challenges Faced

Before partnering with OptimoGov, Mildura City Council faced several challenges in effectively managing venue bookings. The existing system was largely manual, leading to inefficiencies and hindering smooth operations. Key issues included limited accessibility, as the absence of an online booking platform made it difficult for residents to browse and book venues conveniently. Administration was time-consuming, with council staff spending significant time managing bookings manually, impacting their ability to focus on other tasks. Additionally, real-time data on venue availability and booking status was not readily accessible, and clubs, schools, and regular hirers faced challenges in managing complex bulk bookings through the manual system.

The OptimoGov Solution: Implementing a New Venue Booking System in Mildura

Diary & Corporate Booking

To address these challenges, Mildura City Council entered into a partnership with OptimoGov on March 1, 2021. OptimoGov’s comprehensive online booking system was customised to meet the council’s specific requirements. Key features implemented included Diary View and Corporate Booking, which allowed staff to manage bookings efficiently through a centralised system. OptimoGov’s Diary module enhances the booking processes for council staff and facilitates online payments for residents. It includes a multi-venue calendar for real-time bookings, allowing direct booking through an interactive interface. The calendar supports features like copying and rescheduling bookings directly, along with dynamic pricing options such as Hourly, Half Day, Daily, Session, Monthly, and Yearly rates. Users can choose from various calendar views including weekly, monthly, and advanced views. The system supports recurring bookings, seasonal bookings, and ad-hoc reservations, offers status tracking and capacity management, and allows allocation of maintenance and blocked timeslots, thereby improving venue management and the overall booking experience.

Furthermore, the OptimoGov Booking Builder seamlessly integrates with the diary system, providing unique booking references for each reservation. Council staff can efficiently manage customer profiles, customise bookings by adding upsell items and extras, provide specific information, create automated task lists and event run sheets, maintaining complete control over the booking flow. The Booking Builder also supports a document repository for items like application forms, licenses, insurance, questionnaires, and booking confirmation letters, which can be emailed directly to customers. It manages payment terms, cancellation policies, discounts, payments, bonds refunds, forfeits, and enables staff to generate automated invoices based on customisable templates, which can be emailed to customers directly from within the system.

Public Casual & Regular Booking Portals

Public Casual & Regular Booking Portals

Public Casual & Regular Booking Portals

The OptimoGov Public Casual Booking Portal empowers local communities to effortlessly browse and book council-owned venues and spaces. It features a user-friendly interface for self-service booking, real-time availability checks, virtual tours of venues, customisation options for adding extras, secure user profiles, and seamless online payment processing. All public-facing portals are directly integrated with the council’s internal systems, such as the Diary and Booking Builder. Any updates made to bookings are instantly reflected on both the council and public sides of the system, facilitating efficient decision-making for both parties. Community members receive automated notifications as bookings progress through various stages.

On the Public Casual Portal, residents can complete questionnaires provided by the council, upload required documents, and provide event-specific instructions. They also have the flexibility to modify or cancel bookings later as needed.

The Regular Booking Portal caters to the council’s frequent customers such as clubs, schools, and other recurring users. It offers all the features of the Casual Portal with additional options like recurrent and rollover bookings. This allows users to easily duplicate bookings into the next season or year when necessary.

Both the Casual and Regular Portals ensure secure online payments for residents, seamlessly integrating with Bpoint, and BPAY for transactions.

Integrations

Integrations with existing systems played a crucial role in ensuring smooth and efficient operations. The finance integration with Civica Authority was instrumental in automating the process of reflecting bookings and payments directly within the council’s financial system. This integration streamlined financial reconciliation and reporting processes, providing accurate and up-to-date financial data.

The document repository integration with HPCM9 provided a secure platform for storing and retrieving booking-related documents. This ensured that all necessary documents, such as contracts, insurance certificates, and permits, were easily accessible and well-organised, enhancing operational efficiency and compliance.

Azure Active Directory integration was implemented to manage user access securely. This integration allowed for centralised user authentication and access control across the system.

Implementation and Outcomes

Since its implementation, OptimoGov has processed tens of thousands of bookings through the system, ushering in a significant transformation for Mildura City Council’s venue management practices. Configurations included defining granular user roles and permissions, along with a detailed setup of all bookable venues. Booking options were customized through the creation of function types and packages, and clear payment and cancellation policies were established. Standardized documentation processes were implemented, incorporating questionnaires and document templates.

These configurations resulted in enhanced efficiency by automating workflows, which in turn reduced administrative burdens and streamlined operations. The improved user experience empowered residents to effortlessly book and pay for venues online, while custom reports generated valuable insights to guide informed decision-making and resource allocation.

Future Collaboration

Mildura City Council is eager to extend its partnership with OptimoGov, with the goal of achieving continuous innovation and improvement in venue management. This ongoing collaboration will ensure the council remains at the forefront of delivering exceptional services to its community, driving efficiency gains, and fostering deeper community engagement. By leveraging this successful partnership, OptimoGov is proud to support Mildura City Council in achieving its goals and providing outstanding service to its residents.

