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Customer service strategy 2010-2015

CUSTOMER EXCELLENCE IN CROYDON Putting the customer at the heart of everything we do

2 Customer Service Strategy 2010-2015

Contents�

Foreword by Councillor Sara Bashford

Foreword by the chief executive

Foreword by the executive director, community services

Executive summary

Introduction

Theme one:Understandingourcustomers

Theme two:Connectingwithourcustomers

Theme three:Servingourcustomers

Theme four:Beingachampionforourcustomers

Tables and figures�

Our Customer Service Framework

Links with other core strategies

The Croydon customer experience hierarchy of needs

Customer strategy balanced scorecard

Glossary of terms

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3Customer excellence in Croydon: Putting the customer at the heart of everything we do

Foreword by Councillor Sara Bashford:�Cabinet member for resources and customer services

IamverypleasedtobeabletobringyouCroydonCouncil’sfiveyear customerservicestrategywhichsetsouthowwearegoingtodeliverand improveourservicesforcustomersacrosstheborough.Thisstrategy buildsonthepositivefoundationscreatedoverthelastfewyearsincluding thecreationofAccessCroydon,inTabernerHouseandcontinuing improvementstothecouncil’swebsitewhichmeancustomerscanapply for,payforanddomoreviatheinternet.However,moreneedstobe done.Withinthisstrategywesetouthowwewillbuildonourin-depth understandingofourdiversecustomerbase.This,inturn,willmeanwe candevelopmoreeffectivewaysofconnectingwithourcustomersandin particular,howwecanimproveaccesstoservicessothattheregenuinely isaccessforall.Morethananything,asalocalauthority,wehavea responsibilitytoactasthechampionforallourcustomers–representing theirviewsandconcernsattheappropriatelevel,beitlocallyor nationally.Thisisofkeyimportanceduringthecurrenteconomiccrisis.

Ultimately,CroydonCouncil’saimistobeknownasanoutstandinglocal authoritywhenitcomestocustomerservice.Ourstaffwillberespectful, knowledgeableandrespondtoallcustomers’needsquicklyandefficiently, therebymakingcustomersfeelassuredandsecure.Ourserviceswillbe deliveredinafair,considerateandcaringwaythatwillultimatelymake ourcustomersfeelrespectedandvalued.Wewantourcustomerstotrust usandtoseethatwewillalwaysgotheextramile,resultinginthebelief thatweprovideexcellentvalueformoney.

ThesearechallengingaspirationsbutCroydonCouncilisalreadywellinto itsjourneytoachieveexcellenceincustomerservice.

Sara Bashford Cabinet member for resources and customer services


Foreword by Jon Rouse:�Chief executive

WetakecustomerserviceseriouslyinCroydonCouncilandthisstrategy isoneofthemostimportantonesintheorganisation.Thisstrategyis designedtoenableustomeetandexceedtheexpectationsmoreofthetime.

Weknowthereismoreworktodoinimprovingcustomersatisfactionwith theserviceswedeliver.Overthecomingyear,allfront-lineserviceswill undertakeaself-assessmentinrelationtocustomerservicequality,witha viewtogainingexternalaccreditationafterthat.

Weworkhardatdeliveringexcellentvalueformoney.Thatiswhywe willbelookingathowcustomerscurrentlyaccessservicesandidentifying whetherwecouldmaketheseservicesavailableinabetter,smarterway. Thisisaboutgivingcustomersmorecontroloverwhenandwherethey accessourservices.

Thisisaboutmakinganyinteractionbetweenthecustomerandthecouncil easier,betterandfaster.Ourethosis“nowrongdoor”inthatnoneofour customersshouldeverfeelliketheyarebeingpassedfromdepartment todepartment,withnoanswer.Wewillbeworkingwiththeservicesthat mattertoourcustomersinordertodevelopstaff,systemsandprocesses sothatalwaysputourcustomersfirst.

Jon Rouse Chief executive


Foreword by Tom Jeffery: Executive director, community services

Improvingthecustomerexperienceisattheheartofthisstrategy.In whateverwayacustomercontactsus,theyshouldcomeawayfromthat interactionfeelingvaluedandrespected.Onlythenwillourcustomers trustus.

Oneofthefirstprojectstocomeoutofthisstrategywillbethe developmentofourcustomerpromise,‘ProudtoServe’.Wewillbe developingthisbyaskingcustomersandstaffaliketovoteonthekey promisestheythinkthecouncilshouldadhereto.

Oncewehavedevelopedthecustomerpromise,wewillthenlookat embeddingthebehavioursneededacrossallservices–betheyservices delivereddirectlybythecounciloronbehalfofthecouncil,byourpartners.

Thispromisewillalsogiveusafoundationfromwhichtodealwiththings whentheygowrong.Ultimately,ouraimistoreducethenumberof complaintsweget.However,whenwedoreceiveacomplaintwewill giveittherespectitdeserves,actonitquicklyanduseitasalearning opportunity.

Thesuccessfulimplementationofthisstrategywillmeanthatinevery interaction,ineverydecisionwewillalwaysputthecustomerattheheart ofeverythingwedo.

Tom Jeffrey Executive director, community services

6 Customer Service Strategy 2010-2015�

Customer excellence in Croydon: Putting the customer at the heart of everything we do� 7

Proud to Serve


Our Customer Service Framework

Customer service

excellence

Serving our customers

Delivery

Customerexperience

Connecting with our customers

Access

Performance

Staff

Being the champion for our customers

Customer ‘mirror’

How we work

together

Emotion

Understanding our customers

Customerinsight

Feedback


Executive Summary

Attheheartofthisstrategyisthedesiretocreate betterandeasierinteractionsbetweenthecouncil anditscustomerstotheextentthatcustomersdo notworryaboutcontactingus.Ultimately,wewant toensurethatallofourcustomersfeelvalued,even inthemostdifficultofinteractions,andforthemto becomeourbiggestadvocates.

Thisstrategyhasfourthemeswithinitandthese are:(1)understandingourcustomers(2)connecting withourcustomers(3)servingourcustomersand(4) beingachampionforourcustomers.Withineachof thesethemeshopefullythereaderwillgetasenseof thecouncilnotonlyensuringthebasicsarerightbut alsowantingtoinnovatearoundcustomerservice delivery.Thefourthemesactasacontinuouscycleof improvementasdepictedonthenextpage.

Thefirstthemefocusesonknowingourcustomers byhavingadeeperunderstandingoftheirwants andneeds.Thisisaboutmakingbetteruseof customerinsightandsegmentationandtakingthis understandingtoadeeperlevel.Atthemoment,the councilusesinsightatthepost-codelevel.Theaim willbetotakethistohouse-holdlevel,aswellasbring insomeelementsofsocialmarketing.Inaddition, thisthemesetsouttheneedformorejoined-up engagementactivitiesacrosstheorganisationand withourpartners.Thisisimportantifweareto reduceduplicationandmoreimportantly,getthebest outofeverycustomerengagementactivityevery time.Recognisingtheimportanceofthecustomer experienceandinparticular,theemotionalneedsof thecustomerarethefinalpiecetothisjigsaw.

