Rother District CouncilAgenda Item:

Scrutiny Committee-Resources

Date-22 March 2004

Report of the-Director of Resources

Subject-Customers First

Recommendations: It be RESOLVED that the report be noted.

This report supports the Key Aim of Leading and Involving the Community.

Head of Service: Trevor Elliott

Introduction

1.The Best Value Review of Access to Services included a Five Year Action Plan which was approved by Cabinet on 31st March 2003 and this report is an update on progress achieved in various matters that have been brought together under the heading of Customers First.

Help and Advice Centres and New Style Service

2.Members will be aware of the proposals to provide a Community Help Point within the Amherst Road Building and a copy of a Staff Newsletter giving details of the current position in relation thereto is attached at Appendix A.

3.David Hermon, Democratic Services Manager and Anne Bruin, Senior Customer Services Officer, will both be in attendance at the meeting and will make a short presentation, on the proposals.

Improve Telephone Services

4.The contract for the telephone system, Featurenet 5000, is due for renewal in 2004. This provides the opportunity to review the current provision and consider features that may add to the efficiency and effectiveness of the system. Telephone services are particularly relevant to the Help Point service. Clearly if incoming calls, directed at specific services, are routed through the Help Point lines it is important to ensure they are answered in good time and callers are not kept waiting. Whilst the full facilities of a Call Management Centre may not be cost-effective the use of a UCD (unified call distribution) group provides for the even distribution of calls across all logged operators. The status and usage reports of the Featurenet system enable monitoring of the network.

5.Improved free advertising has been obtained in BT white pages, the new directory lists over 100 direct dial telephone numbers, giving details of standard services numbers, as per the A-Z listing. This information is also available through the BT Directory Enquiry Website. Our advertisement in Yellow pages is an enhanced lineage, with our website address and we have enhanced listings on their website, with a link to our own. Additionally an insertion in the Observer Group publication, The Citizen’s Guide, gives contact details for Service areas, and is provided at no cost to the Council.

Improve Monitoring and training on Customer Care/Complaints

6.A programme of training has been established in connection with the operation of the Battle CHP with existing Customer Care staff within the Corporate Resources division included in recent training programmes. As soon as the staffing requirements for the new CHP in Bexhill have been established and appointments have been made, they will also embark on a training schedule to ensure they have the required skills and knowledge to operate effectively from the opening of the facility later in the year.

  1. An electronic logging system of the enquiries received at the Battle CHP was developed as part of the pilot project and it is intended that this will be made available at all Community Help Points within the District.

Complaints

8.The operation of the existing complaints system is due to be reviewed not only as a result of the action plan attaching to the Best Value Review of Access to Services but also as a result of a request from the Standards Committee. In the light of the relatively low levels of complaints received by the Council and the fact that available resources are at the moment concentrating on the delivery of the Community Help Points at both Bexhill and Rye, this target will not be addressed in the immediate future. It is however acknowledged that the Council should not become complacent and this Committee and Members generally can perform a useful role in monitoring the situation to ensure that any increase in the level of complaints is identified at an early date and appropriate action taken.

Pav Ramewal

Director of Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

Failure to report on progress on the action plan arising from the Best Value Review of access to services may result in the identified targets not being met or any problems encountered in the delivery of those targets not being properly addressed.

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