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www.surreycc.gov.uk
Making Surrey a better place
Channel Strategy
v3.2
March 2010
1
CHANNELS STRATEGY 2010
Author Simon Pollock
Version 3.2
Date Issued 01/03/10
Document status Contact Council for comment
Distribution
Name Title/Organisation Purpose
1.0 Customer Services Team All Members SCC Review and input
1.0 Neal Coady IMT - SCC Review and input
1.1 Denise Saliagopoulos Cabinet Member – Review and input
Communities SCC
2.0 Contact Council All members Review and input
3.0 Bob Kamal Cabinet Office Review and input
David Hunter IdeA
Helen Gunter Cardiff City Council
3.1 All Senior Managers Surrey CC Final review
3.2 Public All
Revision History
Version Date Updated Revision Author Summary of Major Changes Made
1.0 11/02/10 Simon Pollock Original Draft
1.1 11/02/10 Simon Pollock Second Draft following IMT feedback
2.0 01/03/10 Simon Pollock Third Draft following CLT feedback
3.0 04/03/10 Simon Pollock Revised following LG Contact Council
feedback
Digital inclusion added
New media added
Order of chapters revised
Formatting changes
Action point references added
Channel governance added
3.1 15/03/10 Simon Pollock Minor grammatical changes
3.2 07/06/10 Simon Pollock Minor text changes for clarity
2
Part 1 - Introduction
WHAT IS A CHANNEL STRATEGY?
Surrey County Council has a
responsibility to provide excellent
services to the public and value for
money to the taxpayer. The channels
through which public services are
delivered and by which the public has
contact with the authority, (be that via
telephone, online, in person, or via
other means), are a critical part of
public service provision, and there is an
ongoing impetus for them to be
managed effectively and efficiently for
everyone.
A channel strategy is an organisation’s
plan for the channels it will use to
deliver services to, and interact with, its
customers. A channel strategy explains
how an organisation will meet the
contact demands of its customers using
the resources it has available.
A channel strategy is not simply a plan
to move service provision to online
channels.
WHY IS A CHANNEL STRATEGY IMPORTANT NOW?
Customers receive a high standard of customer service from many public and private sector
organisations. However, citizens sometimes have low expectations of services provided by local
government, and it will be necessary to exceed rather than meet these expectations to achieve
channel shift to cheaper and/or more effective channels. To achieve this, the public sector must
continue to raise its own standards of service across all the channels it uses and offers.
In order to meet the needs of customers, Surrey County Council must provide services that are:
• Easily accessible
• Simple to use
• Streamlined
• Convenient
• Cost effective
• Robust
It is also important to bear in mind the target audience’s access to technology, the type and
complexity of the contact, their personal preferences as well their skill sets when selecting
channels
3
Rising internet use and customer expectations of accessing public services online present an
ongoing opportunity for public service providers. Competent online services are easy and quick to
use, available whenever customers need them and have a relatively low administrative burden.
Managed well, online access to services is a very effective channel with considerable benefits for
customers and taxpayers.
The public sector must however also meet the needs of people who do not (yet) have access to
the internet. ‘Digital Inclusion’ therefore is a core element of any government/public sector channel
strategy.
It also looks increasingly likely that, in the future, supplementary services will be built by citizens
using data released by public sector organisations (and indeed in the private sector).
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
The need for insight
The process of developing and implementing a channel strategy needs to be guided by insight,
and insight specifically relating to:
• The customer
• The services an organisation is providing and each service area in question
• The current delivery channels at the organisation’s disposal as well as those that may be
available to be/need to be used in future
• Other organisation-specific micro/macro factors that may have an impact on service provision
and delivery
It is also important to understand the wider online services market, as expectations of online
services are driven by customer experiences of using similar services of other organisations.
Organisational challenge
In considering a channel strategy, there is often a considerable challenge and change to existing
organisational structures. A channel strategy needs to become an integral part of the structure of
the organisation and the way the objectives of the organisation are realised. It cannot be super-
imposed or retro-fitted onto existing practices and as such is likely to require or precipitate
considerable organisational change.
We also need to recognise that people will use different channels not just for different types of
interactions, but also to suit their own convenience. Particularly at local level, an integrated channel
strategy is required that takes into account the varied ways in which local people may want to
interact with the council.
4
Part 2 – Basic Principles & Scope
PURPOSE OF STRATEGY
To outline the broad principles for the ways in which Surrey County Council will deliver it’s services
through a range of contact channels that provide better value for money, are more accessible and
are designed with the citizen in mind.
SCOPE
1. This strategy document sets out the basic principles by which Surrey County Council will
deliver its services to the public through the contact channels currently available.
Contact channels in scope include:
Face to face
Email
Internet (including internet kiosks, partner and commercial websites)
Digital TV
Telephone
Mobile technology (including SMS text messaging, apps and mobile web)
Automated telephone technology
Post
2. This document focuses on three key types of contacts between the authority and the citizen
Transactions (e.g. registering a birth, reporting a problem or paying a bill)
Interactions (e.g. obtaining advice, public consultations, petitioning)
Information Provision (e.g. cycle maps, leaflets, web pages)
3. This strategy should be relevant to the nature of the services provided by the authority and
ensure that its services are provided through a range of contact channels appropriate to the
citizens’ individual needs and preferences in a non-discriminatory way.