Onceweunderstandourcustomers’needswethen needtobeclearabouthowwecanbestmeetthose needs.Thisistheaimofthemetwo,whichhasthe developmentoftheaccessstrategyandsubsequent channelmanagementplanatitscore.Thisalsosets outperformancemanagementactivityandtargetsin relationtocustomerserviceandincreasingcustomer satisfaction.Improvingstaffskillsandcreatinga customer-centricculturebothwithinthecounciland anycommercialpartnersitmayworkwithareintegral

tothesuccessofthistheme.Assuch,approachesare setoutbothinrelationtoselectionintocustomer-focusedrolesaswellasdevelopmentforallstaff aroundimprovingthecustomerexperience.

Thecustomerexperienceiscentraltothethird theme.‘ProudtoServe’willseeusengagingwith ourcustomersandourstaffinordertodevelopa meaningfulcustomerpromise.Improvementsto thecomplaintprocessarealsosetoutagainstthis themeandinparticular,improvinghowwerespondto complainants.Howwecommunicatewithresidents isincludedinthistheme,ensuringourcustomersfeel informedisakeyelementoftheiroverallsatisfaction. Thefinalelementofthisthemerelatestocustomer serviceexcellence,bothasanethosandasan accreditationstandard.Theethosissomethingthat allpartsofthecouncilwilldevelop.Theaccreditation issomethingthatallpriorityservices,atthevery least,willattain.

Supporting,lobbyingonbehalfofanddeveloping moreinnovativepracticesaroundparticipatoryaction aretheaspectswithinthefourthandfinaltheme. Thislooksatcollaborativeandpartnershipworking asawayofcreatingamoreseamlessexperience forthecustomer.Anassessmentwillbecarriedout todeterminewhereweareonthisjourney,both insideandcross-departmentallyandoutsidewith otherorganisations.Creatingchampionsviaour staff,particularlythe70%whoarealsoresidents, issomethingthatwillcreateafastandinformal feedbackloopbetweenusandthepeopleweserve.

Toensurethecouncilachievescustomerservice excellenceweneedtofocusontheemotionalside ofcustomerserviceaswellastheprocessand systems.Byensuringthatallserviceimprovements, servicedesignandservicedeliveryisfocusedaround process,systemsandemotionalneedsthecouncilwill undoubtedlyseeanincreaseincustomersatisfaction. CustomerexcellenceisnotunattainableforCroydon andby2015wewillbeheldupasoneofthebest localauthoritiesintheUKaroundcustomerserviceas judgedbyourowncustomers.


Introduction�

Croydonisalreadyanexcitingplaceinwhichtolive, workandplay.Innovativeurbanregenerationwillsee itbecomeavibrantmetropolis,onethatcouldrival anyofthecitiesandlargetownsonthecontinent. Ourplans,suchasthoseforBuildingSchoolsforthe Future,willseeCroydonbecomeacentreofexcellence aroundeducationwhichwill,inturn,attractmore employersintotheborough.Croydonalreadyhasa thrivingbusinessheartwhichlookssettogrow,evenin themidstofthecurrenteconomicclimate.

Tocementthis,Croydonnowhasavisionstatement whichsetsouttheborough’ssharedprioritiesforthe future.Thevisionstatementsetsoutthequalityand scopeofchangethatweneedoverthenextthirty years.Thevisionstatesthatby2040Croydonwillbe knownasoneofthemostenterprisingcities;where everyonehastheopportunitytosucceedbecausethey havetherightsupport;therewillbeaveryrealsense ofplace,withthedifferentandvibrantcommunities thatmakeupCroydonco-existingandworking togethertoensureCroydonisaplacetobeproudof.

In2009,anumberofcorestrategiesweredeveloped toworktowardsachievingthevision.Theseinclude equalitiesandcohesion;olderpeople;communication; culture;ICT;andinformationmanagementstrategies. Thisfiveyearcustomerservicestrategyisanother vitalpieceofthatjigsaw.Itcomesatanappropriate timewiththeimminentlaunchofStepChange Croydonandtheborough’svision.Italsocomesat atimewhichhasseenCroydonleadthewayasone ofthepilotsforTotalPlace,aprogrammeaimedat partnerscomingtogethertocreateintegratedservices designedaroundtheneedsofthecustomer.

Itisimportanttoensurethatthecustomerservice strategyactsasoneofthefoundationstonestothe aspirationsandprogrammessetoutabove.Thiswill bedonethroughtheaimssetoutinthetablebelow:

To deliver the priorities of the community we need to…

Developandunderstandservicepriorities.Defineappropriateshort, mediumandlongertermstandardsandorganisational-wideservicedesign, ensuringcontinuousfuturefocusanddirectionfortheCouncil’spriorities.

To increase satisfaction with quality of local public services we need to…

Ensurethemeasurementofstandardsagainstthechosenpriorities, managinganddirectingshortfallstherebydrivingupcustomersatisfaction.

To increase public perception of value for money with public services we need to…

Understandwhatdrivesandimprovescustomervalueformoney perceptionsof‘whatmatters’leadingtobetterinformedcustomersand increasedsatisfactionlevels.Ourservicedeliverywillbe,inturn,informed andinfluencedbyourcustomers’perceptionsofthesematters.

To meet challenges and demands placed upon us by central government we need to…

Meetallstatutoryandnationalprioritiesinfulfillingtheprovisionof servicestoallsegmentsofthecommunity.

To enable Croydon Council to be recognised as one of the top ten local authorities in the UK we need to…

Achieveupperquartilecustomersatisfactionandperformanceandbe recognisedasacustomerfocusedmarketleaderorganisation.

To ensure the success of each part of the organisation we need to…

Enablethecreationofasinglecustomermindsetthroughoutthe organisationtoensureconsistentlyhighstandardsofcustomersatisfaction throughoutallservicerelationships.


Theactionscontainedwithinthisstrategyare relevanttoandinlinewithCroydon’svisionof becoming:

• Anenterprisingcity • Alearningcity • Acreativecity • Aconnectedcity • Asustainablecity • Acaringcity

Embeddedwithinthestrategyisacontinuous cycleofimprovementwithaimofunderstanding, connectingwith,serving,andbeingthechampionfor ourcustomers.Wewillusethiscontinuouscyclefor allserviceswedeliver,wheneverwedeliverthem,in ordertoensuresuccessforalloftheaspirationsset outinthisintroduction.Asshownonpagesix,there arestronglinkswithotherkeystrategiesfromacross theorganisation.Inparticular,therearestronglinks withtheequalitiesandcohesionstrategyandthe equalityframeworkisembeddedwithineachofthe themesthroughoutthisstrategy.Thelinksbetweenthe frameworkandthestrategythemesareshownbelow:

However,inordertosucceedinallofthese aspirationswemustgetourbasicofferingtoour manydifferentcustomersright.Thismeansproviding servicesinthebestwaypossible,whetherthatis face-to-face,online,overthephoneorviaother means.Thismeansensuringourprocessesarethe besttheycanpossiblybe.Processesthatworkfor thecustomeraswellasprocessesthatworkforus. Thismeansensuringthatwemakesurewemake optimumuseofthesystemswehavealreadyinvested inandthatwhenwebuynewsystemsthatwemake suretheyarefuture-proof,inthattheywillcontinue tomeettheneedsofcustomersafewyearsdown

theline.Finally,thisisaboutthinkingaboutthe customerexperience.Itisallverywellmakingsure ourprocessesandsystemsaregreatbutthismeans littleifourstaffarenotalwayslookingtoensure theservicemeetsthecustomerindividualneeds andtogoonestepfurtheranddelightthecustomer. Therehavebeenshiningexamplesofstaffwhohave deliveredamazingcustomerserviceandindeed, someoftheverybestwereshow-casedattherecent councilawards.Thisstrategyaimstobuildonthose examplesofoutstandingcustomerservice.

