To enable council to meet and keep pace with the evolving digital needs of its customers, Tauranga City Council's Elected Members have endorsed the digital platform strategy.

The strategy aims to give customers more choices in their transactions with Council – online, face-to-face, over the phone, or in writing.

Council members have endorsed a digital platform strategy at yesterday's meeting.

The first major investment of the strategy is an update to Council's Enterprise Management System.

'The purpose of this investment is to provide a more efficient ICT system that will enable customers to communicate with Council through their choice of channel and device: smart phone, laptop, tablet or computer,” says group communications advisor Rachel Shicker.

Tauranga's population has grown by more than 16,000 since Council's last major ICT systems upgrade.

The investment will allow Council to accommodate this growth, as well as keep pace with the fast-changing ICT sector by delivering more services online.

'One of the many advantages of an Enterprise Management system upgrade is that it will enable our community to contact Council about several queries such as rates, dog registration and building consents at once, rather than through separate transactions.”

The updated system is the first step of Council's Digital Platform Strategy.

Council staff are currently working through activities and delivery timeframes.