1. Business Improvement Working Group
Cost Architecture – In Context
Neil Sloper
Head of Customer Service

2. Agenda East Herts Drivers Customer Service Improvement Why the pilot?
Benefits for Us
Desired Outcomes
Discussion

3. East Hertfordshire The District
14 miles north of London
184 sq miles, rural, 5 market towns
Population 131,000, only 2.8% minority groups
Low levels of deprivation, 346 out of 354, some pockets of relative deprivation.
1% unemployment local economy mainly service
Conservative cabinet system
Judged 'good' in 2004 CPA
350 employees
Hertfordshire

4. Our Strategies Overall aim:
‘To improve the quality of people's lives and preserve all that is best in East Herts’
Promoting prosperity and wellbeing; providing access and opportunities
Fit for purpose, services fit for you
Pride in East Herts
Caring for what's built and where
Shaping now, shaping the future
Leading the way, working together

5. Lots of Drivers for Improvement!
Avoidable Contact NI14
Efficiency NI179
Sustainable Communities Act 2007
All require knowledge of costs and time
Lyons Enquiry
More for less!!
Shared Services & Pathfinder
Transformational Government
Local
Challenges
Comprehensive Spending Review
Local Government White Paper
LGA - Closer to People and Places
Public Service Reform

6. A Customer Service Vision
Delivering the same excellent level of customer service regardless of how and where customers contact us, to deal with 80% of enquiries at the first point of contact.

7. Our Strategy - Key Themes
Customer Service Effectiveness
Efficient Organisation
Effect use of technology
Improved process
All require knowledge of costs and time
Change
Business process improvement
Investing in self-service
Cost to serve
Customer Access
Simplify
Access for all
Influence Choice
Better facilities for Customers
Customer Service improvement
Customer Insight
Satisfaction
Service Use
Customer Profile
Take Up
Service Planning
Standards & Satisfaction
Corporate Standards
Consistent Monitoring
Corporate comments, compliments and complaints

8. What Does That Look Like?
Council Focused
Customer Focused
Citizen Driven Council
Self-service,
Engagement in service design and delivery
A Customer Focused Council
Reduced cost of contact, Joined up services,
Service development based on customer use
A Responsive Council
Efficient response
Modernising Service Delivery, Access Channel Management, Joining up Services
Dynamic Customer Feedback, Community Discussion Portals
Reducing Costs and Improving Service
Know who is contacting us and why.
Move simple transactions to self-service.
Giving customers choice of modern access channels.
Development based on demand.
Real-time engagement and feedback. Matching service innovation to customer need.

9. All require knowledge of costs and time
Organising Work – Supporting Services
Service
Customer Service Function
Website Development
CRM Development
Telephony Development
E-Form Development
Process Improvement
Baseline Cost
Information
All require knowledge of costs and time
Customer Information
Specialist IT Services
Self-Service
Assisted Service
Professional Service
1st Contact
Increased Customer Satisfaction + Organisational Efficiency

10. Benefits
Improved/consistent access through a single co-ordinated service.
Efficiency dealing with simple enquiries/transactions, releasing professional staff from administration.
More cost effective service, movement towards self-service.
Customer insight by capturing, recording and evaluating customer contact, use and satisfaction.
Knowledge about customers and their needs to target investment and ensure equality of access.

11. Why Cost Architecture? Authoritative Source Timing ‘spot on’
Working with others
Customer focused approach
Consistency
Transparent
Factual.
Costing and Time
It’s only one piece!

12. What’s In It For Us? S151 – ‘Show me the money!’ A framework, speed
Guidance – what we need to capture
Service based, enquiry level
A learning opportunity
Common and consistent across services
S151 – ‘Show me the money!’

13. Outcomes Cost per transaction per channel Cost to serve awareness
Clear case and evidence to support change
Able to demonstrate our workings.

14. Discussion Neil Sloper, Head of Customer Service