Customer Service in Local Government

Meander Valley Council

Carol LewisAugust 2014

Welcome

In local government, service is what it is all about

Service in the Public Sector Many of the ‘easy wins’ have already been

made in delivering service improvement, making it harder for government at all levels to find significant future enhancements. This is coupled with rising fiscal constraints and crises in most advanced countries.

IPPA Policy Paper Getting Serious on Client Service, 2011

http://www.ipaa.org.au/documents/2012/05/getting-serious-on-client-service.pdf/?fb0ff6

Facts About Customer Service When visiting a retail outlet, shoppers decide in the

first 8 second whether they are comfortable and therefore likely to buy.

Dissatisfied customers tell 20 – 30 people about their bad experience.

Satisfied customers tell no-one about their experience – they don’t know the service level provided.

Delighted customers will tell 7 – 10 other people, so word of mouth attracts more customers.

Exemplary external service derives from the inside.

Drivers of Customer Satisfaction Timeliness Staff – being knowledgeable, fair, putting in

the extra effort Positive outcomes Ease of access Recent experiences of service

http://www.iccs-isac.org/research/citizens-first/citizens-first-6/?lang=en

Delivering services or customer service well, or not so well

The amount of money you invest in service How efficiently and effectively you allocate the

available resources The impetus to continually improve or to be

complacent

Service Delivery Drivers

Your Challenge

Avoid complacency and create the impetus and dynamic for continuous improvement in service operations

Service as a Concept

Service as a universal concept means different and increasing expectations from your customers

Case Study Individually read through the case study

provided Put yourself in Geoff’s shoes Answer these three questions:

What rating would you give Hotel Diamond? Would you recommend the hotel to others? How would you describe the hotel?

Case Study … Discuss the difference experiences

List the key differences

Service?

123.8 seconds

Service?

123.8 seconds32.9 seconds

Service …

2012 Benchmarking SnapshotCustomer Perspective

Target Service Level – Answer Speed 82% in 30 seconds

Service Level Agreement 101.3% (ie, exceeded)

Abandon Rate Phone 4.6%

Average Wait Time Counter 123.8 seconds

Average Wait Time Phone 44.4 seconds

First Contact Resolution 83%

Proportion Transactions Raising a CSR 18.6%

Customer Tolerance

Desirable

Expected

Adequate

ToleranceZone

Perceptions & ExpectationsHigh Level of Service + Low Customer Expectations

= Excellent Service

Low Level of Service + High Customer Expectations= Poor Service

Average Service + Average Customer Expectations

= Mediocre Service

Service Levels Tailor service levels to customer expectations

and tolerance zones Don’t waste your resources delivering a level

of service your customers don’t expect, need or want

Customers expect the level of service you promise

Internal Service Chain

Volunteers Where would we be without you?

Out There

Customer Service Staff

Difficult Situations

Navigating Your Way

Skills + Mindset

LEAP into it …

Listen

Empathise

Acknowledge

Propose resolution

What can you do? Everyone can make a difference to customer

perceptions and service levels

Nominate at least three specific behaviours you can demonstrate in your role that will enhance your customers’ perception of your service level

Trends Rising customer expectations New ways of connecting and communicating

with customers Social media playing a role Speech analytics Technology

Channel Management

Channel Management

Coherence – makes sense to the customer

Consistency – same standards across all channels

You can make a difference

Keep your skills up to date Learn your job inside out Get feedback Build collaborative, productive

relationships with your colleagues Enjoy your job!

In Conclusion

Service enablers +

the human element

And finally …

Thank you for your participation