Customer service strategy theme

Equality framework

Understandingourcustomers • Knowourcommunityandunderstanditsneeds

Connectingwithourcustomers • Engagewiththecommunityandimprovesatisfaction

Servingourcustomers • Responsiveservicesandcustomercare • Exemplaryemployerofamodernanddiverseworkforce

Beingthechampionforour customers

• Providestrongleadership,partnershipandorganisationalcommitment

Customer excellence in Croydon: Putting the customer at the heart of everything we do 13�

Links with other core strategies

Croydon’s new vision

Community strategy

Equalities and cohesion

strategy

Information management

strategy

ICT strategy

Theabovediagramshowshowthisstrategylinksto andsupportssomeoftheotherstrategiesacrossthe organisation.

Communications strategy

Customer service

strategy

Empowerment strategy

Access strategy

Information, advice and advocacy strategy

Data quality strategy


“Seek to understand before you can expect to be understood”

Stephen Covey

Our commitments against • Tohaveacleardefinitionandunderstandingofourcustomersandtheir physicalandemotionalneeds this theme:

• Tounderstandandrespecttheneedsofvulnerablecustomers

• Tounderstandandrespectthedifferencesamongourcustomers

• Toensureweengageourcustomersindesignofservices

• Toensurewereviewservicesfromacustomerviewpoint

• Tomakeuseofcustomerfeedbacktodriveserviceimprovements

• Tofocusonourcustomers’priorities


Theme one: Understanding our customers�

Who are our customers?

Wedealwithawiderangeofpeopleacrossthe borough.Thecouncilisahighlycomplexorganisation whichfacilitatesthewell-beingofthosethatlive, workorplayintheborough–beitphysical,mentalor economicwell-being.Assuch,ourcustomersinclude:

• Counciltaxpayers • Peoplewithdisabilities • Buildersandpropertydevelopers • Victimsofdomesticviolence • Privatelandlords • Religiousgroups • Unemployedresidents • Schools • Homelesspeople • Roadusers • Olderpeople • Singleparents • Lookedafterchildren • Businessowners • Charitiesandvoluntaryorganisations • Asylumseekers • Variousethnicgroups • Councildepartments(internalcustomers)

Whilstthelistsabovearenotexhaustivetheysimply servetodemonstratethesheerrangeofservicesthe councilofferstoitscustomers.Inordertoensurewe aredeliveringtherightservicesintherightway,we needtoensureweunderstandasmuchasispossible aboutourvariedcustomergroups.Weneedto understandmoreaboutthepeoplewhodonotuseour services,aswellasrecognisingandworkingwiththe interdependenciesthatmayexistbetweencustomer groups,forexampleolderpeopleandyoungerpeople inrelationtohousingneeds.Finally,weneedtothink aheadinordertoplanforfuturecustomerneedsand changingexpectations.

Customer insight and segmentation

Currentlycustomerinsightisbasedonwhatisknown as‘post-codelevel’datawherebykeycustomergroups andtheirhabitsareidentifiedviatheirpost-code groupings.Itispossibletolookathouse-holdlevel dataandmorerecently,anewlevelhasbeenadded

whichenablesorganisationstogaininsightataperson level.CroydonCouncilwillmovetohouse-holdlevel asawayofgettingfurtherdepthofunderstandingin thehabitsandbehavioursofcustomergroupsacross theborough.Thisunderstandingwillbedeveloped acrosstheorganisationaspartofdevelopmentfor managersandperformanceanalysts.Inaddition, CroydonaimstobethefirstplaceintheUKwhere customerinsightissharedandusedacrossthelocal strategicpartnership(LSP).

However,inordertotakecustomerinsightand segmentationevenfurther,thecouncilneedsto developandmakeuseoftheconceptofsocial marketing.Socialmarketingisaprocessthatcan helpinshiftingthepowerbalancebydeveloping betterinformed,planned,executedandevaluated interventionsandalsobyensuringthatallservice provisionisdesignedaroundtheneedsofcustomers. Themainaimistoensureallinterventionsarebased aroundanddirectlyrespondtotheneedsandwants ofthecustomer,ratherthanthecustomerhavingto fitaroundtheneedsoftheserviceortheintervention. Socialmarketingisdrivenbyaction-orientedinsights aboutwhatwillandwillnothelppeoplechange. TodevelopthislevelofinsightrequiresCroydon Counciltomovebeyondtraditionalinformationand intelligence(forexampledemographicdata)andto lookmuchmorecloselyatwhypeoplebehavethe waytheydo.Astrongemphasisneedstobeplacedon understandingwhatistobeofferedtothecustomer, basedonwhatthecustomervalues.

Alongsidesegmentationwewilluseanddevelop traditionaltargetingthroughgeo-demographicdatato furtherunderstandkeycustomergroups.Highimpact segmentationwillalsodevelopourunderstandingof beliefs,attitudesandbehaviours.Thismeansthat servicescanthenbedevelopedtoaddressspecific needs,betheyphysicaloremotional.Ultimately,this isaboutknowingourcustomersandunderstanding theirneeds.


Emotional and physical needs

Everycustomerhastherighttoexpecttheirbasic needstobemetbyus.However,itisanexceptional organisationthatunderstandstheemotionalneedsof itscustomers.ThisisCroydon’saim.Thehierarchyof needsthatCroydon’scustomerscanexpecttobemet areshownonthenextpage.

Toensurephysicalneedsaremetwewillstreamline informationandprocesses.Bydoingthis,staffshould finditeasiertodealwithcustomerneeds–whether it’saneedforinformation,forameetingortofollow uponapreviousinteraction.Inturn,customers shouldexperienceaquickerresponsetime,havetrust intheinformationtheyarereceivingandbelievethat thecouncilwilllookafteranyinformationrelatingto thatparticularcustomer.

Customer engagement and feedback

Anexcellentorganisationwillrecogniseandrespond tothediversityofthecommunityitserves,creating tailoredresponsestosuitwide-rangingneeds. CroydonCouncilexiststoservetheneedsofits communitiesandthesecommunitiesincreasingly expecttobeabletoinfluenceservicedesignand delivery.Improvingservicesmeansengagingwith customersatalllevelstofindoutwhattheywant, ensuringeffectivedeliveryandbeingaccountablefor thatdelivery.

Customerengagementandfeedbackhelpsdelivera culturewhereresourcesaregiventowheretheyare mostneeded.Thecouncilcurrentlyusestoolssuch asGovmetricalongwiththecustomerinsightdata. Wewillcommittodevelopfurthertoolstodevelop therichnessofthisdataandimproveitsuseintothe organisation.

