Customer Access and Service Strategy Bid to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - 27Th

AGENDA ITEM 4

BOROUGH OF POOLE

CABINET

276 APRIL 2004

CUSTOMER ACCESS AND SERVICE STRATEGY

BID TO THE OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

PART OF THE PUBLISHED FORWARD PLAN – YES

STATUS – STRATEGIC POLICY

1. Purpose of the Report

1.1To consider the proposal to submit a bid for funding to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

2. Decision Required

2.1The Cabinet are asked to approve the submission of the bid to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to contribute to the costs of developing and implementing the Customer Access and Service Strategy.

3.Background

3.1At its meeting on 6th April the Cabinet approved proposals for the Corporate Strategy and Business Plan. This includes a commitment to Customers First – a major strategic project designed to focus the Council’s eservices more effectively and efficiently on the needs of our customers.

3.2Subsequent to this on 13th April the Resources Overview Group

Agreed the scope of the strategy and the process for developing it
Agreed to increase the number of Members involved in the Steering Group for E-Government from three to five.
Requested the Cabinet to consider and approve the Council’s application to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for funds to support the development of the strategy .

A copy of the report presented to the Overview Group is appended to this report as Appendix A.

4.Purpose of the Bid

4.1The purpose of the bid is to support the Cabinet’s aspiration for the Council to be a national exemplar in customer access and services. This aspiration is driven by the commitment to greater effectiveness and efficiency in everything the Council does. (Se section 5 below for more on this.)

4.2The ODPM is interested in supporting the development of exemplars in this field. In January 2004 the ODPM chose the Council as one of a small number nationally whose introduction of new access and customer service arrangements are to be accelerated significantly.

4.3In February the ODPM invited the Council to submit a bid for funds to cover the cost of developing and implementing the strategy at a faster pace than would otherwise have been the case. The costs involved are in the region of £450,000 over a two year period.

4.4In March the ODPM requested the Council to submit its application on 22nd April so that it can be considered by their officials on 9th May. Consequently the bid is being submitted subject to confirmation, or otherwise, by the Cabinet.

4.5In the event that the bid is successful the ODPM will monitor and control the use of funds very carefully. The Council will need to demonstrate clearly that it is achieving best value.

5.Rationale for the Strategy and the Bid

5.1 The main rationale for the Council’s commitment to the customer access and service strategy is to improve effectiveness and efficiency.

5.2In this context effectiveness means better services for example:

1.Higher levels of satisfaction

2.Making services convenient for the public

3.Reaching people who need services but don’t use them

4.Offering a more consistent quality of customer service

5.Resolving over 90% of inquiries at the first point of contact

5.3Similarly, in this context efficiency means:

1.Reducing the average cost per contact

2.Focusing higher cost contact on people with the greatest and most complex needs

3.Offering lower cost contact to people who prefer it

4.Releasing staff from ad hoc inquiries to focus on service delivery

5.4Some examples of practice which have been identified nationally which are not effective or efficient include:

1.Public buildings which are difficult to get to

2.People being “sent around the houses”

3.Simple inquiries taking several phone calls to resolve

4.Staff treating every inquiry from a person in isolation from their previous calls

5.Complex inquiries not getting the attention they need

5.5 Therefore, the submission of the bid to ODPM will be guided by the commitment to greater effectiveness and efficiency.

5.6It is recognised that the Council already operates some good practice in terms of customer relationship management. More information on this is being developed now.

6Content of the Bid

6.1A copy of the bid will be circulated to Members of the Cabinet prior to its meeting on 27th April.

6.2The bid will include proposals to cover all the costs involved in developing and implementing the strategy. The key phases of this work are set out in Appendix B. This includes:

1 Planning, managing, monitoring and controlling the programme

2Developing a customer access and services strategy (including the development of a vision and a model of customer service suitable for the Borough of Poole)

3Planning implementation in detail

6.3The bid includes a detailed budget and project plan with specific milestones and timescales which underpin each phase of the project.

6.4The costs that will be incurred and covered by the ODPM funds will include:

Employing consultants to research and develop information e.g. on the costs of customer contact and the efficiencies that can be achieved.
Employing staff to plan, manage and control the programme. these will be over and above the current staffing establishment.

6.5The Council will contribute these costs in a variety of ways e.g. the time of managers and staff in every Service Unit who will be involved in supplying information, in participating in the development of the strategy and in its implementation.

6.6For the time being, the bid does not seek government funding for the costs of implementing the strategy i.e. phase 4 in Appendix B. This will include e.g. the costs of staff training and of procuring ICT infrastructure and systems to support the delivery of the Council’s strategy.

6.7Experience in other authorities such as Westminster City Council and Bracknell Forest Council, indicates that the costs of implementing the strategy are likely to be over £1 million. The level of expenditure to be made by Poole will depend to a significant degree on the service improvements and efficiencies to be achieved.

6.8The ODPM have indicated that it will be prepared to consider an application for the capital costs of implementation later in the year when the Council has made progress in developing its strategy and planning its implementation.

