Facingthechallenge,Kentcountycouncil

CustomerServicePolicy

PostConsultationReport

1.Introduction:

Definingourapproachtoourcustomersisessentialtohelptheorganisationachieveitsaimtowardsbecomingasuccessfulstrategiccommissioningauthority.

FacingtheChallenge,KentCountyCouncil’stransformationplan,placesaheavyimportanceontheroleofthecustomerintheworkofacommissioningauthority:-“By2020,allKCCserviceswillhaveagreatercustomerfocuswithservicesorganisedaroundtheneedsofserviceusersandresidents”.

FacingtheChallengeshiftsthefocusfromimprovingourservicesthroughunderstandingourcustomers’experience,toabetterunderstandingofourcustomers’needsbyactivelyengagingtheminthedesignanddeliveryofservices.

Inordertocreatethischangeinapproach,theCouncilmustfirstlydefineandagreeitscorecustomerservicevaluesandprinciples.

TheendorsementofacorporateCustomerServicesPolicywillprovidetheseprinciplesandisdesignedtoworkalongsideKentCountyCouncil’sCommissioningandOutcomesFrameworkstowardsthedeliveryofeffectivecommissioning.

ThisPolicyanditsmeasureswillbeusedalongsidetheCommissioningFramework,enablingKCCtoholdtoaccountallserviceprovidersformeetingcustomerserviceexpectations.KCCwillactasaguarantorofstandardsforserviceusersandactingontheirbehalfwherecustomerserviceprinciplesandstandardsarenotmet.

ThedraftCustomerServicePolicywasagreedatseniorofficerandMemberlevelwithintheCouncilaheadofseekingtheviewsofserviceusersviapublicconsultation.ThedraftpolicyisattachedtothisdocumentasAppendixOne.

ThefinaldecisiononthePolicywillbetakenbythePolicyandResourcesCommitteeinSeptember.ThecommitteewillconsidertheconsultationoutcomesandthechangestotheEqualitiesImpactAssessment.

2.Consultationprocess:

Inordertoseekwiderviewsandcommentsfromserviceusersthedraft

CustomerServicePolicywasopenpublicconsultationfrom10March2015until

12May2015.

AquestionnairewasdevelopedtocapturefeedbackonthedraftpolicyandthisisattachedasAppendixTwo.Thisquestionnaireandacopyofallrelevantsupportingdocumentationwasmadeavailableonlineviathe‘Consultations’sectionofKCC’swebsite.Thisincludedan‘easyread’versionofthedraftPolicytoensureofthecontentwasaccessibletothosethatmayhavefoundthemainpolicydocumentdifficulttoread/understand,andplaintextversionsforthoseusingdocumentreading/accessibilitysoftware.

Thesedocumentswereavailableinalternativeformatsuponrequest.

Inordertoraiseawarenessoftheconsultationarangeofcommunicationmeasuresweretaken,including:

RelevantmessagesonKCC’s‘twitter’feed

Headlinestoriesontheinternalstaffwebsite‘Knet’outliningdraftpolicyandencouragingstaffparticipation

FacetofaceengagementinGateways,andadvertisingonGatewayscreens

Linkstotheconsultationwereplacedonlibrarycomputersforaperiodof3weeks

CommunityEngagementOfficerssentoutinformationtovariousstakeholdersacrossKentincludingdistrict,boroughandparishcouncils,localVoluntaryandCommunitySectorgroupsandumbrellaVCSorganisations

Notificationsoftheconsultationweresenttothosethathaveregisteredon

KCC’sconsultationdirectory

AspartoftheEqualitiesImpactAssessmentprocesskeygroupswereidentifiedthatcouldpotentiallybeimpactedbytheCustomerServicePolicy.Inordertoensurethattheviewsofthesecustomerswereincorporatedintotheconsultation,asmallnumberofinteractiveworkshopswereundertakenacrosstheCountywheremorequalitativediscussionsandissueswereexplored.WorkshopswereundertakenwithaBME(Black,MinorityandEthnic)communitygroup,anolderpeoplesforumandtwogroupsofyoungpeopleincludingaBMEyouthforum.Aworkshopwasalsoheldwithadisabilitygroup–althoughthisfellslightlyoutsideoftheconsultationperiodcommentshavebeenincludedtoensurethattheirviewsarereflected.

KCC’sownrepresentativestaffgroupswerealsocontactedaspartofthisprocesstoseekviewsacrossallpeoplewithprotectedcharacteristics,bothasKCCofficersandcustomersintheirownright.ThisincludedUNITE,Rainbow,LevelPlayingFieldandASPIREgroups.

3.Respondents

Atotalof88responsestotheconsultationquestionnairewerereceivedincludingpapercopiesthatwerefilledinatGateways.(Note:notallcustomerscompletedallthequestions,thereforethetotalswillnotaddupto88).