Buildingbettercustomerengagementstartswithan honestassessmentofthecouncil’scurrentlevelsof engagementwithresidentsandcommunitygroups. Thismustthenbeboughttogetherintoacohesive, joined-upplanwhichreducespotentialduplication ofactivitybetweenservices.This,inturn,willlead tothecreationofonecentralsystemwhichallstaff willbeabletoaccessinordertoplantheirown engagementactivitiesandwhichallcustomerswill beabletoaccessinordertoplanwhichengagement eventtheycanattend.Anessentialcomponentwill bethemonitoringandevaluationofprogressagainst allcustomerengagementactivities.Thislatterpoint isparticularlyimportantinrelationtoensuring engagementactivitiesarequalitycontrolledand effective.By2015,CroydonCouncilwillberunning highimpactandjoined-upcustomerengagement activities.Inadditionitwillhaveensuredthatits owncustomerengagementactivitiesareintegrated withitspartners’engagementactivities.Thisincludes makingmoreuseofsocialnetworkingsitesasaway ofengagingandunderstandingourcustomers.

Totakeengagementtothenextlevelweneedto exploreformsofparticipatoryactionresearch(PAR). Thisaddressesunderlyingcausesofinequalityusinga solution-focusedapproach.Itisacontinualprocess –beginningwithcommunitydialogue,thenextphase isdatageneration,leadingtoactionandthenbackto dialogue.Ultimately,thisallowsparticipants,inthis instanceourcustomers,tolearnfromtheiraction. Theultimatenotionisthatcommunitymembers areequalpartnersintheresearchprocess.Thegoal ofPARistodevelopthecapacityofparticipants tounderstandanddevelopsolutionstotheirown problemsratherthanrelyingonoutsideexpertstodo thisontheirbehalf.


Key actions for theme one: • Developuseofcustomerinsightdataatthehouseholdlevel

• Developmentprogrammeformanagersandperformanceanalystson theuseofcustomerinsightandsegmentationdata

• Developandroll-outtheconceptsofeffectiveengagement,including socialmarketing,foruseaspartofservicedesign

• Rolloutthecustomerexperiencehierarchyofneedspyramidand incorporateintoserviceplanningandPDCS

• Developcentralisedengagementplanandsupportingcentralised system

• Developqualityandperformancemonitoringtounderpincustomer engagementactivities

• Developandroll-outParticipatoryActionResearchandco-design methodologiesforusebyservices

• Developfuturecontracts,deliveredbypartners,toincludecustomer satisfactionmetricsaspartofdeliveryandpaymentmodels


Understanding our customers in 2015�

Customer action Physical experience

MissKhanneedstoreportanti MissKhanquicklyfindsthenumbersheneedstocall socialbehaviourinherblockof bylookingonthecouncilwebsite.Whenshecalls flats thenumberitisansweredpromptlybyLesleyinthe

ContactCentre.

Lesleyquickly and efficientlytakesMissKhan’sdetails andseesthatsheisacounciltenant.Lesleylooksup theavailabilityoftheAntiSocialBehaviourteamin DASHandasksMissKhanforatimeanddatethat suitsher.MissKhanoptsforanappointmentintwo daystime.

Ron,fromtheASBteamvisitsMissKhanatthe specified time andfindsoutmoreinformationfrom her.Helets her know what will happenandwhenand givesherhiscontact detailsifsheneedstogethold ofhim.

Emotional experience

MissKhanfeelsnervousaboutmakingthecallandis worriedaboutanyrepercussions.Whilstshedoesn’t saythis,LesleypicksthisupbothinthetoneofMiss Khan’svoiceandthenatureofthecall.Lesleyadapts herstylesothatitis warm,aswellasefficient.Miss KhancomesawayfromthecallfeelingthatLesley wasrespectful ofherworries.

MissKhanisanxious aboutthemeetingwiththe ASBofficerassheisasingleMuslimwomanandshe knowstheofficerisaman.Ronarrivesandpicks uponMissKhan’sanxiety–heasksifshewouldlike himtotakehisshoesoffbeforeenteringtheflat. ThismakesMissKhanfeel respectedandslightlyless worried.Ron listens more than he talksandthen repeatswhathehasheardMissKhansay,clarifying whereheneedsto.ThisleadsMissKhantobelieveshe isbeingtaken seriouslyandbytheendofthemeeting sheiscertainthatthecouncilwillhelpherwiththe situationsheisin.


The Croydon customer experience hierarchy of needs

Valued Happy

Respected Contented

Primarily em

otional needs

Caring Respectful

Assured Friendly

Satisfied Responsible Comfortable

Efficient

Responsive Resolute

Knowledgeable

Primarily physical needs

Value for money Trust Safe

Accessible Reliable


“Customer service is about treating others as you would

want to be treated” Anon

Our commitments against • Toensureourservicesandaccessistailoredtoourcustomers’needs

this theme: • Toensureaccessisalignedtothemostappropriate,effectiveand efficientchannel

• Toputinplaceclearlydefinedperformancestandards

• Tomaximisetheamountofinteractionscompletedatthefirstpointof contact

• Todevelopserviceslinkedtolifeeventsandpersonalcircumstances whichmaximisethesupportprovidedandreducetherequirementfor multiplecontact.

• Todevelopourstaff,atalllevels,sothatwehaveacustomer-centric culture

• Tomakeasmanytransactionsautomatedaspossible,enablingthe customertoaccessstandardservices24/7

• Tocreateanethosof“nowrongdoor”


Theme two: Connecting with our customers

Customer access and channel management

Asupplementarystrategywhichsupportsthisonewill bethecouncil’saccessstrategy.Basedonin-depth engagementwithavarietyofcustomers,thisstrategy willenablethecounciltodeterminewhichservices itcontinuestodeliverface-to-face,whichservices canbetransactedonlineandwhichservicescanbe dealtwithbythecontactcentre.Withthecurrent financialclimatecreatingmorepressure,theaimis todeliverasmanyofthe‘universal’servicesinthe mostcost-effectivewaypossible.Universalmeans thoseserviceswhicheveryoneintheboroughuses, suchaswastecollection.Theresultofthiswork willbetoreduce‘avoidablecontact’alsoknownas NI14(NationalIndicator).Oneexampleofavoidable contactwouldincludecallsfromCroydonresidents chasingtheprogressofastreetlightbeingfixed. Reducingavoidablecontactwillleadtoimprovements forourcustomersandefficiencysavingsforthe organisation(NI179).

Thecouncil’snewICTstrategyhasexcellencein customerservicesatitsheartanditsetsouta numberofprojectswhichaimtoincreaseautomation ofprocessesforcustomers.Infiveyearstimethiswill beatthenextlevelwherebycustomerscanaccessa virtualcontactcentrewhichhasavirtualcustomer servicesadvisor,interactivemaps,videofootageof councilservicesandlinkstoallcouncilservices.