CHANNELS HIERARCHY & DESIGN PRINCIPLES
The choice of contact channels available to the public is growing all of the time as new
technologies are developed and released. For example in the last 5 years we have seen
the emergence and growth of channels such as digital social media (such as Facebook,
alternate realities and Twitter), mobile internet, interactive TV and more recently mobile
phone applications (apps).
Without a channel strategy many organisations typically adopt one of two approaches to
using these channels by either 1) launching all of their products and services on all new
channels without much thought to the relevance and cost of doing so or 2) focusing on
switching their customer contact to the cheapest channel (often assumed to be the
5
internet) without much thought as to the relevance of this channel to their entire customer
base.
There is however a generally accepted model for the effectiveness of the major channels
of contact available today as shown below
What this model shows is that as we move up the triangle the cost of delivery typically gets
cheaper for the organisation. However for some types of contact a greater level of human contact
is required, particularly for contacts that require some level of reassurance
For example..
Imagine you’ve received a letter asking you to pay a bill or the bailiffs will turn up at your house.
You’ve just paid the bill and now want reassurance that your personal belongings are safe. You
are unlikely to log on and have a look at the organisation’s website’s FAQ page for reassurance
(even though this might be the most cost-effective solution for the organisation) but you may be
more inclined to ring up the contact centre to request a letter confirming that matters are in hand. In
this example, there may be a case for having online FAQs relating to debt recovery in terms of best
practice, but there is probably little chance of shifting this individual contact online
It is therefore vital to fully understand each type of contact and the level of reassurance that the
customer is likely to require before focusing the organisation’s efforts on the design of any contact
channel for that service.
But of course the conundrum doesn’t end there. For example there may be little hope of shifting
the channels that a certain group uses if that group simply doesn’t access that channel. For
example, internet penetration is currently very low amongst the jobless, the financially excluded,
the elderly and people who do not read or speak English – all traditionally high users of Social
Care Services. Therefore, it may not be a good use of corporate time, and taxpayer’s money, to
attempt to shift these Social Care contacts online. Conversely, mobile telephone penetration is
6
very high amongst teenagers, so SMS messaging might be a good channel to advise of last minute
secondary school closures in bad weather. Customer insight goes a long way in the design of any
channel strategy.
There are unfortunately even more factors to consider including “channel hopping”, (an individual’s
propensity to use different channels for the same transaction depending on what is convenient to
them at the time) and the public’s increasing confidence in new channels that develops over years
and sometimes months, creating a continually changing landscape.
The key factors to an effective channel strategy therefore would be
1. Detail - the deliberate design of the channel strategy for each type of service, bearing
in mind the level of human interaction required and the needs of the targeted customer
base
2. Fluidity – the constant reviewing of the effectiveness of the channel strategy for each
type of contact bearing in mind changing technologies, channel hopping and changing
customer habits
3. Simplicity – the optimum channels for the organisation should be the easiest to use for
the customer to drive a shift in customer behaviour
4. Inclusion – no group should be denied access to a service because of disability,
language or cost of the access channel (e.g. mobile phone costs, broadband access).
Options should be made available other that the organisations preferred method of
contact.
5. Cost effectiveness – particularly in the current economic climate, finding ways in which
to deliver services effectively but at lower cost will be increasingly important.
PROOF OF CONCEPT
Surrey County Council has been operating an integrated channel strategy since 2006 when it’s
Contact Centre and Web Teams were combined. In 2009 this approach was expanded to include a
new Customer Service Improvement Team who’s focus is re-engineering our business to create a
channel shift to more effective channels and to reduce the type of calls that frustrate our customers
by creating slicker, bureaucracy free processes. However, up until now, no formal channel strategy
document has been published
The first two years of results of contacts into Surrey’s Customer Service department are now
available and serve as an excellent proof of concept
Calls Web Emails Total Contacts Increase YOY
2007 590,238 2,346,886 43,429 2,980,553
2008 540,677 3,312,881 47,298 3,900,856 30.9%
2009 490,537 4,002,318 54,783 4,547,638 16.6%
52.6%
Budget Cost per Contact Reduction YOY
2007 £ 3,135,348 £ 1.05
2008 £ 3,355,020 £ 0.86 -18.2%
2009 £ 3,631,438 £ 0.80 -7.2%
15.8% -24.1%
7
You will note from the figures that there has been a reduction in phone calls of around 100,000
(17%) a year, an increase in web visitors of around 1.5m (50%) and an increase in emails of about
11,000 (25%). There has been a budget increase, in 2008 this represented pay inflation and in
2009 the introduction of the new Customer Service Improvement Team.
Overall the volume of customer contact across all channels has risen by 52.6%, whereas the
budget has only risen at 15.8%. If the budget is divided by the number of contacts received, the
cost per contact can be calculated, the cost per contact has dropped from £1.05 to 80p.
We would expect this trend to continue and possibly accelerate with the introduction of the
Customer Improvement Team and the implementation of this Channel Strategy.
Two other important points to note
Customer satisfaction levels have remained static in the contact centre at around 97%
either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” and customer satisfaction with the website has
increased to around 83% from around 74%
With a 52% increase in overall customer contact it would be fair to say that more customers
are engaging with the authority than ever before, mostly as a result of our public website’s
continuing success
Channel Shift at Surrey County Council
Website Visitors
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
Ja 7
Ja 8
Ju 7
Ju 8
9
7
M 7
M 8
M 8
M 9
M 9
N 07
N 08
Se 7
Se 8
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
-0
0
0
l-0
l-0
p-
p-
n-
n-
ay
ov
ay
ov
ay
n
ar
ar
ar
Ja
M
Phone Calls
60,000
50,000
40,000
2007
30,000 2008
2009
20,000
10,000
-
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
8
Part 3 – Surrey’s Channel Strategies
LOCAL CONTEXT
Surrey is an affluent county with a service based economy closely tied to that of London. Surrey
has the highest GDP per capita of any county in the UK and the highest cost of living in the UK
outside of London. Surrey is typically rural in the southern part of the county with most of its heavily
urbanised areas based around its borders with Greater London in the North.