Analysisoftheresponsesreceivedshowsthefollowing:

RespondentType:

YourselfasamemberofKCCstaff,34,40%

Yourself(asanindividual),44,

51%

ABusiness,1,1%

AVoluntaryorcommunitysectororganisation,5,

ADistrict/Town/ParishCouncil,2,2%

Gender:

Prefernottosay,5,7%

Male,21,29%

Female,47,64%

Age:

2524

5344

25-3435-4950-5960-6465-7475-8485+Over Iprefernottosay

Customers60plusexpressedconcernatbeingabletoaccessservicesonlineandwantedreassurancethatserviceswillcontinuetobedeliveredbyothermethodsaswell.

Ethnicity:Althoughworkshopswereundertakenwithgroupswithidentifiedashavingprotectedcharacteristics(i.e.Race,Disability,age)notalloftheseparticipantsoptedtofillinaseparatequestionnaireandarethereforenotreflectedinthechartsbelow.

6057

108

121

IprefernottoMixed:White

WhiteEnglishWhiteScottishWhiteWelshWhiteIrishWhiteOther

say

Disability:

andBlack

Caribbean

Iprefernottosay,6,8%

Yes,16,22%

No,52,70%

Themajorityofcustomerswhoexpressedtheyhadadisabilityselectedtheoption

’thatservicesprovidedbyKCCareflexibleandresponsivetocustomers,andcanbe

accessedinarangeofwaysaccordingtoneed’andthattheywantedtofeelthat

KCCwas‘puttingthemattheheartofeverythingwedo’

Religion:

Other,2,7%

Jewish,1,4%

Christian,25,

89%

Sexuality:

Iprefernottosay,14,20%

Other,3,4%

Heterosexual/Straight,52,

76%

4.Consultationresponses:

Thefollowinggivesmoredetailedanalysisoneachquestionwithintheconsultationquestionnaire.

Question1a–respondingofbehalfofanOrganisation?

Thosethatcompletedthisfieldareaslistedbelow:-

BritishDisabledAlliance

HomeStartSouthWestKent

ThanetCommunityNetworks

RomneyMarshWebsite(

KentEqualityCohesionCouncil

TheFilmFactory

PlaxtolParishCouncil

LooseParishCouncil

Question2-TowhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreethattheprincipleswillhelpKentCountyCouncildesignservicesthatareaccessibletoyou?

Respondentsweregiventheopportunitytorankonscalefromstronglyagreetostronglydisagree,aswellastheopportunitytoexpressthattheydonotknow.

Disagree,6,8%

Don’tknow,2,

Neitheragreenordisagree,18,23%

Agree,39,50%

Stronglyagree,

11,14%

Stronglydisagree,

2,3%

Thisfeedbacksuggeststhatthemajorityofrespondents(64%)feeltheprinciplesoutlinedinthecustomerservicepolicywillhelpKCCdesignaccessibleservices.

Question3-TowhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreethattheprincipleswillhelpKentCountyCouncildeliverservicesatlowercost?

Respondentsweregiventheopportunitytoselectaresponseonscalefromstronglyagreetostronglydisagree,aswellastheopportunitytoexpressthattheydonotknow.

Don’tKnow,2,3%

Disagree,16,21%

Neitheragreenordisagree,34,44%

Agree,15,19%

Stronglydisagree,

3,4%

Stronglyagree,7,

Responsestothisquestionwerelessconclusiveandspreadalmostequallyacrossthepossibleanswers.Itisworthyofnotethatthehighestproportion(44%)wentforthe‘neitheragreenordisagree’option,suggestingfurtherworkwillberequiredtohelpcustomersunderstandthepotentialforcostsavingwhilstprotectingcustomerserviceprinciples.

Question4–Howdoyouthinkthecustomerserviceprinciplescouldimproveservicesforyou?

Respondentsweregiventheopportunitytoentertheircommentsinresponsetothisquestion.Thisquestiongenerated61responses.Examplesofcommentsreceivedincludethefollowing:

“Bybeingapplied...acustomerservicepolicyofthistyperequiresradicalre-shapingofservicesandaninvestmentinprocess.Irecallpreviousstatedambitionstowardsacustomercentredapproach.Thisrequiresbusinessintelligenceandanunderstandingofperformancemetricsthatservicesjust

don'thave.ChangewillI'mafraidremaindrivenbycomplaintsratherthanoperationalanalysis.Also,onceaserviceproviderhasacontract,andnomatterhowbadlytheyservethispolicy,thereisnoappetiteormechanismforchallenge.”

Thisresponseisnotuntypicalofthesentimentexpressedbyotherrespondentsi.e.thatKCCmustfollowthroughwithitspromisesandensuredeliveryisdrivenbythispolicy.Anumberofrespondentsarescepticalastowhetherthiswillhappen.

Recommendation:Wemustactivelyconsultandcommunicatewithourcustomersthroughouttheimplementationofthepolicy,sothattheycanseetheimpactofboththeirfeedbackandtheimplementationofthestandardsexpressedinthepolicy

“PuttheminplainEnglish.Whatdoes"Customershaveaclearescalationpathforanycommentsorcomplaintsthatcannotbeeasilyresolvedbyserviceproviders"(Q5below}actuallymean?”

