Customer Services - Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Welcome to
<strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong>’
Annual Report 2012-13
Issue 5
It is now five years since <strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> opened for
business, answering telephone calls about Council Tax,
Business Rates, Housing & Council Tax Benefit and Care For
Your Area. As you read this Annual Report, you will see how
much we have grown since then; expanding the range of
services you can contact us about, and the different ways
you can access our services.
As always, we remain committed to delivering customer service of the
highest quality and to continually review how we provide our services
to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, effectiveness and
customer satisfaction.
The last year has been very busy. In particular we have been providing
advice and information to residents facing the impact of welfare
reform. In March 2013 we answered over 22,000 calls, the most we
have ever dealt with in a single month; and many of these were
responding to queries about Council Tax Support and benefit changes.
Advice and information about welfare reform is available on the
Council’s website at
www.stockton.gov.uk/adultservices/benefitsadvice/.
We are looking forward to 2013/2014 and seeing the new <strong>Customer</strong>
<strong>Services</strong> Centre in Billingham Town Centre begin to take shape. This
will be the third and final <strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> Centre of the Council’s
Access to <strong>Services</strong> Programme, making it easy for customers to call in
and talk to us face-to-face at an accessible venue.
We hope you find our Annual Report interesting. If you have any
feedback about our service, please contact us using the on-line
comments form on our website at www.stockton.gov.uk/contactus/ or
telephone (01642) 527313.
Big plans, bright future

Annual Report 2012-13
Standards You Can Expect
Quality
We aim to:
• Be professional, polite and friendly
• Ensure that you are treated fairly
• Make our services easily accessible
• Complete enquiries at the first point of contact
• When we are unable to help you, find out who can
• Ask for your views and comments
• Deal with problems fully and learn from any mistakes
• Protect your privacy
• Provide clean and comfortable facilities
• Help you if you have difficulty communicating with us
• Ensure everyone receives fair access to services
• Maintain customer satisfaction above 75%
Timeliness
We aim to:
• Answer 90% of telephone calls in the Contact Centre at
first point of contact
• Answer 90% of calls to our main switchboard within 20
seconds
• Answer Contact Centre telephone calls within 3
minutes of waiting in a queue
• Telephone you back within 1 working day if you call us
and leave a message
• Reply fully to your emails and letters within 10 working
days
• Attend to you when you visit us within 10 minutes of
your arrival
• Investigate and deal with your complaints and concerns
within 10 working days
Success of 2012 — 13
• Maintained <strong>Customer</strong> Service Excellence
accreditation — this is a certification launched by the
Government as part of its drive to improve customer
service in the public sector. The criteria assessed
includes information and access to services and
timeliness and quality of the services provided. Each
year the Council undergoes an assessment to ensure
compliance against the standards. During 2013/14
there will be a comprehensive assessment to gain
full re-accreditation. This takes place every three
years.
• Maintained accreditation of ISO9001:2008 — this
certification addresses various aspects of a quality
management system and is based on a number of
criteria including strong customer focus and
continuous improvement. The certification helps
ensure that customers receive consistent, good
quality products and services.
• Streamlined the Blue Badge application procedure
to improve processing times and quality of service.
• Enhanced Contact Centre technology and improved
self-service facilities on both the Council’s website
and the self-service kiosk in the <strong>Stockton</strong> <strong>Customer</strong>
<strong>Services</strong> Centre.
• Answered 92% of calls at first point of contact.
• Answered over 204,000 telephone calls in our
Contact Centre.
• Dealt with over 97,000 face to face enquiries at our
<strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> Centres.
• Responded to around 20,000 emails.
• Processed over 2,000 telephone enrolments for Tees
Achieve courses.
Coming Soon! Billingham <strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> Centre
The new <strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> Centre will be built on the
grounds of the former Billingham Art Gallery and Council
Offices. The one-stop-shop style facility will provide
customer services for both <strong>Stockton</strong> Council and Tristar
Homes, a cash office, public library and Billingham Town
Council will also have office space.
<strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> Centres are already open within both
<strong>Stockton</strong> and Thornaby Central Libraries.
Opening hours are as follows:
Monday to Thursday — 8.30am to 5.00pm
Friday — 8.30am to 4.30pm
Saturday — 9.30am to 12.30pm
The Centre will provide facilities including customer
service desks and a private room where residents can talk
face to face with highly skilled staff and self-service
technology which can be used to request services, search
for information, report issues and make payments.
The Centre is in the initial design stages and should be
ready to open by the end of 2014.
