Report: Cabinet approval of the new Customer Service Strategy

Presented by: Cllr Paul Middleton, Cabinet Member for Digital Transformation, IT and Customer Services

Cabinet

·        Approved the contents of the draft Customer Service Strategy for the Council – see Appendix A;

·        Approved the new Customer Service Standards – see Appendix B;

·        Agreed that the strategy be published in September 2024; and

·        Delegated authority to the Director of Customer Services to take forward the activities set out in the Roadmap – see Appendix C.

Report: Cabinet approval of the new Customer Service Strategy

Presented by: Cllr Paul Middleton, Cabinet Member for Digital Transformation, IT and Customer Services

Summary

1.     The Council is committed to delivering excellent customer service, raising customer satisfaction levels and meeting the needs of its resident, service users and other customers of our services. This ambition is reflected in the Corporate Plan for 24/25 which states:

2.     ‘“We will provide excellent customer service and engage effectively with our communities”. This new strategy sets out the actions the Council will take over the next three years to improve satisfaction rates for customers, clients and service users. It will be led by the Customer Service Directorate in the Resources Strategic Directorate and the strategy’s scope covers all teams delivering front-line services to residents of the Borough.

3.     Importantly, the new strategy proposes a new set of customer service standards that residents can expect from us when they interact with us, regardless of service. It embodies a One Council approach to the delivery of quality services, within the confines of our financial context. These standards will improve our consistency of service and reduce the variation in response times residents currently experience from us.

4.     Our vision is to be an award-winning organisation for customer service. We are one of the most efficient and productive councils in the country and we want to match that reputation by also being known for the quality of our service delivery. We aspire to deliver excellent customer service in every interaction we have with our residents, businesses and other stakeholders. We want our customers to be satisfied with the services they receive from us. By customers, we mean our residents, service users and people from businesses who access our services.

5.     To achieve the ambitious vision, the strategy outlines three interrelated missions, and these are:

a.     Embedding a customer-centric culture across the organisation;

b.     Modernising service delivery; and

c.     Improving the customer experience.

6.     By achieving these missions, and implementing the associated programme of work effectively, we expect to improve the customer’s experience of our services. This will be captured by an expected increase customer satisfaction rates. When the strategy is fully implemented, we expect the following benefits:

·        Improved customer service levels to residents, indicated by improved customer satisfaction; 

·        Happier, more productive and engaged staff;

·        Reduced failure demand across the council - which is costly and time consuming to administer - caused by double or triple contact to us which is avoidable had we got it right first time;

·        Help make the organisation an attractive place to work, helping us become an employer of choice for new recruits;

·        Improve trust and confidence in what the Council delivers for local taxpayers and service users; and

·        Raise the profile of our organisation so that we become known as the best local authority for providing excellent customer service.

7.     Our overall measure of success will be the increase in customer satisfaction rates we expect to see over the lifetime of the strategy.

Cabinet

·        Approved the contents of the draft Customer Service Strategy for the Council – see Appendix A;

·        Approved the new Customer Service Standards – see Appendix B;

·        Agreed that the strategy be published in September 2024; and

·        Delegated authority to the Director of Customer Services to take forward the activities set out in the Roadmap – see Appendix C.