“ThereshouldbenewcampaignforclearEnglishinallcouncilcorrespondenceincludinginternaldocumentsandlegalnotices”

Recommendation:ThesecommentsremindusthatweshouldremembertouseplainEnglishwhereverpossible.ThelanguageusedintheCustomerServicePolicyhasbeenreviewedtoensureassimpleandclearaspossible,andthisapproachshouldbetakenforwardintodelivery.

“Improvedmonitoringoforganisations/serviceswhichreceivefundingtoensurethattheydeliveramoreeffectivecustomerservice.”

Recommendation:WemustdevelopstandardsthatcanbemonitoredtoensurethatthereisaconsistentapproachtowardachievingCustomerServiceoutcomesthroughoutthesupplychain.

“Iwanteffectiveonlineaccess;tobeabletocompletemyenquiryatmyconvenience.IlikethefactthatyourprinciplestellmetherewillbebetterdigitalaccessandthatyouarebotheredaboutservicestandardsandqualitywhetheryoudelivertheserviceIneedorsomeoneelsedoes.”

Arangeofresponsesechoedthissentiment.

Question5–Whichofthefollowingoutcomesismostimportanttoyou?(RelatingtoPrinciple1:DeliveringQuality)

Respondentswereaskedtochooseamaximumofthreeoutcomesthatweremostimportanttothem.

CustomerscanbeconfidentthatKCCisputtingthemfirst,48,27%

CustomersknowwhattoexpectfromKCCservicesIrrespectiveofproviderorcontactchannel,

39,22%

Allcommentsandcomplaintsarecapturedandusedtoimproveservices,27,15%

KCCcantakeaninformedviewofhowservicesarealignedtocustomerneedsandrequirements,

28,16%

Customershaveaclearescalationpathforanycommentsorcomplaintsthatcannotbeeasilyresolvedbyserviceproviders,34,19%

Thereisafairlyevenspreadacrosstheoutcomesdescribedhoweverexpressinglittlepreferencebetweenthem.ThisalsodemonstratesthatthePolicyaimsreflectcustomerexpectations.

Question6–Whichofthefollowingoutcomesismostimportanttoyou?(RelatingtoPrinciple2:CustomerFocusedServices)

Respondentswereaskedtochooseamaximumoftwooutcomesthatweremostimportanttothem.

CustomerscanbeassuredthatKCCiscommisioningeffectiveandefficientservicesontheirbehalf,

26,18%

Thosethatrequireextrahelporwhohavemultipleorcomplexneeds

willbeprovidedwiththehelptheyrequire,45,32%

Themajorityofcustomerscanself-serveviaresponsiveandreliabledigital

platformsattimesthatsuitthem,19,

13%

ServicesprovidedbyKCCareflexibleandresponsivetocustomersand

canbeaccessedinarangeofwaysaccordingtoneed,52,37%

Aclearpreferencecanbeseentowardstheprovisionofservicesthatareflexibleandresponsivetocustomerneedsandthatcanbeaccessedinarangeofwaysalongsideensuringthosethatrequireadditionalsupportcontinuingtoreceivethehelpthattheyrequire.Selfserviceviadigitalplatformsrankedlowestwith13%ofrespondentsprioritisingthisindicatingthatthereismoreworktodotoestablishthedigitalchannelasachanneloffirstchoice.

Question7–Whichofthefollowingoutcomesismostimportanttoyou?(RelatingtoPrinciple3:IntelligentCommissioning)

Respondentswereaskedtoselectthetwooutcomestheyfeltweremostimportant.

Customerinformationandintelligenceisdesignedfromtheoutset andonanongoingbasis,27,

20%

Customersareinvolvedandengagedinshapingservicesthatbestmeettheirneeds,34,

25%

Customerscanhaveconfidencethattheirneedsareplacedattheheartofeverythingwedo(orothersdoonourbehalf),45,

33%

Customersdonothavetochaseorremindus,30,

22%

Afairlyevenspreadofresponsesreceived,withaslightpreferenceforcustomersfeelingthattheirneedsareplacedattheheartofeverythingwedo,andthatcustomersareinvolvedandengagedinservicedesign.

Recommendation:TheinvolvementofcustomersinservicedesignshouldbestrengthenedinprecommissionandchangeprocessplanningbyservicestoensurecompliancewiththeCustomerServicePolicy.

Question8–HowdoyouthinkKCCwillknowifservicesareimprovingforyou?

Respondentsweregiventheopportunitytoentertheircommentsinresponsetothisquestion.Thisquestiongenerated58responses–belowaresomeexamplesofthecommentsreceived;

“IwillgettheservicesIneed,whenIneedthem.Iwon’thavetokeepchasingorcomplainwhenthingsdon'thappenintime.”

“Needtoinvolvecustomersinevaluatingtheservices,notjustfeedbackforms,butmysteryshoppingtypevisitsetc.”

“Thisisn'tclear.Itwilldependonhowgoodthebusinessintelligenceanddatacapturingfromfeedback/complaintsisandhowthisisfedintothe

improvementprocess.Howwill"lessonslearned"beintegratedintonewandexistingsystemsandprocesses?”