Croydonwillbeoneofthefirstauthoritiesto implement‘TellUsOnce’,aninitiativewhichwillallow ustosuccessfullyjoinuparangeofserviceswhich allowcustomerstoinformusofabirthordeathonce, ratherthanmanytimes.Abirthordeathcanimpact onavastnumberofbenefitsorservicesdelivered acrosstheboroughandbeyond.‘TellUsOnce’will notonlyhelptoincreasecustomersatisfactionbut alsoreducethecostsincurredbyduplicationofeffort. By2015,thisprinciplewillhavespilledoverinto otherservicesandanaspirationisfortheretobe onewebsiteforallpublicservicesinCroydonwhere customerscanaccessthecouncil,thejobcentre, theNHSandthepolicetonamebutafew.Thus,this becomesmorethanjustabout“nowrongdoor”at CroydonCouncilbutrather“nowrongdoor”across theborough,whichisanaspirationforthelocal strategicpartnership(LSP)asevidencedthroughthe TotalPlacepilot.


Performance management

Developingbetterperformancemanagementacross thewholecouncil,inrelationtocustomerservices,is essentialtotheimprovementofthecouncil’sability todeliverservicesinwaysthatareeffective,meet theneedsofthecustomerandcontinuallyimprove. Performancemanagementinrelationtocustomer servicesneedstobedevelopedsothatit:

• Focusesonimprovinggenuinecustomerpriorities • Hassufficientinternalandexternalchallenge • Hasalimitednumberofkeyindicatorstosignpost

performance • Producesself-sustainingcontinuousimprovement • Celebratesachievementaswellasidentifyingpoor

performance • Triggersactioninresponsetomissingtargets,

indicatorsandstandards

Inshort,thisisaboutensuringthateverysingle personineverysingleservicetakesresponsibilityfor theircustomerserviceprioritiesandultimatelyour residents’satisfactionwithourservices.Abalanced scorecardforthisstrategyisgivenonpage15.This setsoutthetargetsthecouncilaimstoachieveby 2015.Itistheresponsibilityofeverysinglepersonin theorganisationtomakeithappen.Targetsinclude increasingcustomersatisfactionandreducingthe numberofcomplaints.Assuch,thesetargetsneedto befactoredintoserviceplansandPDCSobjectives.

Qualitycontrolandmonitoringisanotherkey componentofperformancemanagement.Call QualityMonitoring(CQM)iscurrentlyusedaspart oftheperformancemanagementofstaffwithinthe contactcentre.TheaimisforCQMtoberolledout acrosstheorganisation.Thisisnotaboutlisteningin oneverycallbutratheritissimplyawayofensuring thatthecustomercanbesuretheywillbetreatedin considerateandhelpfulmanner.Thesamewillapply towrittenandelectroniccommunication.Thisisnot onlyaboutspellingandgrammar,whicharethebasic foundationsofanywrittencorrespondence,butalso takingintoaccounttheintendedaudience.Plain languagewillbeusedinallwrittencorrespondence withcustomers–beitviaemailorletter.

Staff and culture

Trainingincustomerserviceskills,acrossthe organisation,hasnothadasmuchfocusinsome areasasitperhapsshouldhavedoneoverthelast coupleofyears.Thetrainingthatstaffinboththe contactcentreandAccessCroydonreceivesenables themtohandlethecomplexityofsystems,processes andcustomerbehaviour.Thistrainingneedstobe rolledoutacrosstheorganisationforalllevelsofstaff (includingcontractors),particularlynewstartersand especiallythoseworkingonthefrontline.Inaddition, aspartofeverynewstarter’sinductiontheyshould spendatleastonedayinthecontactcentreorAccess Croydon.Thebenefitsofthisaremanyfold–the individualwouldgetaninstantoverviewofthemany servicesthecounciloffers;theywouldhavemore appreciationforsomeofthefrustrationsexperienced bycustomers;andtheycouldtakethelearningback totheirteamwhichcouldthenfeedintoservice improvements.

Priortotrainingistheimportanceofselection.It isincreasinglyimportantthatthecouncilrecruits peoplewiththerightknowledge,skillsandattitude. HR&ODhavealreadyledthewaywithregardto executivelevelrecruitmentandselection.Thesame ethosshouldbeappliedtostaffgoingintocustomer facingroles.Aninterviewandapsychometrictest arenotenoughtodetermineaperson’ssuitability forworkinginacustomer-orientedrole.Instead, asetofbehaviouralfocusedassessmentexercises shouldbeusedtodetermine,forexample,aperson’s abilitytohandlevulnerablepersonswithsensitivityor theirabilitytohandleanangryorabusivecustomer. Psychologicalresearchcontinuallyshowsthebenefits ofusingcomprehensiveassessmenttechniques– notonlycanithaveamassiveimpactoncustomer satisfactionbutitcanalsoimpactonfinancesaswell, throughincreasedproductivityandreducedturnover. Wealsoexpectourcontractorsandcommercial partnerstousethoroughselectionmethodsforall levelsoftheirstaff.


Key actions for theme • Developandrolloutthecouncil’saccessstrategy(includesthe developmentofachannelswitchingplan) two:

• Rollout‘TellUsOnce’

• Developandroll-out‘OneCroydon’website,encompassingallpublic servicesinoneplace

• Embedcustomerserviceandsatisfactionperformancetargetsinevery departmentalserviceplan,divisionalserviceplansandindividual performanceobjectives

• EstablishCallQualityMonitoring(CQM)acrossthewholeorganisation, includingcontractorcallcentres

• EstablishQualityMonitoringforwrittencorrespondence,including contractors

• Ensurecustomerskillsareassessedwhenrecruitingforanycustomer-facingroles,includingcontractors

• Developacustomerskillstrainingprogrammeasstandardforallstaff, includingcontractors

• IncorporatetimeinthecontactcentreorAccessCroydonaspartof inductionforallnewstarters


Connecting with our customers in 2015�


Customer action

MrHoulihanhastoapplyfor planningpermission

Physical experience

MrHoulihanhasinheritedsomemoneyandhas decidedtotryhishandatproperty development. Hehaspurchasedsomelandwithaccompanying buildings.Helogs ontothecouncil’sonline planning portalandashehasneverputinforplanning permissionbefore,letalonedoneitonline,hetakes thetimetoclickonthevideo tutorial.

Afterthetutorial,MrHoulihanclicksontheoptionof havingavirtual planning advisor(anavatar)whocan guide himashefillsouttheapplication.

Heistakenthrougheach step of the processandit ismade clear what documents he needstobeable toprovide.Hecompletes the online application andclicksforittobesubmitted.Hereceives online confirmationwithareference number and detailsrelatingtohisapplication.Healsoreceives information about the next set of planning committee meetingsatthetownhall,whichheisabletocheck againsthisdiary.


Afterrecentlyretiring,MrHoulihanisexcitedatthe prospectofbecomingapropertydeveloper,although slightly anxiousbecauseoftheeconomicclimate.He isalsoworriedthatsomeofthepeoplewholivenear thelandandbuildingshehaspurchasedmayoppose hisplans.Hedoesn’t like confrontation.

Heisworriedthatthefillingouttheplanning applicationwillbedifficultandthathewilleitherget bits wrongormiss out bits.However,heisrelievedto seethatthecouncilhaveputinplacevideotutorials tohelp peoplelikehim.He’salsosurprisedtofind hecanopttohaveavirtualplanningadvisertohelp him.MrHoulihanfindsboththeseformsofassistance reallyhelpfulandhefillsouttheplanningapplication much quicker than he anticipated.