Visit https://optimogov.com/ for more information.

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Client Profile

Inner West Council is a progressive local government agency committed to providing exceptional services to its vibrant community in New South Wales, Australia. They manage a diverse network of over 350 venues, including parks, recreation facilities, open spaces, event spaces, community centres, stadiums, function centres, and libraries, catering to a community of approximately 200,000 residents. Prior to partnering with OptimoGov, Inner West Council faced challenges managing bookings for these facilities through a manual system. This inefficiency impacted both council staff and the community, hindering accessibility and creating administrative burdens.

Challenges Faced

Inner West Council’s pre-existing booking system relied on manual processes, making it difficult to manage bookings for their extensive network of venues. The challenges included:

The OptimoGov Solution

In 2019, Inner West Council partnered with OptimoGov to implement a comprehensive online booking system. This user-friendly platform addressed the council’s challenges and offered a range of features and benefits:

Seamless Integrations for Streamlined Operations

OptimoGov’s online booking system seamlessly integrates with Inner West Council’s existing technology stack, ensuring a smooth flow of information and eliminating the need for manual data entry. This not only improves efficiency but also minimises the risk of errors. Here’s a closer look at some key integrations:

These integrations not only streamline operations for Inner West Council but also create a more user-friendly experience for residents. By leveraging existing systems and ensuring seamless data flow, OptimoGov’s solution provides a comprehensive and efficient booking and waste management platform.

The Impact: Efficiency Gains and Enhanced Community Experience

The OptimoGov solution has significantly transformed booking and waste management processes for Inner West Council. The online booking system now processes a staggering 2,500 to 3,000 bookings weekly, streamlining operations and improving efficiency for both the council and the community.

A Seamless Customer Experience

Imagine a resident booking a tennis court for a weekend match, a community centre for a birthday party, and a bulky waste collection for old furniture – all through a single, user-friendly platform. This is the power of OptimoGov’s integrated solution, creating a smooth and efficient experience for Inner West Council’s community.

Future Collaboration

The successful partnership between OptimoGov and Inner West Council demonstrates the transformative potential of our online booking and waste management system. By streamlining processes, empowering residents, and optimising waste collection, OptimoGov is proud to support Inner West Council in delivering exceptional services to their community.

For more information visit our website optimogov.com.

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Case Study: Northern Beaches Council

Client Profile

Nestled in the picturesque region north of Sydney, Australia, Northern Beaches Council stands as a stalwart provider of community services. With a commitment to serving its diverse populace, the council oversees an extensive array of facility management, including community facilities, parks, arts centers, and boat storage, as well as iconic venues such as Manly Pavilion, Dee Why Grand, and Glen Street Theatre. Additionally, the council manages sports grounds and fields, watercraft facilities and resources, function centres, and library facilities, ensuring a comprehensive range of amenities for residents and visitors alike.

Challenges Faced

Before embracing OptimoGov, Northern Beaches Council grappled with multifaceted challenges. The absence of an online booking portal led to inefficiencies in managing reservations, while the complexities of coordinating seasonal booking across various business areas posed logistical hurdles. Additionally, the lack of a comprehensive solution hindered seamless operations, creating bottlenecks in service delivery.

The OptimoGov Solution

In a strategic move to address these challenges, Northern Beaches Council embarked on a transformative journey by entering into a 5-year partnership with OptimoGov. The OptimoGov solution encompasses a suite of tools and features tailored to the council’s needs. These include community online booking portals for casual and regular venue hires, facilitated by seamless online payments through Bpoint and convenient bill payments via Bpay. Moreover, OptimoGov’s robust features such as the OptimoGov Booking Calendar, Corporate Booking Builder, Document Generator, and Task Manager streamline operations, ensuring efficient venue management. Crucially, OptimoGov’s seamless integration with internal systems like TRIM enhances document management efficiency, while SSO (Single Sign-On) integration provides a unified login experience, enhancing security and user convenience. Furthermore, integration with TechnologyOne streamlines broader organisational management aspects, contributing to Northern Beaches Council’s commitment to operational excellence.

Implementation and Outcomes

The implementation of OptimoGov brought about a paradigm shift in Northern Beaches Council’s venue management practices. With the aid of OptimoGov’s comprehensive suite, the council achieved remarkable outcomes. Streamlined venue management across various business areas became the norm, as digitalisation and automation transformed erstwhile manual processes. Northern Beaches residents and staff alike benefited from an improved user experience, thanks to user-friendly online booking portals. Furthermore, seamless integration with existing systems ensured data accuracy and security, empowering informed decision-making. The optimisation of resource allocation and reporting capabilities further solidified Council’s commitment to operational excellence.

Future Collaboration

Northern Beaches Council and OptimoGov continue to collaborate their partnership, with a shared vision of continual improvement. Through ongoing collaboration and innovation, the council remains steadfast in its mission to deliver exceptional services to its residents while driving efficiency and excellence in venue management.

For more information visit our website optimogov.com.

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