Thereisaclearexpectationthatwewillgobeyondsimplymonitoringcomplaintsandcapturingfeedback.Thereisamuchdeeperneedtounderstandcustomerexperience,capturingmorequalitativedataandfeedbackinordertotrulygaugeprogress.

Recommendation:Weshouldexploreavarietyofwaystoensurewecaptureandunderstandcustomerexperienceswheninusingourservices,andactivelyinvolvecustomersinreviewingandreshapingservices.

Question9–DoyouhaveanyfurthercommentsontheCustomerService

Policy?

Respondentsweregiventheopportunitytoentertheircommentsinresponsetothisquestion.Thisquestiongenerated36responses.

Fromsomeofthecommentsreceived,therewouldappeartobealackofunderstandingarounda‘strategiccommissioningmodel’anditsrelationtooutsourcing.

Positivecommentsreceivedinclude:

“Veryambitiouspolicy,dynamictomatchthecurrentmodernrequirement,myonlyworryisaboutthevulnerablepopulationwhichmayhavenoaccessinadigitalformtotheservice.”

“Ilikedit.

Butitmustberememberedthatthepolicyisonlywords.Itwillbethedeliveryofthispolicythatmatters.”

Amongstthenegativecommentsreceivedarestatementssuchas:

“The'CommissioningAuthority'aspectappearstobenothingmorethanthecounciltryingtooffloaditsresponsibilitiesontosomebodyelse.”

“Thatitisaforgoneconclusionthateverythingwillbeoutsourced.Sowhybotherwithaconsultationwhenyouarenotgoingtolistentowhatthepeoplethink.”

OtherCommentswerereceivedseekingfurtherclarity,suchas:

“Needsmoreclarityabouthowyouwillinvolvecustomersfromthebeginningoftheprocess,customerswillneedtobeinvolvedinwritingspecificationsnotjustsayingwhattheythinkwhenitsalreadywritten.”

Recommendation:Followingthelaunchofthepolicy,thecustomerservicestandardsforthecouncilanddeliverypartnerswillbewritteninconsultationwithourcustomers.Aclearaccountabilitywillbewithservicemanagerstoevidence

customerinvolvementinthepre-planningandredesignofservices.

Question10–Viewsorcommentsontheassumptionsmadeaspartofthe

EqualityImpactAssessment?

Respondentsweregiventheopportunitytoentertheircommentsinresponsetothisquestion.Thisquestiongenerated13responses.Extractsarequotedbelow.

“Fullyagreewiththeassumptionthatdigitalaccesstotheserviceisvitalandthereforeprovidingacontinuousaccessforcomputerstocertaincriteriaofthepopulationisamustandprobablyrunningnewcomputerscoursesfortheseniorcitizens.”

“Goodgrief-39pageslong!Thatisabarrierinitself,surely?IwhollysupporttheuseofEIAsbutifyouwantpeopletoactuallybecomefamiliarwiththeircontent,theyneedtobesummarisedastotheimpactsthathavebeenidentified,andthekeywaysinwhichthesewillbeovercomeoraccommodated.Thefullreportcanthenbeavailableforpeoplewhowishtodrill-downintothedetail.”

“Iwaspleasedtoseethatdigitalexclusionparticularlyoftheelderlyhasbeenidentified.”

“Thereareongoingfinancialimpactstotheuser(IT,internetetc.)thatmaybebeyondsome.”

Recommendation:Needtoensurethat‘DigitalbyDesign’doesnotexcludethosewhodonotusetheinternet,andpositivelycommunicatetheconvenienceandbenefitsofdigitalself-service.

SummaryofRecommendationsarisingfromcustomerfeedbackintheconsultation

Weshouldactivelyconsultandcommunicatewithourcustomersthroughouttheimplementationofthepolicy,sothattheycanseetheimpactofboththeirfeedbackandinthedefinitionofandimplementationofthestandardsthatunderpinthepolicy

WeshouldremembertouseplainEnglishwhereverpossible.ThelanguageusedintheCustomerServicePolicyhadbeenreviewedtoensureitisassimpleandclearaspossible,andthisapproachshouldbetakenforwardintodelivery.

WewilldevelopstandardsthatcanbemeasuredtoensurethatthereisaconsistentapproachtoCustomerServicethroughoutthesupplychain.

Theinvolvementofcustomersinservicedesignwillbestrengthenedinthepre-commissioning,redesignplanningtoachievetheaimsoftheCustomerServicePolicy.

Wewillneedtoexploreavarietyofwaystoensurewecaptureandunderstandcustomerexperienceswhenusingourservicesandusethistoimprovewhatwedo

Followingthelaunchofthepolicy,thecustomerservicestandardsforthecouncilanddeliverypartnerswillbewritteninconsultationwithourcustomers.

Needtoensurethat‘DigitalbyDesign’doesnotexcludethosewhodonotusetheinternet

6.SummaryofWorkshopDiscussions

6.1Black,MinorityandEthnic(BME)Group–Maidstone

Peopleweregladtobeaskedfortheirviewsandthoughtitwasgoodthat

KCCwereconsultingonthepolicy.