According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2009 around 75% of households in the South East
had home internet access with over 75% of the same population accessing the web in the last 3
months. This usage figure varies from 96% accessing the web the last 3 months for the 16-24 age
group down to 30% of the over 65s. 73% of the population access the web every day.
Broadband coverage in Surrey is widespread with a few notable exceptions to the west of
Haslemere in the south of the county.
In 2009, 40% of the population were able to access the internet via a mobile phone or other
portable connection
86% of the population in the South East currently have access to digital TV channels
80% of the UK population owned a mobile phone in 2008
Whilst we were unable to find specific figures for the availability of communications technologies in
Surrey it is important to note that national statistics indicate that in the highest income decile group,
98 per cent of households owned a home computer and 96 per cent had an Internet connection in
2008. This compares with 33 per cent of households in the lowest income decile group who owned
a home computer and 26 per cent who had an Internet connection. Whilst Surrey is considered an
affluent county and its population is likely to have higher than average access to digital media, it
must be born in mind that our residents will span all income groups, therefore this channel strategy
includes a chapter on “digital inclusion”
Surrey’s population is made up of 1.1m individuals, each with specific needs and preferences as to
how they would like to contact the authority. This integrated channel strategy seeks to provide a full
range of choices of access designed to ensure that no individual, group or community is
disadvantaged through lack of access to the services the authority offers.
OVERARCHING CHANNEL STRATEGY
1. Surrey County Council will make access to its services available through
appropriate and cost effective contact channels designed with the needs and
preferences of its individual customers and council taxpayers in mind.
2. Surrey County Council will seek to encourage greater usage of the most
effective contact methods, by creating a series of deliberate and targeted
channel shifts.
3. Surrey County Council will not discriminate against any individual by limiting the
choice of contact methods available.
9
OWNERSHIP OF SURREY’S CHANNEL STRATEGY
Surrey County Council’s Channel Strategy and its implementation will be the responsibility of the
Cabinet Member for Community Services and the Head of Customer Services.
By appointing a lead elected member and a lead officer it is believed that a simple and streamlined
governance arrangement will be in place to best serve the people of Surrey. This arrangement
should ensure that there is consistency of service delivery standards across all of the contact
channels and the associated services that the council offers.
The Cabinet Member for Community Services and the Head of Customer Services will be
responsible for ensuring that the contact channels used for delivering services are:
• Easily accessible
• Simple to use
• Streamlined
• Convenient
• Cost effective
• Robust
REVIEW PERIOD OF SURREY’S CHANNEL STRATEGY
Surrey County Council will treat this strategy as “business as usual” with a view to constantly
evolving the strategy. A formal review and re-publishing of this document will be made in January
of each year subsequent to its initial publication.
GOVERNANCE OF CONTACT CHANNELS AT SURREY COUNTY
COUNCIL
Work was completed in 2006 to simplify the governance of the various contact channels that the
authority operates. Since this date and with this streamlined management structure in place there
have been many efficiencies and cost savings realised. For some details of these savings, please
see the details in Part 2 under the heading “Proof of Concept”
The ownership of the various contact channels at Surrey County Council is structured as follows
Channel Owner
Telephone/Contact Centre Head of Customer Services
Website Head of Customer Services
Email – Generic Head of Customer Services
Letters – Generic Head of Customer Services
SMS Head of Customer Services
Face to Face Service Managers
New Media Head of Customer Services
Digital TV Head of Customer Services/Head of Communications
Mobile Telephone Head of Customer Services
Specific issues regarding contact are allocated as follows
Issue Owner
Digital Inclusion Head of Customer Services/E&D Board
Accessibility Head of Customer Services/E&D Board
Avoidable Contact (NI14) Head of Customer Services
Channel Shift Head of Customer Services
10
THE AVOIDABLE CONTACT STRATEGY
“To reduce the need for our customers to contact us by reducing red tape,
automating processes and working with partner authorities to provide “joined up
services ”
What is an “Avoidable Contact” Strategy?
Local authorities are fundamental points of contact for the citizen when seeking access to public
services. They provide key services for their local communities that greatly affect the quality of life
for individual citizens and the overall community.
In accord with the vision of the Local Government Delivery Council and the principles of the
Service Transformation Agreement (www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/B/9/pbr_csr07_service.pdf),
the customer experience for both citizens and businesses when contacting their local council
should be one which is responsive, timely and efficient.
However, both local authorities and their customers also have limited resources and want to
interact as efficiently as possible. By identifying customer contact that is ‘avoidable’, the local
authority and its partners are better placed to redesign the way services and information are made
more accessible for their customers, so they do not have to make unnecessary, valueless contacts
which are both frustrating for the customer and inefficient for the provider.
Surrey County Council will work with its partners and internal departments to design processes that
reduce the need for customers to make contact with the public sector multiple times to complete
one transaction. For example changing address once, rather than contacting multiple agencies,
paying for school meals by direct debit instead of by cheque each term or chasing up progress on
a reported incident or fault.
