Witnesses
(those present varied throughout the day):
Marie Snelling, Director of Transformation
Sue
Grizzelle, Head of Customer Services
Sarah Bogunovic, Customer Relations and Service Improvement
Manager
Louise Halloway, Web and Digital
Services Manager
Rachel Bearman, Contact Centre IT
Projects/Systems Lead
Claire Thomas, Contact Centre Social Care Operations
Manager
Rik
Jackson, Digital Project Lead, Customer Services
Dr
Lisa Bursill, Assistant Director, Early Help & Hubs,
Children’s Services
Key points
raised during the discussion:
- It
was agreed that the scope of the review should focus on future
aspirations, plans and direction of travel for Customer Services
and the Customer Experience programme, rather than usual
operational or business aspects.
- It
was emphasised that it was a review of the Customer Experience
program within Transformation, rather than the operational Customer
Service function.
- It
was clarified that the review focused on Customer Experience
through a ‘two-way’ lens: how customers interacted with
Surrey County Council through Customer Services, and the ways the
Council (including, but not limited to, by Customer Services)
interacted with residents (such as through the Residents’
Survey).
- A
former Cabinet Member indicated that his experience was that, as a
Cabinet Member, he was much more informed than as an ordinary
member. As a result, he felt that consideration should be given to
improving the general knowledge of Members; in this instance in
relation to all aspects of the Customer Experience.
- This could be achieved through Councillor Training, in
particular around the ways in which residents could interact with
the Council, but also through information sharing and more regular
formal and informal interaction with the customer Contact
Centre.
- Officers explained that learning and improvement was ongoing and
largely iterative.
- The model of customer interaction being used was considered to
be the most efficient and effective because it focused on enabling
those residents that could self-serve to do so and channelled
customer enquiries through a ‘single front door’, in
this way freeing up capacity and resources for those residents with
significant and complex needs.
- A
primary focus for the Council’s website was ease of access,
with significant work being done to test improvements and changes
with various user groups. It was suggested that Members be included
as a user group.
- Good connections with the wider business across Council
departments was central to the success of the Contact Centre and it
was worth considering the existence of any blockages and how these
might be dealt with.
- The highways digital experience, which had recently undergone a
significant re-design, was considered to be very
positive.
- Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) was being
incorporated into the single front door model, in the form of an
‘Extended Local Offer’, which would result in freeing
up capacity within the service. Lessons learned from setting up the
Children’s Single Point of Access (C-SPA) would be applied.
The possibility of Surrey Fire and Rescue Services being
incorporated into Customer Services was also being
explored.
- It
was important to take into account how a customer’s first
contact experience could shape how they ...
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