documents 2004 customer service & communication strategy rockdale city council 5. they recognise...

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Contents

9References & Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8Comments Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8Review of Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8Monitoring & Reporting Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7Implementation - Customer Service Improvement Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6Customer Service Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5What are our Customers’ Needs & Expectations? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5Who are our Customers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3Our Quality Management Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3Our Customer Service Commitment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Customer Service & Communication StrategyJuly 2004

1Rockdale City Council

Introduction

All Councils are required under Section 8 of the NSW Local Government Act1993 to:

� provide directly or on behalf of other levels of government, after dueconsultation, adequate, equitable and appropriate services and facilities for thecommunity and to ensure that those services and facilities are managed efficientlyand effectively

� exercise community leadership

� exercise its functions in a manner that is consistent with and actively promotesthe principles of multiculturalism

� promote and to provide and plan for the needs of children

� properly manage, develop, protect, restore, enhance and conserve theenvironment of the area for which it is responsible, in a manner that is consistentwith and promotes the principles of ecologically sustainable development

� have regard to the long term and cumulative effects of its decision

� bear in mind that it is the custodian and trustee of public assets and to effectivelyaccount for and manage the assets for which it is responsible

� facilitate the involvement of councillors, members of the public, users of facilitiesand services and council staff in the development, improvement andco-ordination of local government

� raise funds for local purposes by the fair imposition of rates, charges and fees, byincome earned from investments and, when appropriate, by borrowings or grants

� keep the local community and the State government (and through it, the widercommunity) informed about its activities

� ensure that, in the exercise of its regulatory functions, it acts consistently andwithout bias, particularly where an activity of the council is affected

� be a responsible employer.

Rockdale City Council’s strategic objectives reflect this charter and aim to:

� promote a healthy and safe and accessible lifestyle for the community

� protect the natural environment

� build a liveable City

� provide quality recreation opportunities

� develop reliable transport and safe roads

� facilitate economic prosperity

� encourage excellence in staff

� deliver best value services.

Our charter and strategic objectives provide the framework and principles forRockdale City Council’s Customer Service Commitment and this Strategyacknowledge that we have customer service responsibilities towards both ourcustomers and our community, now and into the future.



Our Customer Service Commitment

Rockdale City Council is committed to delivering high quality customer services that:

� are appropriate given the diversity of our customers and the community

� represent value for money

� meet community needs now and into the future.

Customer and community satisfaction are the key measures by which we will assesswhether we have achieved this goal.

Our Quality Management Framework

In order to achieve our customer service goal and other strategic objectives, Councilhas adopted the Australian Business Excellence Framework (ABEF). This frameworkhas been developed using lessons learned from successful private and public sectoragencies in Australian and overseas and identifies ‘best practices’ in planning andmanagement.

Examples of actual results achieved by organisations in Australia who have used theframework include:

� 20% productivity increase in one year

� 25% sick leave reduction in one year

� 66% lost time injury reduction

� 80% product defect reduction

� 150% increase in tenders won

� 247% increase in sales over two years

� 500% increase in share price over six years.

While at first glance many of these results might seem relevant only to the privatesector, they can be translated into benefits for public sector agencies including localgovernment - and most importantly to their customers.

For example, in the public sector:

� increases in productivity and reduction of time lost through sickness and injuryand rectifying defects (or customer complaints) provides more resources todeliver better or more services

� the significantly improved customer satisfaction and externalshareholder/stakeholder perceptions are just as relevant for the public sectorwhere the shareholders/stakeholders are being the community and thegovernment.



There are seven categories in the ABEF model and their relationship to each other isillustrated in the following diagram.

The seven categories are presented as an interrelated whole with all Categorieslinked to one another and

“... success can only be maximised if organisations have in place soundsystems and processes for all seven. All parts of the Model are

interdependent. For example, innovative leadership needs to work throughpeople to achieve its strategies and goals. Customers and markets can onlybe considered if there is some method for gathering data and information

about them and from them. The seven Categories create a specificstructure or context in which organisations can review, question, and

analyse their leadership and management system. The arrangements ofthe Categories from left to right in the diagram of the model also imply

overall relationships between the Categories. (2003:13)”

In the framework the ‘leadership and innovation’ and the ‘customer and marketfocus’ categories are the two drivers of all other components of the Framework withleadership driving the organisation by a focus on customers and markets.

The ‘people’ and ‘strategy and planning processes’ are the enablers which are shapedby and support the drivers.

