Custom customer contact system development
Appfront builds a custom customer contact system (KCS) for your customer contact centre (KCC). Enquiries from residents and businesses come in by phone, at the counter, on the web, by email and via chat, and are brought together in one system where your staff register and handle them. It includes a knowledge base for first-line answers, referral to the relevant departments, an integration with your case management system, and clear management information about customer contact.
What is customer contact software?
A customer contact system (KCS) is the software a municipal customer contact centre (KCC) uses to manage contact with residents and businesses. It brings all channels together, including phone, counter, web, email and chat, so that an enquiry is registered and handled in one place, regardless of how it arrived. The employee sees the contact history and can answer many questions directly at the first line using a knowledge base.
In practice, a custom KCS means: registering and routing contacts across all channels, first-line answers via an up-to-date knowledge base, referral and escalation to the right department, an integration with the case management system via the ZGW APIs, and identification of the resident via DigiD. On top of that, the system provides management information on volumes, channels and topics.
Custom software often fits better than a standard package when your way of working, channel mix or integrations differ from what a package offers. Rather than adjusting your processes to the software, we build the software around your processes, extendable and without depending on a vendor's roadmap. A KCS fits within our wider software for municipalities.
One view of the customer across all channels
Phone, counter, web, email and chat come together in a single record. Staff see previous contacts and open cases, so residents don't have to repeat their story each time.
First-line answers with a knowledge base
An up-to-date knowledge base, maintained by the service teams, shows the right answer for the topic of the contact. This means many questions are resolved immediately without being transferred.
Integration with the case management system
Through the ZGW APIs, the software reads the status of open cases and registers new questions or reports as cases. Service teams pick up escalations in their own environment, with a traceable handover.
Our development process for customer contact software
We work to a methodology that removes uncertainty early and delivers a stable system. From an initial analysis of your KCC processes, channels and integrations through to go-live and ongoing management, every step is aimed at a customer contact system your own organisation can understand and manage.
We map out your KCC processes: which channels come in, how enquiries are registered and routed, which departments take on escalations, and which integrations with the case management system and data sources are needed.
We design the architecture, the data model for contacts and the customer view, the knowledge base structure and the integrations via the ZGW APIs and DigiD, with attention to accessibility and security.
We build in short iterations with automated tests, structured logging and monitoring. You see working versions along the way and steer based on what the customer contact centre actually needs.
Controlled go-live with data validation and a safety net, followed by ongoing management, monitoring and further development of the customer contact software.
What customer contact software delivers in practice
Every customer contact system is set up around your channels, KCC way of working and adjacent systems. Below are the features we most often deliver for municipalities and public service organisations with public-facing contact.
Contact logging across all channels
Enquiries by phone, counter, web, email and chat are all logged in one system, with subject, channel and handling status. The officer works from a single screen and doesn't need to switch between separate systems.
First-line knowledge base
A central knowledge base, managed by the relevant departments, with up-to-date answers to frequently asked questions. The system shows relevant articles for each enquiry, so first-line staff can resolve a large share of questions on the spot.
Referral & escalation
Questions that fall outside first-line scope are routed to the right department, with the full context of the contact. Each handover is traceable, so it is always clear who is handling a question and what its status is.
Integration with case management system & data sources
Integration with the case management system via the ZGW APIs to retrieve case statuses and register new cases, plus identification of the resident through DigiD. Where needed, we connect to additional sources for a complete view of the customer.
Self-service & status enquiries online
Web forms and self-service options that let residents submit simple enquiries or check the status of a request themselves. These are logged as registered contacts in the CRM, so the channel is handled the same way as phone and counter.
Management information & reporting
Insight into volumes per channel, recurring topics and the share resolved at first line. This helps the contact centre plan staffing and identify where the knowledge base or service can be improved.
For which organisations and processes
A customer contact system is used by many public organisations that serve the public. The common thread is always the same: log enquiries across all channels, resolve as many as possible at first line, and route the rest to the relevant department.
Municipal customer contact centres
The customer contact centre (KCC) of a municipality that handles questions from residents and businesses by phone, counter, web, email and chat. First-line answers via the knowledge base, referral to departments and an integration with the case management system. Fits within our wider software for municipalities.
Implementing bodies
Public implementation bodies and joint arrangements with high public contact volumes. A customer contact system brings the channels together, supports first-line staff with a knowledge base, and ensures a traceable handover to the specialist teams who process an application or report.
Public space reporting
Residents report a blocked drain, broken street lighting or litter by phone, at the counter or online. The system logs the report, answers common questions immediately and forwards the report through the case management system to the right department for resolution.
Alongside a citizen portal
The customer contact system is the staffed side of service delivery, alongside digital self-service. Questions that get stuck in a citizen portal can still reach the contact centre personally, with the same registration and the same customer view.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
We build a customer contact system using a modern web stack and open government standards. We set up integrations with the case management system and the basic registers through the government APIs intended for this purpose, so your own team can manage and further develop the system. The relevant integrations for this process are: ZGW API (case management), DigiD and MijnOverheid.
