Customer Access Team Staff Briefing Stour Valley and Poole Partnership NDDC Customer Services Team BOP Customer Services Team November 2014

Briefing Content Background – process and decisions Current delivery model Future delivery model New structure Business rationale Roles Consultation timelines Next steps Question points throughout – opportunity to confidential questions

Background SVPP and Customer Access Business Case approved by all Councils to bring together SVP and Poole Phase 1 SVPP Management Structure established on 1 st April 2014 Phase 2 SVPP Operational Structure to be in place on 1 st January 2015 by New Structure and TUPE of all SVP (CBC / EDDC) staff New Phase 3 for SVPP Customer Access Team Structure to be in place 1 st April Phase 3 will bring together staff from BOP Customer Services Centre, SVPP and NDDC with a proposed transfer of staff 1 st April 2015 to BOP Customer Services All Staff will be BOP Employees SVPP Accommodation Review for January 2015

Customer Access Team Specification and Decision Process SVPP – produced specification for CAT in May 2014 Customer Service Managers produced options appraisal drafting: – Options for delivery – contact centre or customer access team – Outline structure – Principles for delivery and design – Supporting technology, infrastructure and costs Processed through: – Joint Scrutiny – Joint Committee – NDDC Scrutiny, Cabinet and Council – BOP Cabinet – CBC and EDDC Resources Committee “Councils were unanimous in the support of delivering Customer Access through one centralised team”

Customer Access Team Current Delivery Model AREA Staff allocation FTE Calls Taken Face-to-face enquiries Total Enquiries Enquiries per FTE CTAX Base Enquiries per 1000 Properties SVP13.477,00027,600104,6007,80093,9551,113 Poole15.585,00026,600111,6007,20067,2671,659 Total ,00054, ,200 7,500161,2221,341 Our new delivery model will need to meet the needs of the Partnerships 161,000 Customers Current service provision and processes used to resolve customer contact is varied across NDDC, BOP and SVPP Current customer demand:

Customer Access Team Future Delivery Model - Specification In scope: Resolving 90% of all customer contact for SVPP revenues and benefits with aligned processes All face to face customer access – across the four (five) local authority front offices Utilising risk based verification processes at the first point of claim All telephony access utilising existing contact centre technology Digital access – enabling, supporting and mediating access to digital services ‘by design ’ at the first point of contact Customer access strategy – developing new approaches, new ways of working and working with others Develop new processes in line with welfare reform / universal support delivered locally Not in scope: Recovery action from final notice – enforcement team for main activity* NNDR – not in scope Sundry Debts Social Services Financial Assessment *ability to resolve and manage recovery enquiries will remain our responsibility to ensure we do not duplicate demand

Customer Access Team Future Delivery Model - Aims “ A collaborative, specialised and dedicated team; delivering services using aligned processes across all customer access channels; achieving excellent professional customer standards” To deliver a future thinking Customer and Digital Access Strategy, ensuring that customers can easily access our services across all channels To provide experienced customer services officers with expertise across all revenues and benefit services able to resolve general and complex enquiries To provide development opportunities for the team in order to retain experience and career satisfaction To consult with SVPP and partner authorities to review business requirements Continually analyse and manage performance, customer satisfaction, processes and systems to improve operationally and efficiently Develop customer profiles to inform strategy and process design To ensure we are continually ‘change ready’ managing welfare reforms seamlessly To learn from the commercial sector, identifying progressions with contact centre and digital technologies

HIGH VOLUME CUSTOMER DEMAND CONTINUAL PROCESS IMPROVEMENT DIGITALLY READY COMPLEX NEEDS CHANNEL SHIFT STRATEGY Customer Access Team Digital by Design CUSTOMER INSIGHT

Any questions so far?

Customer Access Team Structure Business Rationale Structure and Roles So far, we have described the background to where we are now, the delivery model, the partnership specification and the responsibilities for the new Customer Access Team. To bring forward a new delivery model, a new structure has been designed accompanied by the development of roles and new job descriptions. This will now help us to bring collaborate across three different organisations and bring staff into one team with a joint vision. The structure has been designed using comparative contact centre models and job descriptions are generic over all areas of revenues and benefits and customer access channels – i.e. face to face, contact centre, digital access.

