Issue - meetings

To seek the adoption of the Tendring District Council Customer Service Delivery Strategy.

That the Tendring District Council Customer Service Delivery Strategy be adopted.

There was submitted a report by the Portfolio Holder for Enforcement and Community Safety (Report A.4), which sought the adoption of the Tendring District Council Customer Service Delivery Strategy.

Cabinet was aware that, in financially demanding times, the challenge was how to improve the level of customer service the Council delivered to its residents, yet reduce the cost of that delivery. The opportunity existed to adopt a Customer Service Delivery Strategy that would make Council services more accessible in terms of both location and times available, and yet would also free up Officers to deal with the more complex cases taking into account the demographics of Tendring and the desire to work more closely with partners. It could also offer the opportunity to bid for external contracts and create revenue streams.

Cabinet was informed that the proposed Customer Service Delivery Strategy was an important element within the wider project to ‘transform the way we work’ and was consistent with the Office Transformation Strategy report that was also on the agenda in that there would be the creation of a first class hub in Clacton where residents would access Council services. A centralised telephony hub would also be created to deal with general enquiries and high volume transactions, possibly freeing up officers within back-offices.

It was reported that outside of Clacton, the Customer Service Delivery Strategy would work alongside the IT strategy. Although the Council had already closed offices in Frinton and Harwich, the opportunity now existed to work with strategic partners to create shared service locations in the towns with the larger populations. This had already proven to work well in Harwich where Council staff delivered services (new claims by appointment, and change of circumstances by drop-in) two days a week from the JobCentre Plus offices in the High Street. They were on average seeing 20 people per day. TDC officers would be able to offer services in other locations using mobile working technology and support residents to use self-serve kiosks.

Members were made aware that the strategy document would be aligned with that of Channel Shift as the two topics were inextricably linked and covered the different contact methods and access points that could be used and also how the Council would maintain a quality service.

Having considered the proposed Strategy:-

It was moved by Councillor G V Guglielmi, seconded by Councillor Watling and:-

RESOLVED that the Tendring District Council Customer Service Delivery Strategy be adopted.