The 3 Key Actions That We Will Take To Reduce Unnecessary Contact
1. A permanent Customer Service Improvement Team has been established to analyse data
from our main customer access channels to look for opportunities to reduce the need for
citizens to make unnecessary or multiple contact with the authority
2. We will improve the number of customer queries that we are able to resolve first time on the
telephone by improving our back office processes
3. We will participate in national efficiency projects that aim to reduce the need for
unnecessary contact with public sector organisations
“AVOIDABLE CONTACT” Strategy Actions In Detail
REF Action Owner Delivery Date
NC1 We will work with partner organisations in the Head of Customer Tell Us Once
public and voluntary sector to streamline services Services Project -
to eliminate multiple customer contacts with Summer 2010
multiple organisations – e.g. Registering a birth or
death
T4 To constantly improve the number of customer Contact Centre Underway and
queries that we are able to resolve first time on the Manager Ongoing
telephone
11
NC2 To use telephone call data and customer feedback Customer Service Underway and
to identify areas of improvement within the council Improvement Ongoing
and work to eliminate red tape, process failure and Manager
unnecessary cost to the public
NC3 To participate in national efficiency projects that Head of Customer To be defined
aim to reduce the need for unnecessary contact Services
with public sector organisations
NC4 Broaden scope outside the organisation to actively Head of Customer Concessionary
look at end-end process opportunities to eliminate Services Bus Passes
contact (e.g. Registered disabled (Local Project 2010-
Council)+driving licence+car (DVLA) = Needs a 11
blue badge (Local council))
Performance management and Governance
The Head of Customer Services will have the day to day responsibility for Surrey County
Council’s Channel Strategy and it’s implementation
The Customer Service Improvement Manager will have day to day responsibility for the “no
Contact” strategy
We will aim to reduce the number of avoidable phone calls into our Contact Centre by 50,000
by April 2012
“Avoidable Contact” will be measured using the Cabinet Office definition and reported to the
Audit Commission in April of each year
Contact data across our main contact channels will be measured an analysed by the Customer
Service Improvement team on a monthly basis
12
CHANNEL SHIFT STRATEGY
“To design cost effective, efficient and user friendly means of contacting the
council and then encourage our customers to use the channels that work best for
them”
What is Channel Shift?
Channel Shift is the process by which organisations seek to encourage customers to access, or
interact with, services via channels other than those to which they normally choose.
Deliberate channel shift is the design and marketing of effective and efficient channels because
they are the most appropriate channels for the type of contact, customer and organisation in
question. Channel shift forms one part of an overall channel strategy, and implemented well it can
lower costs, build reputation, empower the citizen and improve the overall service proposition.
Shifting customers to particular channels involves behaviour change on the citizen’s part, but once
they are aware of the channels available, they will use the one that works best for them
Surrey County Council will encourage residents to shift to new and more effective channels by a
number of means, including the following actions
The 3 Key Actions That We Will Take To Create Channel Shift
1. They key electronic access channels will be the responsibility of the Head of Customer
Services who will ensure that the actions in this strategy documents are implemented.
These channels are telephone, web, SMS, email, post, social media, talk by text,
minicom, instant messaging and mobile internet.
2. Our staff will use the public website to transact in their day to day work to ensure that
the site is fit for purpose for our residents and make improvements as required
3. All new services including information services will be designed around the user for
24/7 web access first wherever possible, ensuring all channels have access to the
same information to accommodate ‘channel hopping’
Channel Shift Strategy Actions In Detail
REF Action Owner Delivery
Date
CS1 Wherever possible, our staff will use the public Head of Customer Underway
website to transact in their day to day work to ensure Service And
that the site is fit for purpose for our residents Ongoing
CS2 More engaging content will be placed on the website Web Operations Underway
to increase public confidence, usage and interaction Manager and
with the site. For example traffic reports, weather, Ongoing
events and electronic petitions.
CS3 We will use our marketing or communications Head of Underway
expertise to direct customers to the most appropriate Communications and
channels Ongoing
13
CS4 All new services including information services will be All Heads of Service Underway
designed around the user for 24/7 web access first Monitored by Web and
wherever possible, ensuring all channels have Operations Manager Ongoing
access to the same information to accommodate
‘channel hopping’
CS5 We will provide status updates for any transactions Web Operations Underway
that are started on the web but cannot be completed Manager and
online – for example reporting a fault – to ensure that Ongoing
if a customer chooses to use the web they can
continue to do so without having to ring us
CS6 Transactions across all channels will be reviewed Customer Service Underway
and may be withdrawn or users signposted to more Improvement and
effective channels where appropriate Manager Ongoing
CS7 All channels should have exactly the same Head of Customer Underway
information available to them (i.e. if a text was sent, Services/ Head of and
this same content should be visible if the same user IMT Ongoing
logs in to the website, or rings the contact centre)
Performance Management and Governance
The Head of Customer Services will have the day to day responsibility for Surrey County
Council’s Channel Strategy and it’s implementation
The Web Operations Team will continue to be based in the council’s Contact Centre to ensure
that, through constant customer feedback and task based metrics the web content is always
relevant, up to date and user friendly
The “exit pages” and transaction abandonment on the website will be analysed each month to
see where transactions are failing and corrections made accordingly
We will compare the effectiveness and usage of different channels for each service and seek to
shift contacts to the most appropriate channels
Business cases will be prepared to move more transactions online (including information
transactions), that take into account the dual benefits to the public, and ease of use in the
contact centre
We will aim to reduce the volume of calls into our Contact Centre by 50,000 by shifting these
contacts to the web by April 2012
We will aim to increase our unique website visitors to 6m per annum by April 2012
14
DIGITAL INCLUSION STRATEGY
“To ensure that citizens who do not have access to digital channels at home or
work are not disadvantaged when communicating with the council ”
What is a Digital Inclusion Strategy?
