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Strategic environment

What is the context of our work?

We first looked at what else is going on in and around Council in order to be aware of interdependencies and influences.

There is a lot of reform activity going on in Council already, both operationally (how Council runs its business) and in relation to service delivery. Some of these initiatives are still in planning, while others are already underway or have been recently implemented.

Part of the intent of this project is to ensure that the improvements and shifts introduced by the new Customer Experience Improvement Strategy can be harnessed alongside existing projects to develop a cohesive and rolling program of improvement work.

In order to do this, it will be important to recognise and understand the nature and scope of each piece of reform, identify opportunities for leverage or synergy, prioritise, and acknowledge incremental progress without losing sight of the holistic, longterm vision Council has for the future.

The Customer First Program is influenced by the forces internal to Council, which is then influenced by forces external to Council.

Customer First Program influences include:

  • Customer Experience Improvement Program

  • Online Services Strategy

  • Customer Relationship Management System

  • Process mapping and improvement

Influences internal to Council:

  • Council Plan 2013-17
  • "Our Boroondara" vision statement
  • Communications and engagement activities
  • Audit and Governance
  • Customer Service Charter
  • internal improvement projects
  • service delivery
  • local elections

Influences external to Council:

  • technology changes
  • state elections and administration
  • state government priorities and policies
  • legislative and regulatory changes
  • shifts in customer expectations
  • community and lobby groups.