Buckinghamshire County Council To Shift or not Shift – that is the Question ( and how do you know when you have got there anyway ?) Amanda Brooke-Webb Head of Customer Contact Buckinghamshire County Council May 2011 Buckinghamshire County Council

Libraries

Buckinghamshire County Council

Libraries Majority of contact are renewals or reservations Successful campaign to launch the 0845 number to move away from face to face transactions – increased choice and access Introduction of an automated renewal line and its impact – offers 24 hour service but requires a PIN to be remembered “Fridge Magnet “ syndrome and number of first choice ? Plateau of calls and worrying decline in automated calls Spikes in call volume relating to bad weather and physical access issues but not on the automated line or the web ? Consistency of offer on all channels remains a challenge Is this as good as it will get ? Are we unrealistic to aim for total shift? Is there, dare we say, too much choice ?

Buckinghamshire County Council Transportation : fault reporting

Buckinghamshire County Council Transportation : fault reporting Slow decline in calls as on line reporting tool re-launched with improved features Sharp spikes in all channels with adverse weather – significant re-work and duplication as customers use multiple channels for the same enquiry It is a challenge for the service area to cope with faster access which can lead to a rise in avoidable contact at the front end – significant proportion of “chaser” contacts Customers like on line tracking – but expect to be able to see it cross a range of enquiries “Twitter Gritter” a great success – did result in a change of inbound calls More appealing front end access needs to be supported by streamlined back office delivery

Buckinghamshire County Council Online payments Slow but steady rise in online payments Variety of offers – but in the main, low value transactions Grappling with inconsistencies with channel offers between telephone and web (library fines) Spiderweb legacy of differing systems and the complications it brings Compliance and call lengths become an issue where payments are involved

Buckinghamshire County Council Our Gordian Knots Channel shift – has to be born in the back office – creating pdf forms for customers to print is not “e-enablement” or channel shift. Nor is an on line application system that then creates letters to be posted with tear-off slips to be returned. Customer Confidence is problematic – an on line application is often followed up with a letter or call to check up. Feedback indicates that customers either do not like or distrust standard auto responses for time critical, or emotive, issues. Being clear about customers and who is accessing which services is crucial to overcoming perceived barriers to greater self service e.g in social care. Why ask for addresses or mobile numbers if you are not going to use them ?