Over 40% of the UK population do not use online channels, including websites such NHS Choices,
Directgov and surreycc.gov.uk
Exclusion from access to digital channels matters for these users, especially as the digitally
excluded group includes socially excluded and hard to reach groups who are likely to have the
greatest needs from public services.
It also matters for the delivery of efficient public services, because when people cannot access
services online they invariably access them via alternative means which are generally more
expensive. Again, the priorities set out in the Digital Britain report reinforce the importance of digital
inclusion; the report sets out the Government’s plans to drive digital participation in the context of
the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and the proposed Digital Switchover of Public Services
programme which is due to start in 2012. The report also reiterates the Government’s commitment
to ensuring that public services online are designed for ease of use by the widest range of citizens.
It is therefore important that any channel strategy includes plans for communicating these hard to
reach groups.
The 3 Key Actions That We Will Take To Reduce Digital Exclusion
1. Continue to provide public internet access at our key locations, e.g. Libraries, Museums,
Council Offices
2. Provide full mediated access to our website via the council’s public facing departments (eg
Contact Centre, Libraries, Front Desks)
3. Widely advertise our full choice of contact channels, particularly to hard to reach groups,
e.g. transient and socially excluded groups
Digital Inclusion Strategy Actions In Detail
REF Action Owner Delivery Date
D1 To provide full mediated access to our website for Contact Centre Underway and
the public via the council’s Contact Centre Manager Ongoing
D2 To provide full mediated access to our website for Service Managers Underway and
the public via the council’s face to face centres Ongoing
D3 To widely advertise our choice of contact Head of Underway and
channels, particularly to hard to reach groups for Communications Ongoing
example transient and socially excluded groups
D4 Never design a service that is available only Head of Customer Underway and
through digital channels Service Ongoing
D5 To continue to provide public internet access at Head of Customer Underway and
our key locations, e.g. Libraries, Museums, Service Ongoing
15
Council Offices
D6 To seek opportunities to offer “internet kiosk” Head of Customer Implemented
access to our website in partner organisations, Service in Reigate and
including borough council offices, housing trusts Woking and
and prisons ongoing
D7 To participate in the government’s “Digital Britain” Head of Customer 2010 onwards
programme of broadband expansion Service
Performance Management and Governance
The Head of Customer Services will have the day to day responsibility for Surrey County
Council’s Digital Inclusion Strategy
16
ACCESSIBILITY OF CONTACT STRATEGY
“To provide a full range of contact channels for each of our services, with some
channels providing enhanced access for customers with special requirements ”
What is an “Accessibility of Contact” Strategy?
In the context of this document, accessibility of contact refers to the ease or difficulty that a citizen
may experience whilst using different electronic access channels to obtain services from the
authority. For example, someone with hearing difficulties may find the telephone unusable,
however may prefer to communicate through email. Equally a customer who does not have English
as their first language may not be able to access any contact channel without appropriate
translation services.
The 3 Key Actions That We Will Take To Provide Access For All
1. Continually engage with groups representing those with specific requirements for the way
they contact us and ensure that an appropriate choice of channels is available to those
individuals
2. Ensure that we widely advertise our choice of contact channels, particularly to hard to reach
groups, for example young people or vision impaired customers
3. To provide a comprehensive translation service to allow easy access to the authority for all
through the face to face and telephone channels
Accessibility of Contact Strategy Actions In Detail
REF Action Owner Delivery Date
W16 To provide a range of language and easy read Web Operations Underway and
options where practical on our website and when it Manager Ongoing
is not practical to do so to clearly indicate how a
customer can obtain translation services or obtain
information in a format suitable for them (e.g. Large
text, MP3 etc.)
A1 To use inbound text messaging to communicate Contact Centre Sept 2010
with hearing impaired customers Manager
D1 To provide full mediated access to our website via Contact Centre Underway and
the council’s Contact Centre Manager Ongoing
D2 To provide full mediated access to our website via Service Managers Implemented
the council’s face to face centres
T8 To provide a comprehensive translation service to Contact Centre Implemented
allow easy access to the authority for all through the Manager
face to face and telephone channels
A2 To provide live webchat facilities as an alternative to Contact Centre April 2011
the telephone, post and email channels to improve Manager and Web
access for those with hearing impairments Operations
Manager
D3 To widely advertise our choice of contact channels, Head of Underway and
particularly to hard to reach groups, for example Communications Ongoing
young people or vision impaired customers
D7 To participate in the government’s “Digital Britain” Head of Customer 2010 onwards
programme of broadband expansion Service
17
A3 Continually engage with groups representing those Service Managers Underway and
with specific requirements for the way they contact Ongoing
us
Performance management and Governance
The Head of Customer Services will have day to day responsibility for fair access to electronic
contact channels
To obtain and maintain the “WCAG 2.0 level AA” rating for accessibility by all to our website
Carry out an Equality Impact Assessment of the channel mix and regularly consult with
disability advocacy groups and make reasonable adjustments to the channels as needed.