6.9The Council will be responsible for the revenue costs associated with implementing its new strategy. The level of this is not yet know. Similarly the impact of the strategy on the organisation and its services are not yet clear. Developing a much clearer view on both of these issues will be an important part of the project in the coming year.

7 Next Steps

7.1 Officers will report back to the Portfolio Holder the outcome of the ODPM’s response to the Council’s bid for funding.

8Conclusion

8.1 The invitation to bid to the ODPM represents a major opportunity to win significant amounts of funding to support a programme of work which is in line with the Council’s corporate priorities.

8.2It would be impossible to make this strategy happen on this accelerated timescale without the support of the ODPM.

8.3 In the event that the bid is successful the Council will need to monitor and control the project carefully

ANDREW FLOCKHART

POLICY DIRECTOR

Background Papers

Implementing Electronic Government (IEG) 3 Return considered by Cabinet in November 2003 and re- submitted to ODPM in January 2004

Corporate Strategy report considered by the Cabinet on 6th April 2004

Name & Telephone number of Officer Contact

Andrew Flockhart 01202-633201

16TH April 2004

APPENDIX A

RESOURCES OVERVIEW GROUP

13TH APRIL 2004

CUSTOMER ACCESS AND SERVICE STRATEGY

1.PURPOSE

1.1The purpose is to consider the scope of the customer access and service strategy and the process proposed to develop it in the coming few months.

2.RECOMMENDATIONS

2.1Members are recommended:

i.to approve the scope of the strategy and the process proposed for developing it.

to agree that the existing Member Steering Group for E-government will offer guidance and support for the development of the customer access and service strategy

to request the Cabinet to consider and approve the Council’s application to the government (via the ODPM) for funds to support the development of the strategy

3.BACKGROUND

3.1The Council’s e-government strategy includes proposals to develop a customer access and service strategy.

3.2The ODPM has made the Council’s commitment to pursue the development of this strategy a condition of releasing the government grant for E-government amounting to £500,000 over the two years, 2004/5 – 2005/6.

3.3In order to assist the Council respond to this condition and to improve its offer to customers in Poole, the ODPM has arranged for the I&DeA to provide some support to officers of the Council. This takes the form of consultancy advice and assistance from the Implementation Support Team at I&DeA. The support draws on some of the best practice developed by local authorities and I&DeA nationally.

3.4The wider social background is that public expectations about customer service, and how they contact organisations who deliver services to them, are changing very fast. Popular access to the internet and mobile ‘phones is relatively recent but is shaping public expectations very powerfully. At the same time some groups in the community rely on face to face contact with the Council – something which is not always easy. The Council needs to consider the various needs in the community and anticipate the implications of changes in public expectation and then consider how it wishes to plan to meet these in the future.

4.FIT WITH THE CORPORATE STRATEGY

4.1The Management Team consider that a customer access and service strategy could have far reaching implications for the culture of the organisation, for how the Council relates to its customers and how the organisation is organised to do this. In view of this, the Team is proposing to the Cabinet, on 6th April 2004, that this strategy is considered as one of six major strategic projects carried out by the Council over the coming four years.

4.2Members will be given an update on the Cabinet’s consideration at the meeting of the Group.

5.SCOPE OF THE CUSTOMER ACCESS & SERVICE STRATEGY

5.1It is proposed that the Council’s customer access and service strategy does these things:

(i)focuses on the needs and aspirations of customers e.g. their socio-economic position and their preferences for ways of contacting the Council

(ii)defines the means of contact that the Council will permit the public to use when accessing services including. (The jargon defines these as “access channels” such as letters, face to face contact, telephones, email, website, and text messaging.)

(iii)defines where and when contact can be made e.g. in buildings which are more or less conveniently located for the public

(iv)defines the role of intermediaries, such as voluntary organisations (such as CAB), partnerships (such as Tourism and Town Centre Management) and other public bodies, in providing access to Council services

(v)defines standards of customer service such as response time and targets e.g. for successful resolution of inquiries which reflect the full range of services delivered by the Council.

(vi)determines the ICT systems that are required to support the strategy

(vii)shapes staffing structures and the skill requirements of staff

(viii)is integrated with other elements of the E-government strategy including enablers such as Document Management and the website

(ix)considers the potential costs of implementing the strategy

5.2It is anticipated that for each of these elements of the strategy there will be options to consider and choices to make.

5.3Members are invited to discuss this scope and to approve it, or an amended version of it, as the framework for the development of the strategy to be implemented in the next four years.

6.PROCESS & TIMETABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE STRATEGY

6.1The Management Team has already initiated these actions as the first steps in the strategy process:

(i)Positioned customer access and service as a major strategic project in the corporate strategy

(ii)Brought this report to Members as a means of developing the dialogue about customer access and service and the process to be used to develop it

(iii)Commissioned an assessment of existing customer service practice in the authority. A company (iMPOWER) have been appointed to carry out this assessment of the Council’s main (14) frontline services. This project due for completion in May 2004. The outcomes of this assessment will be:

A description of the variety of practices used
An analysis identifying good practice and the benefits being achieved
Recommendations for opportunities to build on good practice

(iv)Commissioned research into the public’s perceptions of their experience in contacting the Council and their aspirations for this in the future. This is being arranged by the Marketing Unit through the Poole opinion Panel.