MrHoulihanisgladtoseethatallthedetailsrelating tohisapplicationareinoneemail,ratherthansent tohimpiecemeal.Heisalsoimpressedthatwithin thesameemailheisinformedofthenextnearest planningcommitteemeeting.Hehadn’teventhought ofthatandhefounditreally useful.


Customer service strategy Balanced scorecard

Process perspective By 2015:

•90%callsansweredin30seconds Customer� •80%facetofacecontactshandledin5mins

Service •50%reductioninabandonedcalls Excellence •50%reductioninavoidablecontact(NI14)

Customer perspective By 2015:

•Customersatisfactionat55% •Complaintsreducedby25% •Valueformoneyperceptionimproved •Callhandlingqualityimprovedby50%

Staff/culture perspective By 2015:

•25%reductioninturnoverincontactcentre •30%increaseinstaffsatisfaction •20%reductioninstaffabsence •25%increaseinstaffproductivity •50%staffwithcustomerservice

qualification •Allfront-lineservicestoachieveexternal

customerserviceexcellenceaccreditation

Finance perspective By 2015:

•25%efficiencysavingsthroughchannel switching

•Contactsreducedby20%perFTE •Affordablecounciltax •40%reductionincontactshandlestoother

departments


“We are repeatedly what we do. Excellence, therefore, is not

an act but a habit” Aristotle

Our commitments against • Tobuildonthe‘ProudtoServe’valuebycreatingacustomerpromise

this theme: • Toconsistentlydeliveranexcellentexperienceforourcustomers

• Toensurewegetthingsrightfirsttimeandifwedon’tthentoapologise andputitrightquickly

• Toimproveourprocessessothatourstaffcandeliverbetterservices andtomakethingssimplerforourcustomers

• Togaincustomerserviceexcellenceaccreditationinhighpriority serviceareas


Theme three: Serving our customers

Proud to Serve

Alongwiththeaccessstrategy,the‘ProudtoServe’ projectwillbeoneofthefirstthingstobedelivered throughthisstrategy.ProudtoServeisoneofthe council’ssixvalues.Thisprojectwilldevelopaset ofpromises–bythecouncilforthecustomer.Itis envisagedthatnomorethantenpromiseswillbe developed,withtherankorderofimportancebeing decidedviaapublicvote.

Complaints resolution

Itisafactoflifethatthingswillgowrongfromtime totime.Poorcomplainthandlingcanseriouslyaffect customersatisfactionandbreakthetrustbetween thecouncilandacustomer.Therearethreethings ofimportancehere.Thefirstisthatwherewehave madeamistakethatwearehonestaboutit,apologise andputitrightassoonaspossible.Thesecondis thatcustomersareclearaboutthecomplaintprocess. Thethirdisthatweareconsistentinhowwehandle customercomplaintsacrossalldepartments.

Thecentralcomplaintservicehasjustbeenre-structuredwiththeaimofstreamliningtheprocess forexternalandinternalcustomersalike.Inaddition, muchbetterusewillbemadeofthecomplaintsystem, includingensuringthattheinformationentered iscorrectandhandledsensitively.Inadditionto improvingthecomplaintprocessandsystem,training incomplainthandlingwillberolledouttokeystaffin alldepartmentsandacrossourcommercialpartners. Thiscanbeincorporatedaspartofthewider customerskillsdevelopmentprogrammementioned inthemetwo.Ultimately,complaintsarealearning opportunityandshouldbetreatedassuch.

Customer service excellence

Aswithotherpublicsectororganisations,Croydon Councilismeasuredbyandjudgedonthequalityof theservicesitdeliversandfacesgrowingcustomer expectationsforbetteroutcomes.Anexcellent councilwillrunservicesthatareintegrated,sensitive tocustomers’needsandcontinuouslyimproving.This iswhereCroydonaimstobe.

Croydonrecentlypiloteditsownin-housecustomer serviceexcellencestandard.Thislooksataspectsof servicedeliveryincludingcomplaints,communication andengagementandsign-posting.Scoringranges frombronze(lowest)togold(highest).Thisstandard isnowbeingrolledoutacrosspriorityservices,with directorsidentifyingwheretheirvariousteamsare andthenworkingwiththeirservicemanagersto produceserviceimprovementplansagainsttheareas measuredinthestandard.Itisexpectedthatpriority serviceswillgoforexternalaccreditation.

Qualitymanagementisanothervitalcomponent inthedrivetoimproveservices.Thiswillinvolve thecouncilfocusingonhowdifferentservicesare delightingtheircustomersbycontinuouslymeeting andimprovinguponagreedrequirements.Quality circleswillbesetupineachdepartment.Aquality circleisavolunteergroupcomposedofstaffthatare trainedtoidentify,analyseandsolvework-related problemsandpresenttheirsolutionstomanagement inordertoimprovetheperformanceoftheservice andultimately,theorganisation.Theaddedbenefitis themotivationandenrichmentofrolesforstaff.The customerserviceexcellencestandardandsubsequent improvementplanswillbeusedasthebasisforaction inthequalitycircles.


Akeyaspectofthequalitycircleswillbeprocess improvement.Thishasalreadybeenidentifiedasa needintheICTstrategyandalready12staffacross theservicetransformationandcustomerservice divisionshavebeentrainedintheLeanprocess improvementmethodology.Theaimwillbetoidentify staffacrosstheotherfivedepartmentstotrain inLeanwhocanthenexamineprocesses,intheir homedepartments,withtheintentionofimproving efficiencyandeffectiveness,thereby,deliveringa betterservicefortheirrespectivecustomers.Thiswill meantargetingwastefulactivitiessuchas:

• Overproduction(toomuchpaperwork,overly lengthyreports)

• Waitingtime(queuing,delays,lateness) • Movement(inefficientergonomics,transport

systems) • Processing(doingthingswellthatneednotbedone

atall;doingthingspoorlythatareapriority) • Inventory(carryingtoomuchstock/materialthat

tieupcapitalandspace)

• Communication(overloadingdata,combining uselesswithusefulinformation)

• Defects(redoingworkbecauseitwasnotdone rightthefirsttime)

Theimpactonthecustomerthatimprovements acrossalltheseactivitiesacrossallserviceswill havewillbesignificant.Thereisabsolutelynodoubt thatthecustomerserviceexcellencestandardand qualitycircleswillplayasignificantpartinincreasing customersatisfactionandimprovingperceptionof valueformoney.Thisshouldalsoseeareductionin thenumberofcomplaintsacrossallservices.