Flexibilityisakeyrequirement,informationispreferableinmultipleformats,geographyofKentneedstobeconsideredasthishascanhaveabigimpactoncustomerexperience.Language–bothplainEnglishandlackofunderstandingofEnglishisstillanissue.

Consultationsshouldn’tbewebonlyastherearestillahighproportionofnon-webusers.

Gettingsatisfactoryanswersthroughfirstpointresolution–seeingsomethingtangibleafterfeedingbacksuchas“yousaidwedid”,wehatephasessuchas“wewillfeedthatback”–whichseemsfalseandweneverhearback.

Lotsofservicestaffturnoversoitishardtoknowwhotoapproachtoresolveissues–staff,arrangementsandpoliciesarenotveryclear-itisdifficultforustoknowwhotocontactandwhattoexpectasoftenthingsarenotrespondedto.

ThereistoomuchrelianceonFreedomofinformationActtofindthingsoutratherthanbeingtransparentinthefirstplace–“nooneknowswhoisresponsiblewhenIcall”

TherehavebeensomesuccessessuchasthesupporttoGhurkhaveteransthroughtheGhurkhasettlementfund.Arrangementshavebeenreallygood.

Thereisalotofvalueincommunityengagement–thewardensserviceissoimportanttoprovidereassuranceandhelpsortoutresidents’issues.

6.2OlderPeople’sGroup-Shepway

GeneralDiscussion

Thegroupwerealmostunanimousintheirviewthatregardlessofwhatissaid;the‘strategiccommissioningauthority’modelmeantthattheCountyCouncilwasengaginginanoutsourcingprogramme.

Thegroupfeltthatoutsourceddeliveryledtopoorerperformance,lessaccountabilityandisimpossibletoreverseoncecontractshavebeenlet–examplesgivenaroundhealth/hospitalsupportprovision.

TherewasconcernraisedaroundhowserviceswillbeoverseenbytheCouncilgiveneverdecreasingresourcesandstaff–willtherebesufficientpeopletogatherserviceusers’views,interveneifrequiredandlistentocustomerviews?Doubtswereexpressed.

ConcernswereraisedaroundstaffinglevelsinLibrariesandwhatwillhappenwhentheTrustmodelisoperational–willthetrustbelookingmakecutbacks?

CustomerServiceDiscussion

Positiveexamplesofcustomerservice

oDistrictNurses–attentiontodetail,regularity,welltrained,instilconfidence

oWilliamHarveyHospital–onememberofthegroupfeltcaredfor,treatedwell,butthistendedtodependonwhichnursingstaffyougot

oAmazon–simpleandstraightforwardprocess–alwaysdeliverswhentheysaytheywillandusuallyquitequick.Goodcommunicationthroughout.

oTheAA–goodcommunicationandreliable,trackvansandalwaysabletotellyouhowlongbeforetheygettoyou

oSaga–mentionedasprovidingreallygoodcustomerservice.Theircallcentreknowswhoyouareandoftenifyouringbackyougetthesamepersonwhorecallstalkingtoyou.Feelsreallypersonalised.

Negativeexamplesofcustomerservice

oAnotheronlineshoppingexperience,howeverdemonstratingtheneedforfullsupplychaintoperformtosamestandards.Groupmemberfoundtheexperienceofbuyingonlinewithaparticularsupplierveryslickandefficient,howeverthedeliveryteamwouldnotlistentoherwhentheyturnedup.Theyunloadedthewrongshipmentatherhouseinvolvingmanymanyboxeswhenshewasexpectingonlyone–shetriedtotellthembuttheywouldnotlisten.Onlywhentheythoughttheyhadfinishedandwantedtosignoffdidtheyrealisetheyhadwrong

address.Wouldhavesavedalotoftimeandeffortiftheyhadlistenedtothecustomer.

oPrivatesectororganisationscontractedtoprovidehomecare–thegroupfeltthatoftenperformanceofsomeoftheseorganisationsispoor,howeverclientsareoftenafraidtocomplainastheyfeartheircarewillgetevenworse.Peoplearegenuinelyscaredtoraiseissues.

oContactCentresingeneralwereperceivedtogivepoorcustomerservice–toomanyautomatedswitchboards,voicerecognitionsystemsthatdon’tworkwerecited,alongsidethelengthoftime‘holding’togetthrough–anexampleofa1.5hourwaittogetthroughtoahotelbookinglinewasquoted.KCCcontactcentrewasnotwellthoughtof

bythegroupingeneral.Thegroupwereoftheopinionthatcallcentreoperativesareundertoomuchpressuretolimitcallstoaparticulartime,andmanagers‘stoodoverthem’toincreasepressuretoperformtotimelimits.

oThegroupwerealsoconcernedaround‘flexibleworking’andthemovetopeopleonlybeingcontactablebytheirmobilephones.Thiswas

seenasincreasedexpensefortheserviceuserandyoucouldnotalwaysgetholdoftheperson.ItwasrecognisedthatKCC’snewtelephonesystemcouldhelpwiththis.