Why choose Appfront for your customer contact system?
Appfront builds custom software for organisations in the Netherlands, with close attention to the standards and requirements that apply in the public sector. We always begin with a thorough analysis of your customer contact centre (KCC) processes and existing systems. A customer contact system must not only work technically, but also deliver practical value for frontline staff.
On every project, we write clear documentation so that your own team, or any future supplier, can understand and manage the software. No black box: you get transparent code and clear agreements on monitoring, maintenance and ongoing development.
You work with a dedicated point of contact who understands both the technical and the functional side. This keeps communication short, prevents misunderstandings and speeds up decisions when choices need to be made during development.
See also our wider services in custom software, a municipality website and AI for municipalities and government.
- Custom customer contact system development built around your KCC processes
- Channel-independent registration and first-line response
- Integrations via the ZGW APIs, DigiD and MijnOverheid
- Developed in line with the GDPR and the BIO
- Digital accessibility compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA
- Audit logging and role-based access
- Clear documentation your team can read and manage
- A fixed point of contact, no account managers passed around
- Ongoing maintenance and proactive further development
- A way of working aligned with your existing IT landscape
Security, privacy and accessibility
A customer contact system processes personal data of residents and businesses. Appfront therefore builds in line with the GDPR and the Baseline Information Security for Government (BIO). This means data minimisation, role-based access based on least privilege, encryption in transit and at rest, and comprehensive logging, so it is traceable who has viewed which data.
We document the data processing activities so that your register of processing activities is complete and you can demonstrably comply with the GDPR. Where the system affects digital public services for residents, we develop in line with WCAG 2.1 AA and the statutory requirements for the digital accessibility of government services.
More on our security approach: information security policy and CVD policy.
- GDPR-compliant data processing and data minimisation
- Developed in line with the BIO
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Role-based access and least privilege
- Audit logging with traceable access
- Monitoring and alerting for anomalies
- WCAG 2.1 AA for digital accessibility
- Documentation for your record of processing activities
Frequently asked questions about customer contact systems
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about a custom CCS.
A customer contact system (KCS) is the software with which a municipal customer contact centre (KCC) records and handles incoming questions from residents and businesses. All channels — phone, counter, web, email and chat — come together in one system, so that for each contact an employee can see what was asked before and what the status is. The KCS includes a knowledge base for first-line answers, manages referral and escalation to departments, integrates with the case management system and provides management information on customer contact.
A standard package often suits a common KCC process. Custom software makes sense when your way of working, channel mix or integrations differ from what a package offers: your own knowledge base structure, specific escalation routes to departments, or integration with a case management system and sources that are not supported out of the box. A custom KCS is built around your processes rather than the other way round, and remains extensible without depending on a vendor's roadmap. In an intake conversation, we will look together at whether custom software is the right choice for your situation.
Yes. A KCS should integrate with the case management system, so that a KCC employee can look up the status of an ongoing case and register a new report or question as a case. Appfront preferably builds this integration via the ZGW APIs (Zaakgericht Werken), the national standard for case-based working. The system can also integrate with identification via DigiD and with other sources needed for a complete view of the customer.
A customer contact system brings together the channels through which residents and businesses get in touch: telephone, the front desk, the web form or self-service on the website, email and chat. The idea behind channel-independent working is that a query is registered and resolved in one place, regardless of the channel it comes in through. The agent sees the full contact history and doesn't need the resident to repeat everything. Which channels we connect exactly we agree on the basis of your existing telephony and web environment.
The knowledge base contains up-to-date, approved answers to frequently asked questions, so a customer contact centre agent can answer many queries on the spot in the first line without transferring the call. Service departments manage the content, so the information matches current policy and regulations. The KCS shows relevant knowledge base articles for the subject of the contact and tracks which questions come up often, so the knowledge base can be expanded where it matters most.
Yes. A KCS processes personal data of residents and businesses, so Appfront builds in line with the GDPR and the Baseline Informatiebeveiliging Overheid (BIO). That includes data minimisation, role-based access and least privilege, encryption in transit and at rest, and extensive logging so it is traceable who has viewed which data. We document the data processing for your record of processing activities. Where the system touches digital accessibility, we build to WCAG 2.1 AA and the statutory requirements for government digital accessibility.
A KCS records how many contacts come in, through which channels, on which subjects, and how many of those are resolved in the first line. This produces management information that lets a contact centre plan staffing, see which subjects recur, and assess where the knowledge base or service delivery can be improved. The reports are set up around the indicators that matter to your organisation.
Yes. Appfront regularly takes over existing software, even when it was originally built by another party. We carry out a review of the architecture, the integrations with the case management system and sources, the knowledge base and security, document the current setup and propose improvements. From that point on, we can extend the customer contact system, add integrations and maintain the system, with clear agreements on monitoring and further development.
Ready to build your customer contact system?
Tell us which channels your CCC serves, which integrations with case management systems and data sources are needed, and what your knowledge base and escalation routes look like. We're happy to help you design your customer contact system. Book a no-obligation conversation via our contact page for a clear picture of what's possible.