Issue - meetings

The Strategy document (Appendix 1) is included under separate cover

Received a report from the Interim Corporate Director of Customer Services on the development of a Customer Access Strategy, which builds on the Customer Strategy approved at our last meeting (Minute 141, 16 March 2010).

The Customer Access Strategy sets out the plan for the way the Council will deliver services and interact with customers and provides further context and information on how the Council should organise itself to best deliver services to customers and maximise use of limited resources.  The Access Strategy also addresses how the Council will ensure services are available through the right channel for the individual and the service, avoiding a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

Issues that arose during our discussions included:-

• Councillors being kept informed of progress and achievement against targets;
• The need for services to be responsive and reflective of trends, with an increase in noise nuisance complaints during the summer months as people enjoy the longer, warmer evenings used as an example;
• That the Council’s new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to be launched later this year will mean that customer information is gathered in a central database and therefore enable closer monitoring, follow up and feedback to take place;
• That self-service and other measures to improve the speed of customer contact will be developed further within the Strategy;
• The introduction to the Borough of four “elephant” kiosks with touch screens which are intended to offer the public easy access to information (initially on adult social services).  Whilst these will be particularly helpful for people with a learning disability it is anticipated many other people will find this an attractive way to obtain information. It was noted that a publicity campaign will shortly be undertaken in support of the official launch of this new service.

Agreed, in order to assist in achieving the Council’s strategic priorities of delivering excellent customer services, to:-

  (i)  Adopt the Customer Access Strategy included as Appendix 1 to the report;

  (ii)  The Customer Access Strategy being used by services as a guide to determining how to deliver the customer access aspects of their service and to inform service planning;

  (iii)  The development of the detailed business case for savings and investment to validate the business plan for B&D Direct; and

  (iv)  The development of the detailed One B&D design principles for Adult Social Care and Children’s Services (i.e. Phase 2 of customer services transformation).