The customer experience

Totrulyachievecustomerserviceexcellencewe needtolookin-depthattheinteractionbetweenus andthecustomerasstandard.Thisisintermsof serviceplanning,performancediscussionsandservice improvements.Thethingswewillbethinkingabout whendesigningservicesandwhendevelopingour staffareasfollows:

Physical experience Sensory experience Emotional experience

• Servicesdelivered • Sight–clearcouncil • Joy

• Valueformoney branding,cleanandattractive accommodation,colourscheme,

• Acceptance

• Qualityofsurroundings professionalappearance

• Sound–authenticmessage fromstaff;sound-proofareas forsensitive/confidential discussions;

• Touch–aestheticsinbuildings, e.g.comfortablechairs, technology/podsthatcustomers canuse;

• Smell–cleanandpleasantsmell inpublicareas,includingtoilet areas;and

• Taste–coffeemachine

• Anticipation

• Surprise(positiveornegative)

• Disgust

• Sadness

• Fear

• Anger

Physical experience Sensory experience Emotional experience

• Servicesdelivered

• Valueformoney

• Qualityofsurroundings

• Sight–clearcouncilbranding,cleanandattractiveaccommodation,colourscheme,professionalappearance

• Sound–authenticmessagefromstaff;sound-proofareasforsensitive/confidentialdiscussions;

• Touch–aestheticsinbuildings,e.g.comfortablechairs,technology/podsthatcustomerscanuse;

• Smell–cleanandpleasantsmellinpublicareas,includingtoiletareas;and

• Taste–coffeemachine

• Joy

• Acceptance

• Anticipation

• Surprise(positiveornegative)

• Disgust

• Sadness

• Fear

• Anger


• DevelopandpublishtheProudtoServecustomerpromise

• Improvethecomplaintsresolutionfunctionthroughrestructure

• Developandrollouttrainingincomplainthandling

• Rolloutthecustomerserviceexcellencestandardtoalldepartments

• Publishserviceimprovementplansforpriorityservices(aspartof customerserviceexcellence)

• Establishqualitycirclesinalldepartments

• Developagovernancestructuretosupportthequalitycircles

• RolloutLeantrainingforstaffinvolvedinqualitycircles

• 100%customerpriorityservicestoachieveexternalaccreditationin customerserviceexcellence

Key actions for theme three:


Serving our customers in 2015�

Customer action Physical experience

MrsLawrencehastopaya MrsLawrencehasjustcomebackfromanemergency parkingfine triptothechemisttofindshehasreceived a parking

ticket.Theparkingattendantisovertheothersideof theroadandMrsLawrencegoestospeaktohim.

MrsLawrenceasksPhilip,theparkingattendant,why he has issued a ticket.Philipcalmly explainsthatshe hadparkedinaloadingbaywhichhadnoparkingat anytime.

MrsLawrenceexplainshersituationandPhilipclearly tells herthathecannot rescind the ticket.However, shecanappealandhetakesthetimetoexplain the processsheneedstogothroughinordertoappeal. MrsLawrencefindsoutthatshecanpaythefine,as wellasappeal,online.PhilipthengivesMrsLawrence hisfull namesothatsheisclearonwhoissuedher ticketandsothatshehastheinformation she needs forherappeal.


MrsLawrenceisworried ashermotherisveryill andshehashadtopickupaprescription.Whenshe returnstothecarthisworryturnstoanger.

WhensheseesPhilipthisanger becomes more focusedandshecrossestheroadtoappealtohim.

WhenPhilipdoesn’trescindherticket,MrsLawrence becomesangrier.However,sheisstruckbyPhilip’s calm and non-confrontational tone.Sheisalsostruck byhowcourteousPhilipisandhowhetakes the timetogivehertheinformation.Healsodoesn’tshy awayfromgivingherhisfullname.Whilstsheisstill unhappyatreceivingaticket,sheisstruckbythe helpful and respectful behaviourthatPhilipdisplayed. Shetakesthetimetomentionthisinherappealletter.


“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief

in a thing makes it happen” Frank Lloyd Wright

Our commitments against • Toprovideaseamlessandjoined-upsetofservicesbetweenthecouncil anditspartners this theme:

• Todevelopamorepro-activeservicedeliveryethosbasedon preventionratherthancure

• Tomaximiseincomeandfundingopportunitiesinordertosupport communitypriorities

• Tolobbyonbehalfofourresidentsbothatalocalandanationallevel


Theme four: Being a champion for our customers

Seamless and pro-active services

Therearetwoaspectstothiscommitment–inside-out(ensuringdepartmentsworkmoreeffectively together)andoutside-in(ensuringweworkmore effectivelywithourkeypartners).CroydonCouncil doesnotprovideservicesinisolationbutdependson andinturnsupportsarangeofotherpublicsector bodies,voluntaryorganisationsandcommunity groupstoraisethequalityoflifeforitscitizens.

Thecouncilneedstoensureitisworkinginclose collaborationwiththerightorganisationsinorder toenhancetheservicesbeingofferedtocustomers. Inaddition,itneedstoensurethatitsrolein partnershipsisclearandthatthisclarityhasa positiveimpactonthecustomerinthattheyhave tointeractwithasfewagencyprofessionalsasis feasible.Thisethoswillbeboughttolifebythe buildingofthePublicServiceDeliveryHub(PSDH), whichwillaimtobringtogetherkeyservicesboth insideandoutsidethecouncilinordertocreatea‘one stopshop’onaborough-widescale.

Inthecurrenteconomicclimate,weneedtothink beyondourtraditionalboundariesandfindeven morecollaborativewaysofworkingtodeliverbetter outcomesforcustomers.Decidingwhatpartnerships arenecessarytoachievestrategicaimsandtoensure seamlessserviceisakeydecisionforCroydonto make.

Regardlessofwhetherthejoined-upworkingiswithin thecouncilorbetweenthecouncilandapartner, collaborativeworkingcanonlysucceedwhenboth partieshavearealcommitmenttoandunderstanding ofthegreatergoodandthevalueofcollectivegoals overindividualones.

Inordertoimprovetheeffectivenessofpartnership workingandtherefore,improvecustomersatisfaction withintheborough,improvementplanswillbe createdwithineachdivisionbaseduponasystematic assessmentofexistingpartnershipworking(bethat withinoroutsideoftheorganisation).Thepurposeof thisreviewwouldbeto:

• Identifycustomerprioritiesthatneedpartnership ‘buyin’tobedelivered

• Assessthenatureofthecouncil’sroleinleadingor supportingparticularpartnerships

• Clarifywhichpartnershipsshouldbegivenhigher prioritythanothers

• Identifythosefromwhichthecouncilmight considerwithdrawingandthosethatmightneed moresupport

• Mapconnectionsandinterdependencies • Identifygapsandduplication • Identifyexamplesofgoodpracticeandlearningfor

widerdissemination

Withanageingpopulationandincreasingpockets ofmarginalisation,CroydonCouncilneedstomake furtherin-roadsintodevelopingservicesthatare morepreventativethancurative.Ifwesucceedinthis thenwewillbeabletomuchmoreeasilyflextothe changingneedsandexpectationsofourcustomers. Inaddition,wewillbecomeevenmoreefficientand providebettervalueformoney.Thiswillalsobe exploredaspartoftheassessmentprocess.


Champions for our customers

Thereneedstobeabalancebetweenactingonbehalf ofcustomerswhoareunabletodosothemselves andcreatinga‘nannyculture’withinCroydon.This particularcommitmentisaboutsupportingand lobbyingonbehalfofcustomerswhentheyneedit andenablingcustomerstodealwithsomeissues themselves.Bearinginmindapproximately70% ofthecouncil’sstaffareresidentsandtherefore, customersoftheborough,wehaveacoupleof thousandinstantcustomerchampionstohand.