18
Part 4 – Strategies For Specific Channels
TELEPHONE STRATEGY
“To minimise the number of contact numbers published, to provide fast access to
an expert officer and to reduce the amount of irritating low value calls that our
residents have to make”
The 3 Key Actions To Provide Easy Telephone Access
1. To provide one main phone number for the organisation which can be easily found in order
to make contacting the council straightforward for our residents
2. To use 0300/0345 phone numbers wherever possible to make contacting the authority
cheaper on “pay as you go” mobile phones
3. To constantly improve the number of customer queries that we are able to resolve first time
on the telephone
Telephone Strategy Actions In Detail
REF Action Owner Delivery Date
T1 To provide one main phone number for the Contact Centre Implemented
organisation which can be easily found in order to Manager
make contacting the council straightforward for our
residents
T2 To make a limited number of specialist phone Contact Centre Implemented
numbers available to our residents to allow “menu- Manager
less” access to our contact centre
M1 To use 0300/0345 phone numbers wherever Contact Centre Implemented
possible to make contacting the authority cheaper Manager
on “pay as you go” mobile phones
NC2 To constantly improve the number of customer Contact Centre Underway and
queries that we are able to resolve first time on the Manager Ongoing
telephone
T5 To provide automated phone services where Contact Centre Underway and
appropriate as an option Manager Ongoing
T6 To maintain industry accreditation of the council’s Contact Centre Implemented
contact centre Manager
T7 To maintain overall service excellence as evidenced Contact Centre Underway and
by customer feedback, industry awards and Manager Ongoing
accreditations
T8 To provide a comprehensive translation service to Contact Centre Implemented
allow easy access to the authority for all Manager
Performance Management and Governance
To answer the phone within 20 seconds
19
To use telephone call data and customer feedback to identify areas of improvement within the
council and work to eliminate red tape, process failure and unnecessary cost to the public
To seek opportunities to work with other public sector contact centres to improve overall
service, accessibility and improve value for money
Wherever possible, use the public website to transact in our contact centre to ensure that the
site is fit for purpose for our residents
20
MOBILE PHONE STRATEGY
“To use the emerging mobile phone technology in a tactical manner to provide
better access to information for targeted user groups, to reduce costs, increase
speed of communication or reduce direct contact”
The 3 Key Actions To Develop Mobile Telephone Access
1. To provide access to council telephone based services using only 01,02 and 03 prefixes to
ensure the minimum costs to mobile phone users, particularly on “pay as you go” tariffs
2. To use outbound text messaging to confirm appointments, chase payments and advise of
school closures
3. To use inbound text messaging to communicate with hearing impaired customers
Mobile Telephone Strategy Actions In Detail
REF Action Owner Delivery Date
M1 To provide access to council telephone based Contact Centre Implemented
services using only 01,02 and 03 prefixes to ensure Manager
the minimum costs to mobile phone users,
particularly on “pay as you go” tariffs
M2 To develop appropriate applications for mobile Customer Service 2010/11
phones including fault reporting and simple Improvement
information provision Manager
M3 To use outbound text messages to advise of Customer Service Underway and
temporary school closures Improvement Ongoing
Manager
M4 To use outbound text messages to chase Customer Service 2010/11
outstanding payments Improvement
Manager
M5 To use outbound text messages to confirm Customer Service 2010/11
appointments Improvement
Manager
A1 To use inbound text messaging to communicate Contact Centre Sept 2010
with hearing impaired customers Manager
M7 To develop new inbound and outbound text services Customer Service Underway and
Improvement Ongoing
Manager
Performance management and Governance
The Customer Service Improvement Manager will have responsibility for the mobile phone
strategy
To monitor opportunities and take up rates of mobile technologies
Performance and usage of this channel will be monitored as services are developed
21
WEB STRATEGY
“To provide a single, comprehensive, easy to access and up to date website that
allows anyone to transact and interact with the council 24/7”
The 3 Key Actions To Develop Mobile Web Access
1. Promote the website as the main access point for the council’s services for simple
information and transactional services
2. To provide a single website for the organisation to make contacting the council
straightforward for everyone.
3. To increase the usability of our online systems to make them the channel of choice for
simple transactions to promote channel shift
Web Strategy Actions In Detail
REF Action Owner Delivery Date
W1 To promote the website as the main access point for Head of Underway and
the council’s services for simple information and Communications Ongoing
transactional services
W2 To provide a single website for the organisation to Head of Implemented
make contacting the council straightforward for Customer
everyone. Services
W3 Ensure that business cases for improvements Customer Underway and
reflect both increased public satisfaction, but also Service Ongoing
reduced contact centre effort in providing mediated Improvement
access. Manager
W4 To ensure that all web content is written in plain Web Operations Underway and
English and is easy to understand Manager Ongoing
W5 To increase the usability of our online systems to Web Operations Underway and
make them the channel of choice for simple Manager Ongoing
transactions to promote channel shift
W6 To provide appropriate intuitive map based Web Operations Underway and
interfaces to both transactional and information Manager Ongoing
systems
W7 To integrate all online transactions directly into back Customer Underway and
office systems to prevent double entering of Service Ongoing
information Improvement
Manager
W8 To provide status updates for any transactions that Web Operations Underway and
are started on the web but cannot be completed Manager Ongoing
online – for example reporting a fault
W9 To ensure that all council leaflets and literature are Web Operations Underway and
made available via the website in order to reduce Manager Ongoing
printing, cost and environmental impact
22
W10 To ensure that all communications activity is Head of Underway and
replicated on the council’s website Communications Ongoing
W11 To promote the use of the council’s website through Head of Underway and
“offline” marketing Communications Ongoing
W12 Use new technologies such as ‘Web 2.0’ to increase Web Operations Underway and
democratic engagement, reach wider audiences Manager Ongoing
and increase the transparency of Surrey County
Council
W13 To make the content and functionality of the Surrey Web Operations Underway and
website available for use by partner organisations Manager Ongoing
CS2 More engaging content will be placed on the Web Operations Underway and
website to increase public confidence, usage and Manager Ongoing
interaction with the site. For example traffic reports,
weather, events and epetitions.
