Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

 

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

 

1.1       Members are reminded that in March 2019 the Committee considered proposals for the Customer Focus Programme following the Discovery phase and agreed the implementation approach, key milestones of the implementation plan, the programme workstreams and the resource requirements necessary to successfully take forward the programme of work.

 

1.2       Since March 2019 the programme team has worked with our Strategic Delivery Partner, PA Consulting, progressing through Discover and Develop phases of the programme, conducting a number of workshops with elected members and staff to develop a future blueprint for a customer hub and improved delivery of council services.

 

1.3       The Discover and Develop phases have endorsed our initial outline business case and draft blueprint approved in March 2019 which explained the need to improve our service to all our customers. This report provides an update on activity during the Develop phase providing an overview of the future blueprint for customer service and high level implementation plan for delivery.

 

2.0       Recommendations

 

2.1       The Committee is asked to: 

 

1.      Note the Service design approach adopted as outlined at Appendix 1.

2.      Note progress to date and the draft future blueprint at Appendix 2 and high level implementation plan attached at Appendix 3.

3.      Note the update on services for Elected Members which have been progressed to outline design stage as part of the future blueprint.

4.      Note that staff and Trade Unions have been engaged as part of the service design approach undertaken and will continue to be consulted as we move to delivery phase.

 

3.0       Main report

 

3.1       Service design approach

 

            Since March 2019 a new service design approach for service reviews has been developed comprising 3 phases – Discover, Develop and Deliver. This approach has been used as the service design framework for the Customer Focus programme and has been adopted as the Council’s approach to service design. The approach is outlined in more detail at Appendix 1.

 

            The Discover and Develop phases included staff, resident and member engagement to understand current customer relationships and to highlight areas for improvement. The activity included ride-alongs with waste collection teams, shadowing calls, and focussed workshops with elected members and staff.

 

            This new approach will ensure that we deliver:

 

·        Optimised customer contact – professionalising resources and providing modern digital and telephony systems with access to real time data on contact performance

·        Channel shift – moving where possible to digitally enabled self-serve solutions

·        Customer centricity – designing our services around the needs of our customers.

 

3.2       Future Blueprint – what it will look like

 

            The diagram attached at Appendix 2 sets outs the draft future blueprint for the Customer hub. The blueprint puts our customers at the heart of everything we do and will ensure we provide a consistent and professional service affording our customers choice and convenience. This means improving and aligning all our access to service channels – telephone, face to face, website, social media. Furthermore it will clarify roles and responsibilities and improve relationships between the ‘front and back’ of the organisation building strong links between the customer hub, council services and continuous improvement. This will also result in increased capability through improved training and development and professionalisation of our customer function. A presentation will be provided at the meeting to take Members through the key elements of the new customer function.

 

 

3.3       Deliverables:

 

            Given the complexity of the customer programme it will not be possible to implement all its elements at one time. It is anticipated that by September 2020 we will have the following in place.

 

3.3.1     Customer Hub

 

            This new function will deal with customer contact for all departments and services, across all channels (online, mobile, telephone, face-to-face, email, and social media).

 

            Initially the hub will manage all customer contact for cleansing/waste and calls currently through the main switchboard and corporate complaints numbers. There is further work planned to co-design processes including the handoff to services in other departments.

 

            We expect the customer hub team to comprise approximately 20 staff, coming from across the Council, who will facilitate all customer contact channels, provide customer support for digital channels and build capability in service performance and analysis working with departments and the Continuous Improvement team to inform and shape service improvement.

 

            There will be improvements to our telephony system and a Customer Relationship Management system which will manage and track customer contact to resolution.

 

            Discussions on the location of the customer hub are at an early stage however it is anticipated that it will be in the Cecil Ward Building. Work has begun to look at the feasibility of options and, as part of the Physical Programme update report, members are being asked to agree to add the creation of a new Customer Hub as a Stage 1 Emerging project, under the Capital Programme.

 

3.3.2     Website

 

            We will launch an improved website from May/June 2020. We are currently engaging with departments on refreshing content. This will improve how customers access information on services reducing unnecessary contact.

 

3.3.3     Elected Members

 

            As part of the Develop phase a Task and Finish Working Group has been established with elected members who have participated in 3 workshops to date to identify and design solutions to support elected members in their constituency work.

 

3.3.4     We plan to have a dedicated contact channel for elected members within the Customer Hub. Additionally we will provide members with real time information on service delivery so they can be informed of issues earlier, enabling them to be responsive to constituents’ queries. Members will also have the ability to track issues they have raised and will have visibility of issues emerging in their areas.

 

3.3.5     Bulky Waste

 

            We will commence a specific service design project on improving our bulky waste service. This will be digitally enabled so that customers can book online. The service design will include addressing current problems with types of collections, timescales etc. and will result in better information to customers and improved use of our resources.

 

3.3.6     Missed Bins

 

            Aligned to the overall Resources and Fleet transition and improvement programme, we will seek to address the issue of missed bin collections. We will focus specific resource on how we can address these issues including information flows between elected members, customers, staff and managers. An element of this project will centre on business intelligence and improved understanding of the cause of service failures and identifying interventions to improve service.  

 

3.4       The plan for implementation and how we will do this

     

            Attached at Appendix 3 is a high level plan setting out the key milestones for new Web services to be implemented in May/June 2020 and the Customer Hub which will be live from September 2020. Staff and customers have been involved in the programme to date and this will continue throughout the Deliver phase.

 

            Integral to the overall delivery is the inclusion of staff and Trade Unions in understanding the impact of these changes on current posts and post holders and the transition to the new Customer Hub.

     

3.5       Financial & Resource Implications

 

            SP&R agreed in November 2017 that a budget of £500k be set aside for the customer focus project.

 

            Staff and Trade Unions have been engaged throughout the programme. As we move to Delivery, with Trade Union agreement we are establishing a sub group of JNCC to facilitate further engagement and consultation on staff implications of the programme in line with agreed HR policies and procedures.

           

3.6       Equality or Good Relations Implications

 

            Work on the EQIA for the Customer Focus Programme is in progress. Our Putting you First vision is live on our website for public consultation and a schedule of drop-in sessions are taking place to engage with customers and to gather feedback on our vision. The consultation period closes on 2 February 2020 and the information gathered will be used to complete the EQIA screening.”

 

            The Chief Executive outlined the significance of this corporate programme and the Customer Focus Programme Director then provided a review of the customer vision, the prioritised areas of work for ‘day one’ implementation, the service design, the draft blueprint for the new customer function, details of the customer hub, the improved website which would be launched from May/June 2020, the role of Elected Members and the high level implementation roadmap. 

 

            After discussion, the Committee adopted the recommendations.