Issue - meetings
Future Customer Services: delivering change to the council's customer services
Meeting: 18/08/2011 - General Purposes Committee (Item 5)
5 Future Customer Services: delivering change to the council's customer services PDF 260 KB
This report sets out the changes that are proposed as part of the One Council Future Customer Services project. A key element of these changes is the establishment of a new division, Corporate Customer Services, which will bring together the existing One Stop Service and Revenues and Benefits service. There will then be a phased transition of customer contact from within other service areas into Corporate Customer Services.
Additional documents:
- PINK spi customer-services , View reasons restricted (5/2)
Minutes:
Toni McConville, Director of Customer and Community Engagement introduced the report which set out the changes proposed as part of the One Council Future Customer Services project. The Director advised members that a key element of the changes was the establishment of a new division, Corporate Customer Services, which would bring together the existing One Stop Service and Revenues and Benefits service. There would then be a phased transition of customer contact from within other service areas into Corporate Customer Services. She continued that the first step in the process was the appointment of the Assistant Director for the Corporate Customer Services, hence the report sought the creation of this post, the deletion of the Head of Revenues and Benefits post and the implementation and timetable arrangements as set out in the appendix attached to the report.
Members heard that as the proposals would impact on staffing and structures across the council, an extensive consultation with staff had commenced which was intended to be completed by 10 October 2011. The Director added that a separate consultation process on the wider staffing implications of setting up Corporate Customer Services which also commenced on 3 August 2011 was expected to be completed by 10 October 2011, with implementation by January 2011. In response to Councillor Lorber’s enquiry, Toni McConville clarified that in accordance with the council’s managing change scheme, 3 members of staff had been matched with the posts and there would be no need to seek external applicants unless none of the internal candidates was successful.
RESOLVED:-
(i) that the implementation timetable as set out in section 4 and Appendix 1, table 1 of the report be agreed;
(ii) that the job description for Assistant Director of Corporate Customer Services as set out in Appendix 2 be agreed.
Meeting: 17/08/2011 - Executive (Item 9)
9 Future Customer Services: delivering change to the council's customer services PDF 260 KB
This report sets out the changes that are proposed as part of the One Council Future Customer Services project. A key element of these changes is the establishment of a new division, Corporate Customer Services, which will bring together the existing One Stop Service and Revenues and Benefits service. There will then be a phased transition of customer contact from within other service areas into Corporate Customer Services.
Additional documents:
- PINK customer-services , View reasons restricted (9/2)
Decision:
(i) that the proposed changes to improve customer access arrangements as part of the Future Customer Services project be noted;
(ii) that agreement be given, subject to the outcome of consultation with staff, to the creation of a new Assistant Director of Corporate Customer Services post and the deletion of the Head of Revenues and Benefits post;
(iii) that it be noted that further changes to structures needed to fully implement the Future Customer Services arrangements will be carried out in accordance with the council’s Managing Change Policy.
Minutes:
The report from the Director of Strategy, Partnerships and Improvement set out proposals arising from a project in the One Council Programme designed to improve the way that customers access council services and the level of service they receive. The new Corporate Customer Services approach to be introduced by summer of 2012 aimed to make it much easier for customers to get answers quickly to the problems that most commonly concern them through a restructure of telephone and face-to-face service and redesigning the website to deliver more services online. A key element of these changes was the establishment of a new division, Corporate Customer Services, which would bring together the existing One Stop Service and Revenues and Benefits service. Phil Newby (Director of Strategy, Partnerships and Improvement) acknowledged that the change while exciting, did not come without risks. Councillor Jones (Lead Member, Customers and Citizens) welcomed the proposed changes which although challenging, would be a positive development.
RESOLVED:-
(i) that the proposed changes to improve customer access arrangements as part of the Future Customer Services project be noted;
(ii) that agreement be given, subject to the outcome of consultation with staff, to the creation of a new Assistant Director of Corporate Customer Services post and the deletion of the Head of Revenues and Benefits post;
(iii) that it be noted that further changes to structures needed to fully implement the Future Customer Services arrangements would be carried out in accordance with the council’s Managing Change Policy.