"The DWP’s cross-government initiative; Tell Us Once, has been a resounding success. This was recently recognised with the announcement that the solution had won the Guardian Newspaper’s Innovation Nation Award for Frontline Services. Solidsoft Reply have been involved with the Tell Us Once programme since its inception in 2007 and have worked closely with DWP to deliver the national solution".
It's stressful enough having a friend or family member die. The last thing you need to deal with is unnecessary bureaucracy. The UK Government’s own research has showed that, in order to notify a death, citizens had to contact central government and local authority departments up to 44 times.
Was there a way to reduce the stress involved in this process and, at the same time, save tax-payers' money? That was the challenge presented to Solidsoft Reply by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
The solution was Tell Us Once. In the event of a death, or a birth, this allows people to inform central government and local authorities, just once. The information is then passed on to all the other relevant departments, including the relevant local authorities, the Passport Office and the DVLA.
Solidsoft Reply delivered Tell Us Once using traditional on-premises technologies including Windows Server, Biz Talk Server, SQL Server and Windows Server AppFabric. The service utilises a browser-based interface designed and built to ensure compatibility with almost every contemporary browser.
Tell Us Once operates in most local authorities and is available via face-to-face interviews, over a dedicated DWP telephone service or online via the Directgov website.