WewillbeengagingstaffwholiveinCroydonabout theextenttowhichtheyarealreadyinvolvedintheir areaandtheextenttowhichtheywouldwanttobe moreinvolvedwiththeirlocalcommunity.Wewill thencreateanetworkofstaffthatcaninstantlyget viewsandissuesfromtheirneighbours,feedthese viewsandissuesbacktothecouncil,andthenfeed backtotheirneighbourswhatthecouncilisdoing inresponsetotheseviews.Thiscreatesakindof ‘feedbackloop’whichcouldbeincrediblypowerful. Therewillneedtobeincentivesforstafftodothisbut thisshouldnotbeenoughtodeterusastheimpact oncustomersatisfactionandperceptionwillbe invaluable.

Key actions for theme • Assessmentofservicesinrelationshiptopartnershipworking

four: • Developfurtheropportunitiesforserviceredesignaroundthetotal placeconcept.

• Divisionalimprovementplansinrelationtopartnershipworking

• DevelopandpilotCroydonChampionsinitiative


Being the champion for our customers in 2015�

Customer action

MrFoulideswantstofind out wherehisnearestlibraryis

Physical experience

MrFoulideshasrecentlymovedintotheborough (ThorntonHeath).HeisunfamiliarwithThornton Heathandwherevariousamenitiesare.Hehashada look through the ‘Welcome Pack’thathereceivedand heiskeentofindoutmoreaboutwhere his nearest libraryis.

Helogs ontothecouncilwebsiteandquicklyfinds hisnearestlibrary.However,healsospots other thingsofinterestsuchasthedigitallibraryandhe canseethatthereisvirtual lendingavailable.He fills out an online applicationforlibrarymembership, includingdownloading his photoforhiscard.Atthe sametimeputsarequest in for an e-bookthathe wouldliketoaccess.Hereceivesemail confirmation withareferencenumberanddetailsofexactlywhen hismembershipwillbecomeactive.Althoughhis membershipisnotyetactive,hehasbeengiven access to the e-book.

MrFoulideshasrecentlyjoinedanewGreekcultural networkandhastakenupavoluntaryroleasthe groupsecretary.Heneedsto find a decent spacefor themtomeetthatiseasyforallmemberstogetto. Onasecond email,hereceives detailsaboutThornton Heathlibrary–hisnearestlibrary.Hereads about the services offeredthereandfindsthathecanhire such a spaceattheThorntonHeathlibraryandthat hecando this online.Again,hefills out the request onlineandreceivesemail notificationwithareference numberconfirminghisbooking.



MrFoulidesisexcitedaboutmovingtohisnewhome andisanxioustogetlotsofthingssorted,such asfindingaGPetc.Oneofthemorepleasurable activitiesthatheenjoys is readingwhichiswhyhe wantstoquickly find out wherehisnearestlibrary is.Hewaspleasantly surprisedtoreceiveawelcome packonly3daysaftermovingintohisnewhomeand hasfoundituseful.

MrFoulidesexperienceofhislastcouncil’swebsite waspoor.Itwashardtofindanythingsoheexpects the samewhenheentersCroydon’swebsite.However, again,heispleasantly surprisedtofindhoweasyitis tofindwhathewants.Heisalsoreally pleasedthat hecanjointhelibraryandorderane-bookonline. Neither of which he was expecting.Heis impressed thathereceivesaninstantresponse(mustbe automatic)whichletshimknowwhenhismembership willbecomeactive.Whatdelightshimisthathe receivesaccesstothee-bookherequested.Henever expectedthatuntilhismembershipwasauthorised.

MrFoulides’cultural heritage is really important to himandplayingapartinhisculturalcommunityisa bigpartofhisidentity.Therefore,toreceiveasecond emailwhichlethimknowtheamenitiesavailableat thelibrarywasincrediblyhelpful,ashewasworried aboutfindingtherightkindofspaceinthelocalarea forhisgrouptomeet.Bythispointhecan’t believe how easyitistosortthingsoutandafterloggingoff hecallsthechairoftheGreekculturalnetworkabout howimpressedheiswiththecouncil.


Glossary of terms�

Access strategy

Balanced scorecard

Givesasetofrecommendationsinrelationtounderstandingourdifferent customersandhowthesearelinkedtolocations,theservicesusedandtheir preferencesforaccessingthoseservices,i.e.face-to-face,telephoneetc.

Astrategicperformancemanagementtoolwhichhelpsmanagerstokeep trackoftheprogressofactivities,lookingatbothfinancialand non-financialmeasures.

Channel management

Customer insight

Theorganisationofthewaysinwhichorganisationsreachorarereached bytheircustomers.Examplesofchannelsincludeface-to-face,emailsand thetelephone.

Thecollection,analysisanduseofinformationwhichallowsanorganisation tofurtherunderstanditscustomersinordertobettermeettheneedsof thosecustomers.

Customer engagement

Customer segmentation

Aformofcontactwhereanorganisationengageswithitsdifferentcustomers tofindouttheirneeds.Methodsofcustomerengagementincludesurveys, focusgroups,user-testingeventsetc.

Asub-setofcustomersmadeupofpeoplesharingoneormore characteristicsthatcausethemtodemandsimilarservices.

Geo-demographic data

Govmetric

Mosaic

Classifiesareasaccordingtothetypicaltraitsofthepopulationofthat area.Linkswithcustomerinsightandcustomersegmentation. TheMosaicdatabase(seebelow)isonethatenablesgeo-demographic analysistotakeplace.

Awebbasedtoolthatenablescustomerstogiveinstantfeedbackonthe servicetheyhavereceived,whetherthatisoverthephoneorface-to-face. This,inturn,enablesservicestoget‘realtime’informationwhichtheycanuse toimproveservices.

AdatabaseownedbyExperianthatcoversthewholeoftheUnited Kingdom.Itclassifiescustomersinto61types,splitinto11groups.Takes intoaccountlife-styles,cultureandbehaviouramongstotherthings.


Participatory action research (PAR)

Basedontheethosthatifthingsaretoimprovethenthepeopleaffected themostneedtobeinvolvedincomingupwithanysolutionsandcarryout theresearchneededthemselves.Allparticipantsdecideontheapproaches tobeusedandaregiventheskillsnecessary.Aimedmoreatdisadvantaged/ marginalisedsectionsofsociety.

Performance management Activitiesthatensuregoalsandobjectivesaremetinaneffectiveand efficientmanner.Performanceappraisalforstaffisonemethodof performancemanagement.

Public Service Delivery Hub Theworkingnameforthenewcentralcivicbuilding.Itisbeingdesignedas amodern,dynamicandinvitingspaceforcustomersandstaff.Thebuilding willbeusedbythecouncilanditspartners,suchasCroydonNHS.

Quality circle Avolunteergroupofworkersundertheleadershipofasupervisorwhoare trainedtoidentify,analyseandsolvework-relatedproblemsinorderto improvetheperformanceofservices.

Social marketing Focusesonachievingspecificbehaviouralchangesforthe‘socialgood’. Typicaltopicscoveredincludehealth,recycling,sustainabilityandcrime reduction.

Total Place Anewinitiativethatlooksathowa‘wholearea’approachtodeliveringpublic servicescanleadtobetterservicesatlesscost.

Vision statement Anoutlineofwhatanorganisationwantstobe,orhowitwantstheworld withinwhichitoperatestobe.Itconcentratesonthelong-termfuture, providinginspirationandaclearsenseofdirection.

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