Customer Experience in Local

Government

Presented by Andrew McMillan andrew.mcmillan@engagingservice.com

07572 188161

“If you think you’re in control, you’re not going fast enough.”

Mario Andretti, F1 Racing Driver

Service or Experience

“What we sell is the ability for a

43-year-old accountant to dress in

black leather, ride through small towns

and have people be afraid of him.”

……Harley Davidson

– Relational (Soft)

Ope

ratio

na

l

(Ha

rd)

+

+

Service Delivery – The Options

Great people when I want them, great

technology when I don’t

New (Old) Values

• An increasingly impersonal world

• Customers want to be recognised as

individuals

• Processing, no matter how

sophisticated, will not suffice in the long

term

•

•

Customer Experience

• Product or service

• Channel (how easy are you to access?)

• Process (how easy are you to do

business with?)

• Engagement (how did it feel?)

What is Customer Engagement?

The experience delivered by the staff is

so consistently good that the staff

become the organisation or brand in

the eyes of its customers

The Key Benefits

• Improve staff experience • Reduced costs through improved productivity

• Reduced costs through lower staff turnover

• Improve customer experience • Reduced cost – right first time

• Can be used to reduce complaints • Reduced cost through non-escalation of

complaints

Cultural and Behavioural Change

• This is not training

• Training can improve service by setting

standards of behaviour, teaching a

tangible process such as how to use a

system or answer a query

• It cannot fundamentally change an

organisation’s culture or the attitude of

its employees towards customers and

service

Six Steps

• Define • What the organisation wants to be in terms of

personality and behaviour for both customers and staff – this definition created by the staff that have to deliver it

• Measure • Measure the outcomes of the desired behaviours to

track progress and deliver improvement

• Communicate • Internal communications delivered by the

organisation’s managers to engage support for the change

Six Steps

• Lead • Leadership focus to ensure progress and

sustainability

• Reward, recognition and appraisal • Recognition and appraisal to recognise

behaviour not just performance

• Recruitment and Induction • Based on the definition

• Assessment half days

• Competency interviews

Decide what you want

to be known for...

Welcome, Wanted,

Remembered, Cared For

People, Passion, Pride

People: Everything we do is about people and values and respects people as individuals; those we work with and those we serve.

Passion: We are passionate and enthusiastic about supporting each other, having fun when it is appropriate, and improving the lives of the people in Wiltshire.

Pride: We are proud of our achievements as individuals, as a team, and the support we deliver for the community we serve.

Leadership and

organisational

development

People and their managers are working so

hard to be sure things are done right that

they hardly have time to decide if they are

doing the right things.

Two Elements

• What you do (management)

• The way you do it (leadership)

Leadership

• A highly visible example of what the organisation is aspiring to achieve at every management level

– Leading people or managing tasks?

– Challenge lies with opportunity, skill or ability?

– Often up to 80% of activity doesn’t add value

– What’s important?

• Leadership focus can highlight areas for process and/or organisational development

Leadership Questions

• Does the activity directly benefit the team?

(Would the team agree if asked?)

• Does the activity directly benefit

customers? (Would they be prepared to

pay for it?)

• Is the activity business critical? (Would

your business cease to trade?)

• Is the activity related to strategic planning?

Leadership is a performance.

You have to be conscious of your

behaviour, because everybody else is.

Communicate in person

Walking the floor

Visible presence

MBWA

Inspirational Leadership

Reputation often arrives on foot and

leaves on a fast horse!

A Great Place To Work The Partnership’s ultimate purpose is the happiness of

all its members, through their worthwhile and satisfying

employment in a successful business.

A Great Place To Shop The Partnership aims to deal honestly with its customers

and secure their loyalty and trust by providing

outstanding choice, value and service.

John Lewis

Hire For Attitude……

Fire For Attitude

Do What You Think Is Right

Are Your People a Good Experience?

Questions For All Of You

• What is your purpose?

• Why do you work here?

• Why did you choose your career?

• What do you most enjoy?

Your Options

Spectators Players

Cynics Walking Dead

Energy

Att

itu

de

+

+ –

100% Truthful……

100% Kind

Customer comment – tangible

• “It’s always the first place I go”

• “I shop here for everything”

• “Staff are continually helpful & have

time for you”

• “It’s the only store where staff are

knowledgeable”

• “Can get the same goods elsewhere but

not the same level of service”

Customer comment – intangible

• “A certain atmosphere when you walk

in”

• “JL is not just a shop - it’s like home!”

• “I’ve known you all my life”

• “Safe and comfortable”

• “I trust the store”

• “I feel at home”

“.....it’s my spiritual home,

when I die I’ve asked my husband to sprinkle my ashes here"

Customer comment

Random Acts Of Kindness

• To tell Legendary service stories

• Each branch to take the opportunity to

do something out of the ordinary once a

month

• Random acts of kindness will then occur

almost daily

.........in short

• Defined values to engender employee

engagement

• Employee engagement to sustain quality of

service

• Quality of service to gain the trust of citizens

• Trust creates the climate for co-operative

working

Customer Experience in Local

Government

Presented by Andrew McMillan andrew.mcmillan@engagingservice.com

07572 188161