Agenda item

That the report be noted.               

The Head of ICT and Customer Services introduced a report to provide an update on the Customer Services Workstream within the Flintshire Futures Programme. 

            He detailed the background to the report which provided information on the progress made on the various projects within the Customer Services Workstream.  It was reported that although improving the customer experience was the primary goal, planning was also taking place to make efficiencies by encouraging use of self service digital access and challenging processes to ensure that the Council standardised, simplified and automated where possible.  The Head of ICT and Customer Services explained that the focus of the work to date was about improving customer access to services and information which included providing choice in terms of how, when and where services were available and improving face to face and telephone access.  The Flintshire Connects centre, which had been well received, opened in Holywell in November 2012 and facilities in Flint, Connah’s Quay and Buckley were also planned.  Invest to Save funding of £700,000 had been secured from Welsh Government  and Job Centre Plus had confirmed that they would be operating permanently from the Flint Connects Centre with discussions on-going with other partners for all three facilities. 

The Head of ICT and Customer Services provided details of the Contact Centre which was located at Alltami Depot and said that in addition to Streetscene, contact centre facilities had recently been implemented for Housing Repairs and Revenues & Benefits; consultation was ongoing for Leisure Services to be included in the future.  Another project within the Customer Services Workstream was Channel Shift which the Head of ICT and Customer Services detailed and he advised that a new website was being developed and a new Flintshire “App” for mobile devices would be launched in July 2013.  New standards and targets would be identified to incorporate the new access channels particularly digital self service which did not currently feature in customer care standards and the Customer Engagement Project Team had recently beenestablished and an exercise was underway to identify all consultation and engagement activities across the Council. 

            The Leader of the Council spoke of the Invest to Save funding which had been secured allowing the acceleration of the Buckley connects centre which was welcomed.  He sought assurance that there was also a savings element to the benefits of Customer Engagement and that good practice of how to communicate effectively with community groups should be taken forward. 

            Councillor C.S. Carver praised the work of the staff at the contact centre but asked that the automated message be updated as it only related to queries about waste collections or snow.  He also sought a fuller explanation of what Channel Shift meant. 

            The Cabinet Member for Corporate Management thanked the Head of ICT and Customer Services for the report and gave thanks for the way the Council was keeping pace with technology.  He said that there were indications that the connects centre was well used but queried whether it was promoted adequately. 

            Councillor P.G. Heesom commended the work of the staff at the Connects facility at Holywell and the support given to it by Members and Councillor P.J. Curtis in particular.  Councillor P. Shotton asked whether customer services staff were able to undertake training and development opportunities and he welcomed the proposed new facilities at Connah’s Quay, Flint and Buckley.  Councillor R. Lloyd queried whether any progress had been made on the use of Saltney Library as an interim Connects facility.  In response to the questions raised the Head of ICT and Customer Services advised that an internal customer service training programme was undertaken by all customer service staff and the opportunity to study a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) was undertaken with an external provider.  Work was ongoing to identify other options for an interim contact centre in Saltney as it was not felt that the library was suitable in its current form.  Councillor R.G. Hampson queried whether the amalgamation of the Housing Repairs service into the contact centre was a good idea and in response the Head of ICT and Customer Services said that it was important to have a common approach when delivering services which included the use of common training, technology and systems for all customer services contact centres; he added that its location was irrelevant. 

            Councillor Curtis welcomed the introduction of the Flintshire Connects facility in Holywell which he said had been an outstanding success.  He spoke of the polite and helpful employees and said that he hoped the facility would continue to develop and that centres in other areas were provided at the earliest opportunity. 

            The Leader of the Council spoke of the increase in footfall in town centres due to the location of the Flintshire Connects facilities and spoke of the opportunity for community events to encourage residents to visit towns in Flintshire.  On the issue of Channel Shift, he said that this was about additional choice for residents and encouraging them to use digital self service facilities alongside the current options in place. 

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.