The Highland Council

1

• The Highland Council
• Kate Lackie
• Business Manager
• Chief Executives Service

2
Setting the Scene

• Complaints analysis
• Understanding and responding to customers needs
  
• Customer Services Network
• Service-led approach Case Study the Finance
  Service

3
Complaints analysis
4
Types of Complaint

• Too many bounces
• Fault reporting
• Time taken to act
• Poor procedures
• Complexities of case
• Conflicting interpretation of how law/policy
  applies

5
Understanding Customer Needs
Reasons for contacting the Council 41 Request a
service 37 Make a Payment 30 To make a personal
enquiry 11 make a complaint (12 average over 5
years) Method of Contacting the Council 59
phone 50 personal visit 12 by letter 8 by
email 69 contacted the Service Point Network or
Service Centre
6
Customer Service Network

• 37 Service Points across Highland
• 2004 Establishment of Service Centre
• 2005 CRM Rolled out across Highland
• 2009-12 Customer Services Strategy approved
• 2009 CRM refresh

7
Customer Services Volumes 2008/09

• 477,224 incidents processed through CRM
• Service Centre Volumes 306,855
• SPN face to face contact 895,410
• 90 dealt with at first point of contact
• Customer satisfaction 96

8
Anomalies in the data

• CSS 90 resolved at 1st bounce 96 satisfaction
  
• PPS 72 resolved at 1st bounce 82 satisfaction
  
• Things dont change we change
  
  
  Henry Thoreau (1817-1862)
  US
  Essayist, social critic and writer

9
Case Study Finance Service

• Finance inquiries and complaints handled through
  the Service Centre
• 97 resolved at 1st bounce
• 47 quick queries
• 34 benefits
• 16 Council Tax

10
Case Study Finance Service

• Complaints handled internally 2008/09
• 238 complaints in total
• Of which, 44 progressed to stage 3
• No cases progressed to SPSO since 2002
• 90.3 completed within 10 day target

11
Finance Service performance management

• Quality checking responses through a single point
  of expertise
• Analysis of trends and spike spotting
• Implementation of improvement actions
• Monthly management oversight

12
Challenges

• Interface between CRM and other systems
• Embedding customer service culture within all
  Services
• Efficiency agenda reducing back office
  functions

13
Conclusion

• When you have faults, do not fear to abandon
  them
• Confucius (c550 478)