donegal isd tony kieran

Tony Kieran27th November 2008

Donegal Integrated Service Delivery Project

Developing and Delivering Customer Centred Public Services

_____________________________________________________________________

- 2 -Donegal Integrated Service Delivery

Introduction

• Vision - what we set out to achieve

• Background - to Donegal Developments

• Testing a new structure and service delivery model

• What has been achieved/where we’ve got to

• Success factors

• Conclusions


Vision - what we set out to achieve

To deliver a seamless, quality public service to customers and communities in Donegal through

a choice of access channels

To deliver a seamless, quality public service to customers and communities in Donegal through

a choice of access channels

Implying:

• The localisation of service delivery & decision making

• The provision of a single access point to services

• The development of new service delivery channels

• A streamlining of public services


Background to Donegal Developments• 1996 - County Council decision to decentralise

• 1996 - Internal project development team formed

• 1998 - Inter agency team formed

• July 2001 - ISD project formalised with Project Board formed & Project Manager recruited

• Positioning the work in a national context• SMI, Delivering Better Government, Better Local Govt.,

Information Society, Quality Customer Service, Integration of Local Government, etc.


Development of new models of public service delivery

• Building the provision of services around the needs of the customer

• Developing a shared cross-agency view of the customer through shared information

• Achieving greater efficiency and effectiveness through the streamlining of business processes and elimination of overlap / duplication

• Providing the customer with a choice of access channels


Development of new models of public service delivery

• Building the provision of services around the needs of the customer

• Developing a shared cross-agency view of the customer through shared information

• Achieving greater efficiency and effectiveness through the streamlining of business processes and elimination of overlap / duplication

• Providing the customer with a choice of access channels

Building towards the overall ISD project vision:

“To deliver a seamless, quality public service to customers and communities in Donegal through a choice of access channels”


Work Programmes• Building the Public Service Infrastructure

• Researching service delivery (channels & service organisation)

• Integrated Services - Best practice guidelines for the deployment of services nationally through the Public Service Broker will be developed building on:

• 3.3.5.1. A pilot project that is underway in Donegal to identify and resolve issues around integrated service delivery and to pilot a suitable range of services for delivery by Reach.

(New Connections, March 2002, P.18)

• Developments within Donegal Co. CoNew structure & work arrangements


Council Decentralisation Programme

• A Systematic approach to organisational design

• Clarity about nature of work

• Clarity on roles, responsibilities and working relationships

• Delegation of formal authority to appropriate level

• Organising around the Electoral area


Organisational structures and work levels

Director

Divisional Manager

Area Manager

Work Levels

4

3

2

1

Duties & responsibilities

Introduction of new processes / systems, Creation of annual work programmes Focus on process and system - How we do the work

Impact of new legislation Local implications of national policy Focus on resources, policy etc. - What we do

Assignment of tasks from work programmes Focus on the individual case - Doing the work

County Manager

Role of Council in wider public service context Outward focus


Opened 10th June 2002

Opened 16th Sept 2002

Opened 11th Nov 2002

Opened 20th Jan 2003

Opened 19th April 2004

Update on Public Service Centre programme


Local needs and priorities

The Public Service Centre Concept

Building services around thecustomer

Sharing of resources Sharing info with customer

consent Advice and Advocacy

Local democracy Service delivery

IndependentInformation Units

Delivery of Councilservices

Delivery of services by other Agencies

A gateway to otherAgencies

New Public ServiceCentres providing a

single point ofaccess to public

services:Walk-in

phone &assisted channels

Focus on quality of service


Building the Public Service Centre Infrastructure

• Five Public Service Centres open and serving their local communities

• Independent Information and advice units front each Public Service Centre

• First point of contact to services developed using the Information Units and the Public Service Centres

• Donegal County Council has localised service delivery to Electoral Area level and is testing a new organisational structure


Building Inter Agency collaboration

• Agencies relocated & delivering services from the Public Service Centres (i.e. Community Welfare Officer’s, Social Welfare Inspector’s, Revenue Collectors, Placement Officers operating through PSCs)

• Co-ordination of service provision to common customers (referrals, appointments, etc.)

• Meeting rooms and consultation facilities available for use by Agencies and community groups

• Infrastructure in place to support further initiatives and innovation


Research completed to date• Study completed on 3 key service areas

(Unemployment, Medical cards & Housing)• Study completed on Means testing • Study completed into potential of Contact Centre

in delivering services• Reports completed for Reach Agency to inform

development of Public Service Broker• Review of Social Housing and Rent Supplement

schemes (leading to introduction of Rental Accommodation Scheme in July 2004)

• Evaluation of Donegal ISD Project (2005)


Findings from Research• Current Deficiencies (based on study of key services)

• Data: 50 files analysed across 3 Agencies/services (29 common)• Only 1 customers data matched across all 3 services• Remainder held inaccurate data, incomplete records, obsolete

and contradictory data about the same customer• Systems: not capable of interacting with each other• Manual data matching proved very time consuming• People: Duplication of effort - 90% service cross over with