6.2The next steps proposed are:

(i)Submitting a bid to the ODPM for resources to support the development of the strategy. (See more details below.) This will include consideration of the costs to the Council of driving forward the strategy over the coming two years.

(ii)Developing a discussion about the shape of the strategy with the Management Team and Members, possibly in May. This will begin to consider the options open to the Council in respect of each element of the strategy (as outlined above).

(iii)Commissioning research into the annual costs to the Council of customer contact under the current arrangements.

(iv)Drawing together the findings from the assessment of current practice, the research into public perceptions and the cost analysis – developing an overview of this and identifying key issues.

(v)Discussing the overall analysis produced with the Management Team and Members (see proposals for this in Section 7).

(vi)Planning to make choices about the strategy and the vision for customer access and service that it will seek to achieve. Ultimately the cabinet will be asked to makes these choices and to confirm the vision.

7.GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS

7.1It is proposed that the Member led E-Government Steering Group plays a role in shaping the strategy and developing proposals for its implementation.

7.2This proposal is made in the context of two other processes that may affect it in the next few months. These are:

(i)The Cabinet’s consideration of this project as one of six major strategic projects in the corporate strategy; and

(ii)A review by the Management Team of governance arrangements (including project management) for E-government and IT investment.

7.3The outcomes from these processes will be reported to this Group.

8.OPPORTUNITY TO BID TO ODPM FOR RESOURCES

8.1The ODPM has indicated that it will consider an application from the Council for resources, over and above the funding mentioned in paragraph 3.2, to support the development and implementation of a customer access and service strategy.

8.2The ODPM has requested that this bid be submitted at the end of April. It will be considered in early May.

8.3Officers are developing proposals for the bid now and suggest that the Cabinet is requested to consider this at its meeting on 27th April.

8.4The ODPM has also said that it may subsequently consider an application to contribute to the costs of implementing the strategy e.g. ICT costs.

9.CONCLUSION

9.1Improving the Council’s focus on people and businesses as customers represents a major change in ways of working. This seems very much in line with the overall direction of the Council.

9.2There are many choices open to the Council about what it should do and how it should do it.

9.3The next few months represent a crucial period in which these choices will be identified and grappled with. The key to success in this a common commitment of members and officers to work together on the issues and to develop solutions that are right for Poole.

ANDREW FLOCKHART

POLICY DIRECTOR

Background papers:

Implementing Electronic Government (IEG) 3 Return considered by Cabinet in November 2003 and re- submitted to ODPM in January 2004

CABINET 27 APRIL 2004

APPENDIX TO ITEM 4

“BID TO THE OFFICE OF THE

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER”

CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDING BRIEF

Borough of Poole

Access and Customer Service Strategy

April 2004

Document History

Document Location

Revision History

Version number / Revision date / By whom / Summary of changes
0.1 / 11-03-04 / Ian Carbutt / First draft
0.2 / 05-04-04 / Kate Symons / Second draft
0.3 / 16-04-04 / Kate Symons / Third draft
0.4 / 20-04-04 / Kate Symons / Fourth draft
0.5 / 20-04-04 / Ian Carbutt / Suggestions and comments plus details from ODPM on Measures for the expected outcomes.
0.6 / 21-04-04 / Kate Symons / Sixth Draft
0.7 / 22-04-04 / Kate Symons / Seventh Draft

Borough of Poole
Capital Project Funding Brief: Access and Customer Service Strategy

Distribution

IDeA e-Government Implementation Support Unit Programme Office Copy 1 (File)

ODPM Local e-Government Team...... Copy 2

IDeA Regional Associate...... Copy 3

Borough of Poole...... Copy 4

Contents

1Introduction

2Project Definition

2.1Project Objectives

2.2Project Scope

2.3Project Deliverables

2.4Desired outcomes

2.5Constraints

2.6Project organisation structure

2.7Major Risks

3Outline Business Case

4Resource Plan – for resources requiring LGOL capital funding

5Timeline and Milestones

Appendix A: Additional Information

Authorisation

Introduction

The Issue Being Dealt With

The Borough of Poole’s e-Government Strategy has concentrated on foundations and building blocks in core systems and enablers – setting the platform for improved access and information provision.

As part of the IEG3 process, the Borough of Poole’s implementation of Customer Relationship Management (including considerations for implementing Service Centre(s)s and One Stop Shop) and the creation of its associated Access and Customer Service Strategies were identified by ODPM, as requiring significant acceleration.

During the IEG3 re-submission process, Borough of Poole have reappraised their position and, following discussions with ODPM and the IDeA, have increased focus on these areas. The Council has committed to pushing forward these areas within the overall timescales of the e-Government drive. The Management Team consider that this programme will have far reaching implications for the culture of the organisation and how it manages relationships with customers. In view of this increased profile, the Strategy and its implementation is being considered as one of five major step changes carried out by the Council over the coming four years.