CustomerServiceChannels

Groupfeltthatolderpeopleingeneraldonotusetheinternet–especiallythoseintheirlateryears,althoughitwasacceptedthatsomewerecomfortabledoingcertainthingsoncomputers

Smartphonesingeneralwerenotafacilityusedbyolderpeople

Thegrouprecognisedthatthismaybeagenerationalissue,withyoungerpeoplebeingbroughtupwithtechnology-theymaybedifferentwhentheyreacholderage.

Byfarthemostcommonchannelusedbyolderpeopleisthetelephone;howeverthisbroughtconsiderablefrustrationasoutlinedabovei.e.callcentreexperience.

Anexamplewasraisedaboutolderpeoplewithhearingdifficultieswhosometimesappeartobeshoutingonthephone,butthisisactuallydueto

theircondition.Staffwhocallthemseemedtobeunawareofthisandaccusedthemofbeingrudeoraggressive.

Thegrouprecognisedthatmovingservicesonlinewouldsuitsome,howeveradvisedthatotherchannelssuchastelephoneremainveryimportanttothem

–thereshouldnotbeascenariowhere‘digitalbydesign’meansceasingtheabilitytoaccessbyothermeans.

Somemembersofthegrouppointedoutthatalthoughweoftenpointto

Librariesasaplacetogotoaccesscomputersandundertakeonlineactivity,

sometimesthesearemilesawayandcomputersarefullybookedornotoperationalwhenyouwantthem.

OtherPointsRaised

Thegroupwerenotinfavourofbeingcalled‘customers’astheywere‘notbuyingservicesinashop’.

Thegroupquestionedthesuggestionofdescribing‘minimumstandards’forservices–theysawthisasanegative.

6.3YoungPeople’sGroup-Shepway

Asmallgroupofyoungpeopleagedbetween11and16tookpartinaworkshopat

FolkestoneAcademy.

Thefollowingpointswereraisedduringthediscussioninrelationtocustomerservice:

TheyoungpeopletakingpartmadenodistinctionbetweentheKCCandthe

DistrictCouncil

Mostexamplesofgoodcustomerserviceforyoungpeoplewerequotedintermsoffacetofacecontactwithverylittleonlineortelephoneservicehavingbeenexperiencedbythegroup.

Mostimportanttothegroupwaspeoplefollowingthroughontheirpromisesandpeopledoingwhattheysaytheywill

Informationisnotalwaysclearandunderstandabletoyoungpeople–

examplesweregivenaroundbustimetableswhichno-onecouldunderstand!

Thegroupalsofelttheywereoftenmistrustedwhenwiththeirfriendsjustbecausetheyareagroupofyoungpeople–thisoftenmadethemfeelangry

Youngpeopletendnottolookonlineforhelp–theywouldmorelikelytalktosomeonetheytrust

Awarenessofservicesavailabletoyoungpeopleispoor–perhapsfurtherdiscussionswithschoolswouldhelpandthisiswheremostinformationisgiven

6.4BMEYoungPeople’sGroup–Gravesend

Areyouawareofthedifferencebetweenthedistrictandboroughservicesand

KentCountyCouncil?

WeareawareoftheCountyCouncilandthevariousDistrictCouncils.Alsoawareofsomeoftheservicesbothcouncilsoffer/run,butnotall.

Whatonlineservicesdoyouuse?

Traveltickets

Buspasses

Examplesofgoodandbadcustomerserviceandwhatmatterstoyouasacustomer

Wewillstartwithbad–Hasanyonegotanexampleofbadcustomerservice,itcanbeanywherei.e.retail,contactcentres,councilservicesetc.?

“Ifyougotoaplace,forexamplearestaurant,andyouwanttogetsomethingandyouhavetowaitforhoursandnooneisattendingtoyouandthensomeoneelsecomesinandtheythenspeaktothatpersonbeforeyou,youthencomeoutfeelingangryandlikeitwasawasteoftime”.

“Iwasonabuswhenthedriverwasrudetosomeonewhogoton,itwasamumandIthinkshewaswithachildandgavethedriveranotetopaywith.Thedriverwasannoyedandsaidthatshedidn’thavechangeandmutteredunderherbreath.Thepassengersaidit’snotmyjobtohave50p’sinmywalletasthedriverwasmoaningandgettingstressed”.

“Formeit’saboutbeingbouncedaroundfromdepartmenttodepartment,forexamplecancellingabroadbandcontractwhentheysaywecanofferyouthisandwecanofferyouthatandyoujustwanttocancelthecontract”.

“IhaveanexampleabouttheboroughCouncilswebsite.Aclientofmineappliedforhousingandwasrefused.Hewasaskedtoappealthedecisionbutwasnottoldhowandtheonlyinstructiononthewebsitewastowritealetter,itofferednoguidanceorsupportastohowthelettershouldbewritten.Whenmyclientwroteherlettertoappealitwasrejectedandinformedthatitwasnotinthecorrectformatitisreallyconfusingandnotrepresentingwhatthecouncilstandsfor”.

Bygoingthroughthebadexamples,thegrouphighlightedthat;

Theyexpectedtobeacknowledgedwhenrequestingaservice

Toaccessserviceseasilywithoutfrontlinestaffmakingitdifficultandnotdisplayingacan-doattitude

Servicesneedtotakeresponsibilitywhendealingwiththeircustomers

Doesanyonehaveanyexamplesofgoodcustomerservice?