The ‘data, information and knowledge’ category weaves throughout the model andthe ‘processes, products and services’ category describes the management andimprovement processes or operational systems of the organisation.



Who are our Customers?

Rockdale City Council’s ‘customers’ include:

� people who pay rates

� people who live within the City of Rockdale (our ‘citizens’ or ‘community’) - orwho wish to live here or visit people who do

� the citizen’s elected representatives (our Councillors)

� people who visit the City such as tourists or people who work or attendeducational institutions here or who travel through the City

� people who invest in the city such as developers and businesses

� people who seek products or services or information from Council

� other individuals and organisations who have a stake in the City (our‘stakeholders’) including the Commonwealth and State governments, our localmembers of parliament and community agencies that deliver services to ourcommunity.

Council has a responsibility to plan and manage community resources for the future,and so our customers also include the next generation of people who will live andwork in the City.

Everyone at Council has a customer. Whether they are serving the externalcustomer directly - or providing products or services to other staff (our ‘internalcustomers’) to enable and assist them to deliver services to an external customer.

As the above list suggests, our customers are not homogenous as they come from arange of diverse backgrounds and interests. We can therefore expect their needsand expectations regarding customer service to be just as diverse. If we are to satisfyour customers and be recognised for delivering high quality customer service, thenwe need to consider the different groups or segments that make up our customerbase. We then must identify and respond to their different needs while alsobalancing our obligations to meet the needs of future generations.

What are our Customers’ Needs & Expectations?

Council has a diverse range of customers and an obligation to deliver sustainabilityfor future customers and the community. However, as Council has limited resources,it is not realistic to expect that every customer will be happy with our policies ordecisions (the ‘outcomes’). It is realistic to expect that our customers will be satisfiedwith how we served them and the technical quality of what we do (the ‘processes’that the customer has to put themselves through to get the result).

“Quality service is measured not only by satisfaction with outcomes but thequality of the processes.” (The NSW Ombudsman - June 2000)

This distinction between outcomes and process is an important one, because it is adistinction that most customers make. We know from our own experience ascustomers, and there is much research that supports this observation, that if we aretreated with respect and honesty when dealing with an agency or business and that



they recognise that our time is also valuable then we can be satisfied with theprocess - even if we do not get the result we want. For example, our telephone callsand correspondence are answered/acknowledged, or we are given realistic timeframes for when we can expect a service or a response or waiting time isminimised/reasonable.

Organisations like Council who primarily deliver services, as opposed to products,and who are committed to delivering quality services, pay attention to the processes(the technical as well as perceptual components) as much as to the outcome.

Quality service organisations also manage their customers’ expectationsbecause the customer’s ‘initial expectations set the threshold that will

determine whether disappointment, satisfaction or delight results from theencounter’ (Harvey, 1998: 589).

Expectations can be managed, for example, by providing realistic or accurate timeframes for when results or outcomes can be expected. This results in improvedcustomer satisfaction, which is the ultimate indicator of quality services, and this inturn leads to improved staff satisfaction as the efforts and commitment of staff arerecognised.

Customer Service Objectives

Council has identified the following 10 key objectives that we need to achieve if weare to improve the services that we offer our customers and improve ourcustomers’ satisfaction with both our service processes and outcomes.

1. Our customers, staff and community are aware of Council’s commitments toservice and communication and their associated rights and responsibilities.

2. We have a good understanding of the diverse needs and expectations of ourcustomers and community.

3. Our products and services are appropriate and meet the needs and expectationsof our customers and community and promote equitable access, social justice,community harmony and well-being.

4. Staff are focused, motivated and rewarded for achieving improvements incustomer service and satisfaction.

5. Staff work together across service units and teams to deliver seamless highquality, efficient and appropriate customer services and are committed tocontinuous improvement.

6. Our staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver high quality customer services.

7. We communicate effectively with our customers and community and they haveeasy access to relevant and appropriate information.

8. We value customer feedback because it helps us to deliver quality services andthis leads to improved job satisfaction.

9. We use technology to help us to deliver quality customer service in an efficientand cost effective way.

10.Our internal policies, systems and processes are designed and evaluated inconsultation with internal customers (our staff).