W15 To invest in technology that allows publishing to and Head of IMT TBA
from multiple websites not operated by Surrey
County Council from a single point to ensure any
shared data is always up to date
W16 To provide a range of language options where Web Operations Underway and
practical and when it is not practical to do so to Manager Ongoing
clearly indicate how a customer can obtain
translation services
A1 To provide live webchat facilities as an alternative to Web Operations 2011
the telephone, post and email channels Manager
W18 Establish a roadmap for a single account for Head of IMT Sep 2010
residents across Police, NHS, Districts and County
Councils through the Surrey Strategic Partnership.
W19 Align with the ‘Power of Information’ agenda by Head of IMT TBA
placing datasets online in order for interested
parties to create their own interfaces and
combinations increasing transparency
Performance Management and Governance
To ensure that the website is available and operational 24/7
To aim to place 100% of our transactional services online and to encourage customer usage to
reduce costs and provide 24/7 access to the authority's services
To maintain overall service excellence as evidenced by customer feedback, industry awards
and SOCITM usability ratings
To obtain and maintain the “WCAG 2.0 level AA” rating for accessibility by all.
23
FACE TO FACE STRATEGY
“To maintain our Face to Face services, but to provide these services in more
appropriate and cost effective locations by fully trained expert officers ”
The 3 Key Actions To Develop our Face to Face Provisions
1. To seek opportunities to share face to face provision with other organisations and design
our property portfolio accordingly
2. To provide mediated access to the Surrey County Council website through our face to face
staff
3. To undertake process reviews to identify potential channel shift and quality
improvements to our face to face service
Face to Face Strategy Actions In Detail
REF Action Owner Delivery Date
F1 To undertake process reviews to identify potential Customer Underway and
channel shift and quality improvements to our face Service Ongoing
to face service Improvement
Manager
F2 To provide mediated access to the Surrey County Service Underway and
Council website through our face to face staff Managers Ongoing
F3 To seek opportunities to share face to face provision Head of Underway and
with other organisations Customer Ongoing
Services
F4 Define and deliver face to face service training to all Head of To start in
customer facing staff, including social workers, Customer 2010
librarians, highway stewards etc Services
F5 Provide face-to-face staff with the same level and Head of Underway and
quality of information that the contact centre has Customer Ongoing
access to, using mobile technology if appropriate. Services
Performance management and Governance
Individual service managers will be responsible for their own sites with oversight of
customer service standards the role of the Head of Customer Service
Customers will be seen at the appointed time or, if we are delayed, will receive an
explanation and kept informed
Customers will be seen within 15 minutes if they have no appointment, or be offered an
alternative time
We will provide a clean, tidy and comfortable waiting area and, wherever possible, a
space to see us in private, and facilities for young children
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POST/PAPER COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
“To reduce the amount of post and paper communication by better use of electronic
channels”
The 3 Key Actions To Develop our Face to Face Provisions
1. To provide a complete range of online forms to minimise the amount of post
handled
2. To place more of our leaflets and information online in order to minimise printing and
reduce our environmental impact
3. Integrate email and postal distribution lists in order to give people the choice to opt for email
only.
Post/Paper Strategy Actions In Detail
REF Action Owner Delivery Date
E2 To provide a complete range of online forms to Customer Underway and
minimise the amount of post handled Service Ongoing
Improvement
Manager
P1 To place more of our leaflets and information online Customer Underway and
in order to minimise printing and reduce our Service Ongoing
environmental impact Improvement
Manager
P2 To use second class post as our main postal tariff to Facility Manager Implemented
minimise cost to the council tax payer
P3 Integrate email and postal distribution lists in order Customer Underway and
to give people the choice to opt for email only. Service Ongoing
Improvement
Manager
Performance management
To reply to all letters within 5 working days
Monitor demand across all channels for a representative sample of information
25
EMAIL STRATEGY
“To reduce the amount of email communication by better use of electronic forms
and other electronic channels”
The 3 Key Actions To Develop our Email Provisions
1. To develop other channels in the ways detailed in this document to provide more
attractive options to the email channel
2. To provide a complete range of online forms to minimise the amount of emails handled
3. Integrate email and postal distribution lists in order to give people the choice to opt for email
only.
