Customer Service in Local Government Meander Valley Council Carol Lewis August 2014

Welcome In local government, service is what it is all about

Service in the Public Sector  Many of the ‘easy wins’ have already been made in delivering service improvement, making it harder for government at all levels to find significant future enhancements. This is coupled with rising fiscal constraints and crises in most advanced countries.  IPPA Policy Paper  Getting Serious on Client Service, 2011 

Facts About Customer Service  When visiting a retail outlet, shoppers decide in the first 8 second whether they are comfortable and therefore likely to buy.  Dissatisfied customers tell 20 – 30 people about their bad experience.  Satisfied customers tell no-one about their experience – they don’t know the service level provided.  Delighted customers will tell 7 – 10 other people, so word of mouth attracts more customers.  Exemplary external service derives from the inside.

Drivers of Customer Satisfaction  Timeliness  Staff – being knowledgeable, fair, putting in the extra effort  Positive outcomes  Ease of access  Recent experiences of service

 Delivering services or customer service well, or not so well  The amount of money you invest in service  How efficiently and effectively you allocate the available resources  The impetus to continually improve or to be complacent Service Delivery Drivers

Your Challenge Avoid complacency and create the impetus and dynamic for continuous improvement in service operations

Service as a Concept  Service as a universal concept means different and increasing expectations from your customers

Case Study  Individually read through the case study provided  Put yourself in Geoff’s shoes  Answer these three questions:  What rating would you give Hotel Diamond?  Would you recommend the hotel to others?  How would you describe the hotel?

Case Study …  Discuss the difference experiences  List the key differences

Service? seconds

Service? seconds 32.9 seconds

Service …

2012 Benchmarking Snapshot Customer Perspective Target Service Level – Answer Speed82% in 30 seconds Service Level Agreement101.3% (ie, exceeded) Abandon Rate Phone4.6% Average Wait Time Counter123.8 seconds Average Wait Time Phone44.4 seconds First Contact Resolution83% Proportion Transactions Raising a CSR18.6%

Customer Tolerance Desirable Expected Adequate Tolerance Zone Tolerance Zone

Perceptions & Expectations High Level of Service + Low Customer Expectations = Excellent Service Low Level of Service +High Customer Expectations = Poor Service Average Service +Average Customer Expectations = Mediocre Service

Service Levels  Tailor service levels to customer expectations and tolerance zones  Don’t waste your resources delivering a level of service your customers don’t expect, need or want  Customers expect the level of service you promise

Internal Service Chain

Volunteers  Where would we be without you?

Out There

Customer Service Staff

Difficult Situations

Navigating Your Way Skills + Mindset

LEAP into it … L isten E mpathise A cknowledge P ropose resolution

What can you do?  Everyone can make a difference to customer perceptions and service levels  Nominate at least three specific behaviours you can demonstrate in your role that will enhance your customers’ perception of your service level

Trends  Rising customer expectations  New ways of connecting and communicating with customers  Social media playing a role  Speech analytics  Technology

Channel Management

 Coherence – makes sense to the customer  Consistency – same standards across all channels

You can make a difference  Keep your skills up to date  Learn your job inside out  Get feedback  Build collaborative, productive relationships with your colleagues  Enjoy your job!

In Conclusion Service enablers + the human element

And finally … Thank you for your participation