6. Simplifying and clarifying our customer processes

We will improve our customer-facing processes by designing with the customer experience and benefit in mind, increase customer options for payment and interaction and build partnerships to support better services.

Strategic initiative 6.1: Making processes easier for customers

What is it?

Simplifying, streamlining and clarifying processes for customers by providing better ways to accomplish their goals, better information and education and reducing customer burden.

How will we do it?

  • Ensuring our process improvements are insight-driven and aimed at improving the customer experience.

  • Conducting more detailed research into how friction, confusion and other barriers might be alleviated, and to ensure Council continues to evolve with community expectations.

  • Identifying ways in which we can remove onus from the customer and Council staff.

Success

Success is increased customer satisfaction, increased efficiency, increased staff capability, resource savings, take-up of services.

Strategic initiative 6.2: Expanding customer payment options

What is it?

Expanding customer payment options and simplifying and clarifying fee structures or the way we communicate fees and payments.

How will we do it?

  • Aligning with Strategic Objective 1: improving online services, to expand the types of transactions customers can complete online.

  • Reviewing payment options, fee structures and related information products to deliver a better customer experience of payments.

  • Designing and evaluating changes via customer research and co-design to ensure they align with customer preferences and keep up with evolving community expectations.

Success

Success is customer feedback, take-up of new payment options, through-put of payments, timeliness of payments, efficiency gains.

Strategic initiative 6.3: Building strategic partnerships

What is it?

Building and harnessing partnerships to discover and design new ways of delivering customer services that enhance Council service delivery without extra resources.

How will we do it?

  • Working with partners, including community groups, professional associations and the private sector, not-for-profits and other Councils or government bodies to identify opportunities for improved customer service through collaborative or synergistic efforts.

  • Resourcing and piloting new customer-driven, co-designed service initiatives.

  • Maintaining a deliberate and strategic approach to partnership building.

Success

Success is stronger partnerships, increased number of partnerships, increased visibility, increased service options and capability.