Email Strategy Actions In Detail
REF Action Owner Delivery Date
E1 To develop other channels in the ways detailed in Head of Underway and
this document to provide more attractive options to Customer Ongoing
the email channel Services
E2 To provide a complete range of online forms to Customer Underway and
minimise the amount of emails handled Service Ongoing
Improvement
Manager
E3 To aim to place 100% of our transactional services Web Operations Underway and
online and to encourage customer usage to reduce Manager Ongoing
costs and provide 24/7 access to the authority's
services
E4 To provide status updates for any transactions that Web Operations Underway and
are started on the web but cannot be completed Manager Ongoing
online – for example reporting a fault
P3 Integrate email and postal distribution lists in order Customer Underway and
to give people the choice to opt for email only. Service Ongoing
Improvement
Manager
Performance Management and Governance
To answer all emails within 24 hours
Work with partners to ensure inbound emails contain all the information needed, ideally in a
format that can be semi-automated
26
NEW MEDIA STRATEGY (INCLUDING EMERGING SOCIAL MEDIA)
“To avoid being an early adopter of new and emerging media, rather to learn from
the pioneers of such products and implement cost effective and tested new
channels”
The 3 Key Actions To Develop our New Media Provisions
1. Launch electronic petitions
2. Regularly review emerging and maturing new media channels
3. Develop our mobile phone provisions, particularly SMS messaging
New Media Strategy Actions In Detail
REF Action Owner Delivery Date
N1 Launch electronic petitions Web Operations Jun 2010
Manager
N2 Broadcast Council meetings on the web Head of IMT Implemented
N3 Launch live web chat sessions with councillors Web Operations 2010/11
Manager
N4 Review the use of Digital TV Web Operations Jul 2010 then
Manager annually
N5 Review the use of on-line forums Web Operations Jul 2010 then
Manager annually
N6 Review the use of social networking sites – e.g. Web Operations Jul 2010 then
Facebook, Twitter Manager six monthly
N7 Review the use of social media sites – e.g. Youtube Web Operations Jul 2010 then
Manager six monthly
N8 Launch on-line photo galleries Web Operations Q3 2010
Manager
W14 More engaging content will be placed on the Web Operations Underway and
website to increase public confidence, usage and Manager Ongoing
interaction with the site. For example traffic reports,
weather, events and epetitions.
W12 Use new technologies such as ‘Web 2.0’ to increase Web Operations Underway and
democratic engagement, reach wider audiences Manager Ongoing
and increase the transparency of Surrey County
Council
M2 To develop appropriate applications for mobile Customer Service 2010/11
phones including fault reporting and simple Improvement
information provision Manager
M3 To use outbound text messages to advise of Customer Service Underway and
temporary school closures Improvement Ongoing
Manager
M4 To use outbound text messages to chase Customer Service 2010/11
outstanding payments Improvement
Manager
27
M5 To use outbound text messages to confirm Customer Service 2010/11
appointments Improvement
Manager
A1 To use inbound text messaging to communicate Contact Centre Sept 2010
with hearing impaired customers Manager
M7 To develop new inbound and outbound text services Customer Service Underway and
Improvement Ongoing
Manager
A2 To provide live webchat facilities as an alternative to Web Operations 2011
the telephone, post and email channels Manager
W15 To invest in technology that allows publishing to and Head of IMT TBA
from multiple websites not operated by Surrey
County Council from a single point to ensure any
shared data is always up to date
Performance Management and Governance
The Head of Customer Services will work with the Head of IMT to monitor and develop new
media opportunities
All new product launches should be subject to a full business case
Overall governance of new media should be the responsibility of the council’s web board
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Part 4 – Glossary of Terms
Customer
A person using a public service. The person could be using the service for personal reasons (e.g.
registering the birth of a child), for business reasons (e.g. filing company information) either for
themselves or on behalf of someone else.
Service
A service is a provision of information or a transaction that an organisation delivers to its customer.
Examples of public sector transactional services are the state pension and vehicle registration.
Service delivery
The process by which a customer receives or accesses a service. Service delivery often involves
multiple stages, for example a public sector service delivery process may involve:
• Enquiries and requests for information (e.g. “What benefits am I entitled to?”)
• Service fulfilment (e.g. registering for benefits and payment of benefits to customer)
• Follow-up and after care (e.g. reviewing benefits entitlement after a change in
circumstances)
Public sector service delivery can involve a complex chain of actions across multiple organisations.
Channel
A means of communication by which a service is delivered or accessed. Examples of direct
channels used by the public sector include post, telephone, mobile telephone, web, digital
television, kiosks and face-to-face (services delivered in physical locations, such as
JobCentrePlus).
Channel strategy
An organisation’s plan for the channels it will use to deliver services to its customers. A channel
strategy explains how an organisation will meet the demands of its customers using the resources
it has available.
Efficient
Channels that are efficient deliver services without wasting time, money or effort for either the
customer or service provider.
Effective
Channels that are effective deliver services which meet the desired outcome, with minimal difficulty
for the customer or service provider.
Insight
An insight into a customer is a deep truth based on an understanding of customer behaviour,
experiences and attitudes, and their needs from a service. Organisations with insight into their
customers can deliver the services their customers need, through the right channels.
Part 5 – References used in the preparation of
this document
vi)i) Surrey County Council’s “Customer Promise” (available at www.surreycc.gov.uk) Formatted: Bullets and Numbering
vii)ii) Customer Services Vision Document 1.3 - April 2008 (internal only)
viii)iii)Cabinet Office “Channel Strategy Guidance Modules” (available at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk)
ix)iv) Surrey County Council “Web Strategy” document (internal only)
x)v) Case study submission by 44 public sector organisations (summarised in document III
above)
xi)vi) “Ni14 Programme Plan v3” Surrey County council (internal only)
xii)vii) Customer and Communities Directorate Plan 2010- 2014
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