100% duplication of effort

• Customer preferences (based on Contact centre study)• 70% would prefer to transact public service business by phone• 82% willing to have data shared between Agencies when

accessing services


Public Service Centre - Customer Experience• Customer consultations (136 customers in Sept05)

have recorded:• Improved access to services through PSCs (87%), with reduced

queueing times and face to face service cited as positives• Improvements to quality of service delivered (75%)• Very high overall satisfaction ratings (95%)

Reasons stated for satisfaction include efficient service and professional and helpful staff

• Experience on use of services• 57% had used other services apart from the primary purpose of

their visit to the Public Service Centre• Evidence of customers using Independent Information Unit

before accessing services and then returning to Information Unit to check or report the outcome

(Source - Fitzpatrick Associates, 2005)


Consultation over the period• Prior to commencing project

• Study on Donegal County Council services conducted by IPA• Engineers working group on service organisation within council• National developments – DBG/BLG

• During project• Customer surveys – channels, walk in service, etc.• Citizens information as first point of contact for customer• Project board with representation from Comhairle (now CIC) representing

customer viewpoint

• Ongoing feedback mechanisms• Citizens information as first point of contact for customer• Elected representatives acting as customer advocates• Complaints & appeals procedures


Issues Critical for Success

• Clear strategic leadershipWell planned and soundly based structural re-organisationCorporate commitment(conclusions from “E-Government and Organisation Development”, CPMR Discussion Paper 28, IPA, 2004 )

• Interagency collaboration

• Funding & resourcing

• Co-ordination at the Centre across Agency boundaries - setting out the supporting national framework mandating Agencies to collaborate in service provision and delivery and enabling them to take an

active role in co-ordinating the process.


Co-locationCo-location

Co-ordinationCo-ordination

IntegrationIntegration

Agencies co-locating staff to deliver services to customers.

Agencies working together to co-ordinate the delivery of services to common customers.

Services fully integrated and delivered around the needs of the customer

Conclusions 1 -Public Service Centre development

Information Units fronting Centre’s

Cross referral and information sharing with customer consent

New integrated delivery entities and channels

timeline

Now

Future state


Conclusions - 2

Project moving through phases: Co-location of staff and services in Public Service Centres Better co-ordination of services and service delivery Integration of services around customer needs (life events)

Retaining the focus on the customer and the needs of the customer

Making it easier for the customer to access services (life events)

Working together to ensure customers needs are met

Finally, the challenge of sustaining the effort over time!


Thank You

Questions and Answers


More Information & Useful References

• Donegal ISD Project • http://www.donegal.ie/dcc/default.htm > Major Projects > Donegal Integrated

Service Delivery Project• Virpi Timonen, Orla O'Donnell, and Peter C. Humphreys: E- Government

and the Decentralisation of Service Delivery, CPMR Discussion Paper 25, IPA, Dublin, 2003

• Orla O'Donnell and Richard Boyle: E-Government and Organisation Development, CPMR Discussion Paper 28, IPA, Dublin, 2004

• Murray Scott, William Golden and Martin Hughes: The Implementation of Citizen-centred e-government: A Stakeholder Viewpoint, CISC Working Paper No. 10, Feb 2004

• Fitzpatrick Associates, Donegal ISD Project Evaluation, January 2006

• Academic Reports & Articles • “Leadership in Customer Service: New Expectations, New Experiences”

Accenture Report - June 2005 (The Government Executive Series)• “The Developmental Welfare State” - National Economic and Social

Council, May 2005• Dr. Joe McDonagh , Modernising Service Delivery: A Blueprint for

Development and Change , Report for Irish Government, November 2004• Kieran, Tony & Dr. Joe McDonagh, “Electronic Government and Public

Service Modernisation: Connected Thinking and Disjointed Action?” Administration P103 - 113. Vol. 53. No.3. 2005.


Contact Details

Tony Kieran Principal Officer, Department of Social & Family Affairs College Road,Sligo.Rep. of Ireland

E-mail: [email protected]: +353 71 9148499 Mobile +353 87 2373112


Group discussion 1 Place yourselves in a central Government

role with responsibility for quality customer service and consider the following:

What benefits, if any, do you see emerging from the Donegal ISD Project?

What impact can this type of initiative have on customer service?

What support framework should be put in place if we are to consider scaling the Donegal ISD approach to national level?


Group discussion 2 You are now in a management role with

responsibility for local service delivery to customers. Consider the following:

How can the Donegal experience assist you in delivering services?

What difference, if any, would this type of approach make to the service delivered to your customers?

What barriers/challenges would you expect to encounter in implementing a similar approach, and how might you overcome them?


Group discussion 3 Review your own views on customer

service:

Does what you hear about the ‘Donegal project’ change your thinking in any way? If so, how?

What do you now consider to be the most important consideration when delivering service to your customers?

How would you find out what customers want from your service (effective consultation)?

donegal isd tony kieran

Business

new service delivery

quality public service

service deliverymodel

public service infrastructure

public service centreprogramme

quality customer service

donegal developments

services duplication