“Ithinkitcomesdowntotheindividualthatyoudealwith.Ifyouhaveabigcompanyandhavepeopleputinplaceforsalesordealingwithclientsyoucanhavelotsofgoodemployeesbutifyouhaveonebadeggitwillgivethe

wholecompanyabadname.Ifyouplacesomeoneinthepositionofcustomerservicetheyhavetobehappyallthetimeastheyarerepresentingthecompany.

IhavemetafewpeopleandIhavedoneresearchofmyown,forexample,ifsomeonedoesn’tfeelgoodtheybringthattoworkwithallthenegativespiritandtheytakeitoutoncustomers.Maybeit’sthewaythecompanyoperatesanditdependsonthepeoplebuteveninphoneshopstheyaregoingtheextramileandtheyhavegoodenergyandthatenergyistransferable.IfPeoplehelpyouandtheyareinacheerymooditmakesyouhappyfortherestofday.GoodFrontlinesupportshouldbecompulsory”.

“Wehavehadgoodpeopleinthelibraryinthetowncentretheyshowrespectandgetrespectback”.

“Anotherexamplearetheschoolswhichhaveimprovedstandardsandthestudentswhocomeoutnowwithbetteracademicsandpersonality.Imetsomepeoplewhocameoutofschoolrecentlyandbeforetherewascrimes,knivesandgunsintheschoolbutitnowseemsamuchbetterplacetobeandtheyhavemuchbetterpersonalities”.

“Allthatyouneedtodoforpeopleistochangepeople’slivespositively,likeahighstreethomelesspersonifyouviewthemindifferentwayandyoucanchangetheirlives,likeevenifyouhave£5,youcanmakeadifferenceyoudon’tknowwhatthatpersonisthinkingabout,becausenooneevencares. Ifyourememberlatelastyearpeoplewherekillingthemselvesandtherewastheinternetbullies,kidsdon’thaverelationshipstheydon’thavepeopletotalkto,theybottleitupinsideandthat’sdangerous,that’slikeagrenadewaiting

togooff.Noteveryyoungpersonwantstobebadsometimestheyarejustfollowersandweshouldtryandchannelthebadenergyintosomethingpositive”.

“Theyouthclubsactuallyhelp.I’vebeenintoyouthclubswhotryandchangeandgivetheattentionyouthsneed.FrontlineservicesandcustomerservicesareagoodinvestmentforKCCtheyshouldinvestinstreetbasedyouthclubs,apartfromtheonestheyhavealreadycommissioned.Otherorganisations

thatarenotknown,theyaredoingaverygoodjobaroundengagingyoungpeople”.

“WouldyoufinditusefulifKCCwenttoyouthclubstoshowwhattheCouncilcandoforyou?”

“Yes,definitely,theonlythingthatmakesmehappyistoseepeopledoingpositivethings.InmyfreetimeifIseesomeonethatneedshelp,Ihelp,that’swayIam.IhavebeentoafewplacesandIseethewaytheyareorganised.Somepeoplethatjustdon’tcare,theyaretherejusttodothehoursandtojustgetpaid,theyarenotconnectedtoyouth.Theyneedtherightguidanceandrightsupervisionandcaneasilypluginandgettheearlyintervention.WhenIwasworkingthere,ayoungguywasbyhimselfinthecornerwithabouttwentyotherkidsontheothersideoftheroom,nottalkingtohim.Istoodnexttothepersoninchargeoftheyouthcentreandsaidwhyishenottalkingtotheothersandhesaid,henevertalks”.

Bygoingthroughthegoodexamples,thegrouphighlightedthat;

Frontlinecustomerserviceisextremelyimportantinrepresentingthebrandofyourcompany

LocalYouthClubsareworthwhileandengagementwithKCCserviceswouldbewelcomed

Thegroupappreciatedcustomerserviceworkerswhowentoutoftheirwaytohelpthem

CommunicationandengagementarecrucialinpromotingKCCservicestoyouthgroups,theywanttobeinvolvedinshapingKCCservices

Whatbarriersyouhaveencounteredinaccessingservice?

Thewrongpeopleinplace,nothelpingcustomerstoaccessservices

StrugglesinfindingwhatservicesKCChavetooffer

“Stickingonthedifficultiesandbarriersisthereanythingyoucan’taccessonline?”

“Ithinkifit’sonlyavailableonlineanditisasmallplaceandtheyhavenopostersaroundtownit’shardtofindandsearchaboutitandyou’renotgoingtosearchforsomethingyoudon’tknowthenameof”.

“SoforexampleifyouwereapplyingforaBluebadgeonbehalfofafamilymemberdoyouthinkKCCaredoingagoodjoboflettingpeopleknowhowtoapply?Wherewouldyougo?”

“IwouldsearchonlineforparkingwebsitesandKCCbluebadgeparkingontheKCCwebsiteandGraveshamBoroughCouncilwebsite.I’mnotsurewheretoaccessitontheKCCwebsitethough”.

Whatcanwedotogetridofbarriers?

