Decision details

That the Executive endorses the new Customer Contact Strategy, the Action Plans for delivery and the governance arrangements.

That the delivery of the Strategy be driven through the Implementation phase of the Citizen & Customer Contact Transformation Programme.

The ‘new narrative’ published in the Council Plan, acknowledges the significant financial pressures faced by the Council, and the development of the Borough and the local population.  It is vital that the new Customer Contact Strategy should reflect this new narrative. A new approach to how we deal with customers is being designed by staff through the Citizen and Customer Contact Transformation Programme, and the Strategy has been written on this basis.

Significant developments in the digital world since the earlier strategy was written have given us an opportunity to rethink how we enable customers to interact with the Council.  To establish the right strategy for the future required some considerable research into best practice elsewhere and the art of the possible, as well as consultation with Elected Members and Officers across the Council.  This has been undertaken through 2015 – 2016, along with some qualitative research with borough residents to better understand their drivers for contacting the Council, and their preferred channels.

The outcomes of this research and consultation have resulted in a strong focus on delivering more digitally, and on developing a whole systems approach to dealing with customers with high level and complex needs.  The means by which these aims will be delivered will develop as part of the implementation planning of the Citizen & Customer Contact Transformation Programme over the coming weeks.

Significant progress has been made through the existing strategy, and the Council could leave it in place as it is.  However this is likely to miss opportunities that arise from developments in the digital world and new systems / technologies, and would not reflect the Council’s new narrative.

The Council could decide to abandon a strategic approach to the management of customer contact, but this is likely to result in increasingly fragmented service design and delivery, and therefore increased cost. 

None.