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www.stockton.gov.uk/customerservices
Have Your Say…
2012-13 Commendations, Comments and Complaints
Total Commendations, Comments & Complaints
Comments
Complaints
11
16
85
Commendations
Complaints - Service Area Involved
Blue Badges
Care For
Your Area 3
Housing
Benefits
3
2
8
Council Tax
& Business
Rates
We received 16 complaints, of these 6 were upheld in respect of accuracy of information provided. In response to the
complaints we have provided staff training and have improved working procedures.
Care For Your Area Self Service
Do it Online and Save Your Time!
Many services are now available online at www.stockton.gov.uk or by using the
self-service kiosk at the <strong>Stockton</strong> <strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> Centre. Online services
include being able to report household waste and recycling issues, noise
issues, dog fouling, animal welfare and damaged roads, paths, potholes and
road signs. <strong>Customer</strong>s can also check waste and recycling collection dates
and pay bills.
<strong>Customer</strong>s are taking advantage of these quick and easy facilities as seen in
the graph, showing an increase in usage of Care For Your Area online services.
Keep a look out for the self service icons
<strong>Customer</strong> Satisfaction
Between April 2012 and March 2013 we received feedback from over 800 customers about the quality of service we
provided both over the telephone and at our <strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> Centres. Here are some of the results to the questions
we asked.
Telephone Service
Was your call answered at first point of contact without
being transferred?
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
8
86%
98%
1%
Yes
1
No Cannot Remember
Overall how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the
telephone service you received?
13%
Very Satisfied Fairly Satisfied Fairly Dissatisfied Neither
1%
1%
<strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> Centres
Overall how would you rate the service you received at
<strong>Stockton</strong> <strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong>?
0
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
97%
2% 1%
Very Satisfied Fairly Satisfied Fairly Dissatisfied Neither
On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being poor and 10 being excellent)
how would you rate the service you received at Thornaby
<strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong>?
60%
Scale 10
Trans ac tion Volume
600
575
550
525
500
475
450
425
400
375
350
325
300
15%
Scale 9
Apr - June July - Sept Oct - Dec Jan - Mar
100% of customers surveyed found the person who dealt with
their enquiry to be polite and friendly
22%
Scale 8
Month
3%
Scale 7 Scale 0-6
2011-12
2012-13
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How To Contact Us
<strong>Services</strong> you can contact us about
• Bulky household
waste removal
• Community Transport
• Council Tax and
Business Rates
• Environmental Health
• Free School Meals
• Highway Maintenance
• Horticulture
• Housing Benefit &
Council Tax Support
• Licensing
• Parking &
Concessionary Fares
• Planning & Building
Control
• Private Sector
Housing
• Recycling
• Refuse Collection
• School Admissions
• Street Cleansing
• Tees Achieve
<strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong>
Management Team
Debbie Hurwood
Head of <strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> and Taxation
Tel: 01642 527014
Email: debbie.hurwood@stockton.gov.uk
Kath Hornsey
<strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> & Administration
Manager
Tel: 01642 526283
Email: kath.hornsey@stockton.gov.uk
Telephone Us
Care for your Area <strong>Services</strong> 01642 391959
Community Transport 01642 527117
Council Tax & Business Rates 01642 397108
Environmental Health 01642 526575
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support 01642 393829
Licensing 01642 526558
Parking & Concessionary Fares 01642 528499
Planning & Building Control 01642 526022
Private Sector Housing 01642 527797
School Admissions & Free School Meals 01642 526605
Tees Achieve 01642 527904
Calls to the Contact Centre are all
charged at a local rate.
Visit Our Website:
www.stockton.gov.uk/customerservices
Visit Our <strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong> Centres:
<strong>Stockton</strong> <strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong>, Church Road, <strong>Stockton</strong>-on-Tees
Thornaby <strong>Customer</strong> <strong>Services</strong>, The Pavilion, Thornaby Town
Centre
If you would like this information in any other
language or format for example large print or
audio please contact ‘The <strong>Customer</strong> First Team’ on
01642 527313.
Claire Hart
<strong>Customer</strong> Centre & Improvement
Manager
Tel: 01642 524978
Email: c.hart@stockton.gov.uk
David Jackson
<strong>Customer</strong> Centre Manager
Tel: 01642 524783
Email: david.jackson@stockton.gov.uk
Sarah Mullen
<strong>Customer</strong> Centre Manager
Tel: 01642 524760
Email: sarah.mullen@stockton.gov.uk
Lisa Johnson
CRM Development & Integrations
Manager
Tel: 01642 524393
Email: lisa.johnson@stockton.gov.uk
4 Produced by Design & Print, Xentrall Shared <strong>Services</strong> rcs0153