Customer Access Team - Structure Katie Lacey Head of ICT and Customer Support - Borough of Poole Customer Access Manager Grade TBC Customer Services Team Leader Grade J Customer Services Officers - level 5 Grade F Customer Services Officers - level 3 Grade D Customer Services Officers - level 1 Apprentice Customer Services Business Analyst Grade H Customer Services Team Leader Grade J Customer Services Officers - level 5 Grade F Customer Services Officers - level 3 Grade D Customer Services Officers - level 1 Apprentice SVPP Management Board SVPP Joint Committee

Customer Access Team Business Rationale Level 1 Officers - Apprentices NVQ 2 & 3 Business Admin / Customer Services and NVQ 3 Taxation and Benefits Level 3 Officers Resolving general enquiries face to face and in the contact centre Providing digital support face to face and in the contact centre Processing and receipting payments Collection and monitoring of customer contact data as required Accurately updating systems and applications with all customer information including complaints and feedback Level 5 Officers Resolving all general and complex enquiries face to face and in the contact centre, including complaints Actively supporting and encouraging customers to transact digitally Advising and supporting level 1 and 3 officers, taking ownership of problems Processing information and payments within systems and applications Managing front office services, ensuring service delivery is correctly communicated Processing changes to accounts in accordance with agreed processes

Customer Access Team Business Rationale Business Analyst To deliver an efficient and effective Business Improvement function to the Customer Access Team. The post holder will provide expert advice, solutions and customer focussed improvements in order for the business to deliver a forward thinking efficient public service which is proactively taking control of savings targets and reducing budgets. Team Leader Operationally manage the delivery of a contact centre, face to face and digital revenues and benefits service to the public on behalf of all the partnership authorities. Manage a team of staff across diverse locations to ensure the correct outcomes for customers. Ensuring customers located in all partnership areas have easy and accurate access to services enabling the timely processing of benefit entitlement and council tax accountancy.

Customer Access Team Business Rationale Customer Access Manager Provide strategic management and leadership for the delivery of a contact centre, face to face and digital revenues and benefits service to the public on behalf of all the partnership authorities in Dorset. Lead on the development and implementation of an effective channel shift programme for the partnership in order to achieve specified savings. To work directly with the partnership management team to develop and expand the SV&PP service to other areas. Fundamental review of customer access services, and their locations for Borough of Poole.

Customer Access Team Career Ladder For every Level of officer there will be a comprehensive “training pack” detailing the skills required to carry out the specific area of work they undertake Training identified through appraisal or by Manager will be reviewed, arranged and monitored through the Performance and Training process There will be training to support all career development from apprentice to management roles Performance Monitoring systems will be developed to support managers and all staff in their roles We will look to recruit trainees or apprentices with a view to providing better resilience by giving our own staff opportunities and reducing reliance on temporary roles

Customer Access Team Location and Accommodation Review Each local authority consulted All five front offices will remain operational Processing centre –likely to be at Creekmoor Contact centre – to be confirmed – at Poole Each authority asked to provide ‘seats’ at each operational site for front office support or processing Partnership and CAT both committed to supporting homeworking – where possible and in line with flexible working policies

Any questions so far?

Next steps Copies of presentation will be ed today Copies of questions and answers from all group briefings will be e- mailed Copies of full job descriptions will be available on the intranet Your feedback about draft structure by by to or You can also discuss with your senior manager, HR and Trade Unions Your comments will be considered Final structure and feedback to staff by the end of w/c

Appointments to new Structure Using the principles of North Dorset, Christchurch and East Dorset Process in conjunction with Borough of Poole policies Old and new structures will be compared Posts ‘mapped’ according to – Job role – Status – Salary Consultation with the Trade Union – Structure and Mapping – Timetable

Future Briefing Detailed Briefing will cover: – The process for appointments into the new structure – How your role has been mapped – Appointment by slotting in or selection – About individual consultation – On going support

HR Arrangements for Workforce Reorganisation All NDDC or SVP staff in phase 3 TUPE transfer to BoP on 1 st April 2015 Any proposed changes to terms and conditions will be subject to full consultation with Trade Union Representatives

Phase Three Timeline Process Initial Briefing Consultation – structure and roles 14 November 2014 Second Briefing w/c 8 December 2014 First consultation meetings if in selection TBC late Dec / early Jan Second consultation meetings TBC February New structure commences 1 April 2015

Support BOP Counselling and Chaplaincy Services SVP Staff support scheme available through HR NDDC Staff support scheme available through HR or HR Teams and Union

Questions?