Streetservices–KCCgoingouttoseepeopleinlocaltownsandinlocalforums.

Gettoknowthepeoplewhoyouareemployingtomakesurethattheyarenottherejustforthemoneyandthattheycareabouttheservicewhichtheyworkfor,asit’shavinganimpactoncustomers.

Thereisadisconnectionbetween,youngpeopleandpeopleinauthority.

Frontlineserviceshavelittleconnectionorlinksspeakingtoyoungerpeople,theyhavenoideawhatthisgroupofpeopleneedorwantorifatailoredserviceisrequired,itjustdoesn’thappenatthemoment.

“Soforyouit’saboutcommunicationandengagementandmakingsureyouareinvolvedindecisionmaking?”

Yes

Haveyoufoundanydifficultiesinaccessingourservicesonline?

“Ithinknowyourwebsitehasbeenupdated,ithasbeenmadeeasy.Servicesarenowgroupedandtheythereiseasieraccesstopages.It’seasyenoughnow.Beforewhenyouwenttothewebsiteyoudidn’tknowwheretogo,groupingtheservices

hashelpedimprovethis.Itisalsonowmobilefriendly”.

ThegroupwerealsoaskediftheywouldaccessKCCservicesviaSocialMedia.OnlyahandfuloftheparticipantshadSocialMediaaccountsandtheonesthatdidsaidthattheywereunlikelytoaccessKCCservicesviatheseplatforms.ThegroupstatedthattheyusesocialmediaforinteractingwithfriendsandwouldmostlikelyavoidKCClinks,somesayingthattheywouldseeitasspam/untrustedlinks.

6.5LearningDisabilityGroup-Canterbury

MembersofaLearningDisabilityGrouptookpartinaworkshopinCanterbury.

Thefollowingpointswereraisedduringthediscussinginrelationtotheirexperiencesingeneralwithcustomerservicesandwhattheyfeltwasimportant:

Patienceisrequired,assometaskscantakelonger–thiswasdeemedveryimportantandasacustomertheywanttogowheretheyfeelcomfortable.

ThegroupfeltthatLearningDisabilityandDementiatrainingwouldbebeneficialforallstaff.Theyfeltthatstaffoftenrushedthemanddidn’thavetimetosupporttheircustomerswhentheyneededextrahelportime.

Thegroupwantedclearguidelinesofwhattoexpect,particularlywithregardstohowlongitshouldtakeforsomeonetocalloremailthemback.Theyalsowantedtofeelasifstaffhadtakenthetimetoprepareformeetingswiththeminadvance.

Someoneraisedthattheydidn’tfeelliketheywerelistenedtobystaffabouthowtheywouldliketobesupportedbythecouncil

Thegroupfelttoouncomfortableraisingissuesiftheyreceivedbadcustomerservice.

Veryfewmembersownedasmartphone

Themajorityofthegroupdidnotusetheinternetorneededhelptodoso.

Theysaidthatitwouldbeeasiertousethewebifitwasmorepicturesbasedandeasiertouse.Somealsosaidtheydidn’treallyliketoaskotherstohelpthemonlineastheyprefertobeasindependentaspossible

Whencontactingthecouncilthegroupwerelargelyhappytocallinforsmallissuesbutformorecomplicatedenquirestheypreferredtoseesomeone.

Thegroupwerereluctanttouselibrariesastheyfinditdifficulttoreadanddidn’twanttoreadchildrenbooks.Theywouldliketoseemoreadultsbooksthatwereeasyread.Someonealsosaidtheymightusethelibraryifaudiobookswereavailable.

7.EqualityAnalysis

TheEqualityImpactAssessmenthasbeenupdatedtoreflectthecommentsraisedduringtheconsultationperiod.

TheseincludetherewordingofthePolicytomakethelanguageclearerfor

customersandensuringthatcustomerscanstillaccessservicesinavarietyofways.TheupdatedassessmentcanbefoundinAppendixA

8.NextSteps

ThepolicywillbeupdatedtoensurethatthetermsandlanguageusedinthePolicyareclearerforallourcustomers.

AnimplementationplanwillbeputintoplacetoreflectanyrecommendationsthatareapprovedbythePolicyandResourcesCommitteefollowingtheconsultationreporttheseinclude;

CustomerServicetrainingforKCCstaff

Communicationplantoletcustomersknowofproposedchangesandalsoimprovementsmadeasadirectresultofthecustomerservicepolicyandtheirfeedback

Ensuring‘DigitalbyDesign’doesnotexcludethosewhocannotusetheinternet

DevisingCustomerServicestandardsthatcanbemonitoredareputinplaceforbothKentCountyCouncilstaffandcommissionedservices.Thisshouldbewritteninconsultationwithourcustomers.

Activelyconsultingandcommunicatingwithourcustomersthroughouttheimplementationofthepolicy,sothattheycanseetheimpactofboththeirfeedbackandtheimplementationofthestandardsexpressedinthepolicy

Usingavarietyofwaystocaptureandunderstandcustomerexperiencesinusingourservicestohelpgaugetheimpactofchangesmadeasaresultofthepolicy