Implementation - Customer Service Improvement Plan

Council has developed a Customer Service Improvement Plan that contains a rangeof actions designed to achieve the above objectives. This Plan which focuses onimproving both service outcomes and processes is based on Council’s commitmentto the following customer satisfaction formula that is described in the NSWOmbudsman’s ‘Effective Complaint Handling Guidelines' (2000):

Increased customersatisfaction and support

=Effective customer

contact and complainthandling

+Doing the right job the

first time

In 2004/05 our Customer Service Improvement Plan includes the followinginitiatives:

� undertaking additional research into customer needs, expectations andsatisfaction levels to supplement the data we already collect from our residentand business surveys (conducted every two years)

� developing policies to improve community, customer and staff understanding oftheir rights and responsibilities regarding customer service and communications

� enhancing our customer feedback and complaints handling procedures

� reviewing and publishing our Guarantees of Service to ensure that what wepromise we can deliver, and that our customers are aware of and hold usaccountable for these commitments

� improving the way we collect, analyse and respond to customer feedbackincluding complaints

� focusing performance agreements and staff reward and recognition oncommunity and customer satisfaction measures

� regularly monitoring and reporting to the community on our performance inrelation to our Guarantees of Service and customer satisfaction

� offering more and different opportunities for community engagement so that ourdecisions and other outcomes better meet community and customer needs

� conducting more community education activities to improve awareness aboutCouncil’s role, responsibilities, policies and services

� reviewing all our publications (including our website) in order to enhance accessto Council information and services

� providing quality customer service training for all staff and an ongoing program ofcontinuing skill development and education about Council products and services

� improving our internal systems and processes and communications.



Monitoring & Reporting Progress

The Directors and Service Unit Managers have been allocated responsibilities forimplementing the various initiatives in this strategy and will incorporate these intotheir business plans and report on progress each quarter in accordance withManagement Plan quarterly reporting cycles. Council’s Manager - Communications &Community Relations will monitor, provide advice and report to the StrategicLeadership Group on overall progress in implementing the strategy.

The Customer Service Improvement Plan will be reviewed and updated each yearto reflect our commitment to continuous improvement and to take account ofcustomer and community feedback.

Review of Strategy

This strategy will be reviewed in 2006 taking account of progress made andemerging priorities and may be updated at that time.

Comments Welcome

Comments and feedback on this strategy are welcome and should be directed toCouncil’s Manager - Communication & Community Relations. These can be emailedto [email protected] or sent via the contact details on theback cover of this document.



References & Further Reading

The following documents provide information and/or guidelines that are relevant toimproving customer service in general - or specifically in local government. Thesedocuments have been/will be used at Rockdale City Council to guide thedevelopment of our internal policies and plans and to inform the contents of thisstrategy and our Customer Service Improvement Plan.

� Australian Standard on ‘Complaints Handling’ (AS 4269-1995)

� Australian/New Zealand Standard: ‘Quality of Service - Guide to CustomerExpectations’ (AS/NZS 3906:1994)

� Business Excellence Australia: ‘The Australian Business Excellence Framework’ -2003

� Harvey, Jean: ‘Service Quality: a tutorial’, Journal of Operations Management, 16(1998): 583-597

� Kaplan RS and Norton DP: ‘Translating Strategy Into Action: The BalancedScorecard’, Harvard College, 1996

� NSW Department of Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources: ‘CommunityEngagement in the NSW Planning System’, 2002

� NSW Department of Local Government: ‘Social and Community Planning andReporting Guidelines', 2002

� NSW Ombudsman: ‘Apologies by Councils’, Council Fact Sheet No 5, 2003

� NSW Ombudsman: ‘Better Service and Communication Guidelines for LocalGovernment’, June 2000

� NSW Ombudsman: ‘Dealing with Difficult Complainants’, May 2001

� NSW Ombudsman: ‘Effective Complaint Handling’ Guidelines, June 2000

� NSW Ombudsman: ‘Good Conduct and Administrative Practice: Guidelines forCouncils’, 1996

� NSW Ombudsman: ‘The Complaint Handler’s Tool Kit’, June 2000

� NSW Premier’s Department: ‘Customer Service Performance MeasurementGuidelines’, 1995

� NSW Premier’s Department: ‘Total Quality in the NSW Public Sector’, Premier’sMemorandum No 95-49

� Rockdale City Council’s Social Plan & Management Plan - available atwww.rockdale.nsw.gov.au



This strategy was prepared by Council’s

Communications & Community Relations UnitT 02 9562 1666F 02 9562 1777

2 Bryant Street ROCKDALE NSW 2216PO Box 21 ROCKDALE NSW 2216

[email protected]