26th October 2026
Creating a more connected way to access council services
Murray Bridge Council has connected its CRM and online customer portal to give customers more choice over how and when they access services. With Civica Citizen Central, customers can submit and track requests, manage rates and access services online.
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More ways for customers to connect
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24/7 access to requests, accounts and rates
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Automated workflows reduce manual handling
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Inclusive rollout supports digital adoption.
The council took a staged approach to its digital transformation. Led by Tess Murton, Acting Team Leader IT & Records, it first implemented the CRM module within Civica Authority. It then introduced Citizen Central as its digital front door for accessing council services online.
“We needed to get the CRM foundations right first,” Tess explains. “That gave us a clear structure for how customer requests should flow, which made the Citizen Central rollout much more straightforward.”
Building a connected council CRM foundation
With more than 25 years of using Civica Authority, the council made a strategic decision to extend its existing platform rather than pursue a full system replacement.
“It was really about leveraging what we already had,” says Tess. “We’ve invested in Civica Authority over many years, so using the CRM module and then building on that with Citizen Central made a lot of sense.”
This phased approach ensured that when Citizen Central launched in December, the underlying processes and workflows were already well understood internally.
Creating a ‘no wrong door’ approach for council services
A key principle guiding the rollout was ensuring accessibility for all members of the community, particularly given the region’s diverse and ageing demographic.
“We’ve taken a ‘no wrong door’ approach,” Tess says. “Customers can still call, email or come into the front counter, and we’ll log the request for them, but we also gently show them how they can do it online next time.”
Rather than forcing digital adoption, the council has focused on gradual behavioural change, empowering customers at their own pace.
“We didn’t want to push it in everyone’s face,” she explains. “It’s about giving people confidence and choice.”
A customer portal for requests, accounts and rates
Citizen Central has introduced new levels of convenience for residents, enabling them to interact with council services anytime, anywhere through a self-service portal. They can submit council service requests, create an account and manage their interactions with the council in one place.
“The flexibility is a huge benefit. Customers can log a request while they’re standing on the side of the road or at home – it’s completely on their terms.”
Residents can also create accounts to manage their interactions with council more efficiently.
“The ability to log in, see your history, and access rates information in one place is brand new for our community,” she says. “It gives people much more control.”
This includes the ability to view and pay rates online – reducing reliance on paper-based processes.
“Customers no longer have to wait for a paper notice,” Tess adds. “They can log in anytime and stay on top of their payments, which is a big shift.”
Improving council service request management
The integration between Citizen Central and the CRM module has also improved council service request management. Requests go directly to the appropriate team, reducing manual handling and supporting faster responses. Customers receive an immediate reference number and can track their request as it moves through the system.
“Requests go directly to the right team from the start. That means less manual handling and faster response times.”
Automation also ensures customers receive immediate confirmation and ongoing communication.
“They get a reference number straight away, and the request is tracked through the system,” she says. “That visibility is really important.”
A platform for ongoing growth
As an early adopter, Murray Bridge Council has played a leading role in shaping how Citizen Central is deployed locally, with a strong focus on continuous improvement.
“We’ve seen steady growth in customers using the platform since launch,” Tess says. “It’s building momentum, and we expect that to continue as awareness increases.”
Looking ahead, the council is exploring opportunities to expand functionality and further enhance digital service delivery.
“We’ve built a really solid foundation,” she adds. “Now it’s about continuing to evolve and get even more value from the platform.”