Bringing together all those workstreams and legacy mechanisms was a real challenge. But that complexity helped shape exactly what we needed from a unified solution.
A tight timeline and complex integration
Implementation began on August 1, 2024, with a fixed deadline of December 4, 2024, due to contracts expiring. In just four months, the council needed to bring together five separate application estates, each with different reference structures and requirements, and set up a single income management platform.
To keep delivery on track, Somerset Council assembled a focused internal team and worked in close partnership with Access PaySuite, holding daily stand-ups and twice-weekly review meetings. When challenges arose, they met in person to drive progress.
We genuinely worked in partnership with Access PaySuite. They understood the complexity, the time pressure, and the need to get it right. When things got challenging, they showed up. The onsite support made a real difference in pushing things forward.
From five systems to one unified platform
The benefits of consolidation were immediate and far-reaching. Somerset Council replaced five disparate systems with a single Access PaySuite platform - streamlining costs, contracts, and processes.
“The main thing for us was simplicity: one cost, one contract, one council. That’s what Access PaySuite delivered.” – Steve Rose, IMS Project Strategic Finance Lead
All income data now feeds into a central platform that integrates directly with Microsoft Dynamics 365, offering a single view of financial activity across all services.
“Access PaySuite’s consolidated approach has streamlined our operations. We now have a single view of our data and a much more efficient way of working. We now generate reports from one system and access a much broader set of data than we did before. It’s transformed how we understand our finances.” – James Fling, IMS Corporate Accounting
Reporting has also dramatically improved. Users can now generate reports directly from within the platform, enabling faster reconciliation and better financial insight.
Automation within Access PaySuite has replaced many of the manual finance processes that previously consumed staff time.
“Automation has made a huge difference. It’s taken manual, repetitive work off our teams’ plates so they can focus on more valuable tasks.” – James Fling, IMS Corporate Accounting
One team, one process
Internally, the project broke down operational silos. Teams that had previously worked independently now operate as a single, unified finance and payments function.
Strong leadership also played a critical role in maintaining focus and driving cultural alignment across departments.
“Where we once had siloed teams with different systems and processes, we now operate as one cohesive team following one consistent approach.” – Carly Butler, IMS Change & Adoption Lead
Ongoing collaboration and future plans
The council credits its collaborative working relationship with Access PaySuite as a key success factor—not just during delivery, but also in the business-as-usual phase.
“They’ve been incredibly collaborative and supportive, not just during implementation but even now, in our BAU phase.” – James Fling, IMS Corporate Accounting
Looking ahead, Somerset Council plans to onboard additional third-party tools and move remaining payment types—such as chip and PIN and legacy online payments—into the Access PaySuite platform.
In summary
Somerset Council’s transition to Access PaySuite wasn’t just a technology upgrade. It was a strategic transformation that consolidated five legacy systems into a single, intelligent platform. The result: unified teams, reduced costs, streamlined processes, better data visibility, and a vastly improved experience for both staff and residents. Delivered on time, on budget—and built to last.
By the end of 2024, Somerset had successfully migrated to one unified Access PaySuite platform. The benefits were immediate and far-reaching:
- Simplified costs and operations: Five systems and multiple contracts replaced with one platform, one contract, one council.
- Centralised data: Real-time financial data is now consolidated into a single platform, fully integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365.
- Improved reporting: Teams can now generate broader, deeper financial reports directly from the platform.
- Automation at scale: Manual tasks—once a major drain on finance teams—are now automated, freeing staff to focus on higher-value work.