January 2017

Digital Enabled Workforce

Digital Customer Feedback & Engagement

Digital Customer Inclusion

Digital Customer Services

Empowering South Staffordshire

South Staffordshire CouncilDigital Customer Strategy 2020

Introducing digital South Staffordshire

Strategic context

Myths about South Staffordshire doing digital

Our vision

Making it happen

The outcomes In detail

Digital inclusion

Digital customer feedback & engagement

Digital enalbled workforce

Team work will make this happen

Measuring success 1613

11109

876432

Exploring outcomes 12

Introducing digital South Staffordshire

The digital age is changing what we do, how we work and how we communicate. The world has been transformed by the Internet and our residents are embracing technology in all its forms.

More of us bank, shop and talk online more than ever before. Smartphones and tablet computers are now everywhere, public buildings nearly always offer Wi-Fi, ‘Cloud’ based storage is available to all and social media has transformed the way we purchase goods and services and interact with each other.

This has all led to citizens, businesses and public bodies changing the way they interact, gain access to information and services and organise their work.

We know that demand is growing and so are the expectations of our customers – but finances continue to be really stretched.

From typewriters to phones, technology has also played a vital role in how as a council we manage our business. We must find ways to drive better services at lower cost which means using new technology to the very best advantage.

Technology will fundamentally change the way we work, and new and emerging technologies will help us to provide better outcomes for our residents. Technology can help us to work better together and with our partners, help us to improve and showcase the work that we do to our residents - more than we’ve ever done before.

Our residents and our businesses want us to provide new ways that they can engage, communicate and interact with us and that’s what this strategy is about. It’s about empowering the people that we’re here for to have more say in their council, help themselves and come together as communities.

By the end of the decade, users of our services will want to access services and information 24/7. To do that we need to offer them responsive, exciting, interactive and digital channels that are simple and straightforward, and meet their needs.

Through this strategy we’ll not only keep up with the digital revolution but exploit it. By developing a new, modern digital infrastructure we’ll reshape how we work and create services that are sustainable, high quality and make a real difference to local people.

Roy WrightCouncillor Roy Wright Cabinet Member for Direct Services

‘’South Staffordshire is charging towards a digital future. We’re changing how we communicate with our residents and transforming the skills of public sector colleagues’’

Strategic contextThis Digital Customer Strategy supports the implementation

of the 2016-2020 Council Plan and the Efficiency & Income

2015-2020 Plan and supports the council’s ambition to be

‘’a good efficient customer focused organisation.’’

It details what we’ll all do to become a leading digital authority

whilst the Information Communication Technology (ICT)

strategy will ensure we have the equipment, technology and

know how we need.

Creating the very best value for money

Web £0.39 per transaction

Telephone £3.21 per call

Face to Face£8.23

How local authorities are funded is changing. By 2020 South Staffordshire Council will be largely self-funded which means that we need to take a more commercial and private sector approach to delivering our services.

Although we’re making good progress through our Efficiency and Income Plan, we need to save or make another £2.2m to ensure the council can continue to do what it needs to do for our residents. Our overheads will reduce and we’ll see a huge improvement in how we deliver services if every one of us adopts this strategy into our everyday work and thinks ‘digital first!’

To put it all into context, we currently provide access to services through a number of existing channels:

• Face to face visits at the Council’s premises.

• Telephone via the Councils contact centre.

• Telephone direct contact through personal extensions.

• Email (via Customer Services).

• Email (via other generic inboxes).

• Website visits.

It pays to go digital. The Society of Information Technology Management

(SOCITM) details how much it costs local authorities to interact with their customers...

THINKDIGITAL

FIRST!

Our ambition is to be a good, efficient, customer focused organisation

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Myths about South Staffordshire doing digital

Myth # 1 Myth # 2

Myth # 3

People in South Staffordshire don’t

have access to email-

80% have access to the Internet and the vast

majority will have access by

2020

Very few people have any digital skills

-

75% of residents have basic digital skills and most

manage at least one bill online

People may not use digital channels

-nearly half would prefer to use

the website as the main way the council communicates and

consults with themand nearly half are very likely to

find information, pay bills and feedback and do what they want

to do online without ringing or visiting us

(i.e. they will “self-serve!”)

4

11% more people used our new website than before it was launched

We’re already on the road to a digital future.

1,693 people downloaded the My Staffs app for their mobile - the second largest downloadin Staffordshire. That’s 1,693 people using mobile technology to interact with us.

Our social media reach is increasing by over 10% every month

And across the country...

70% of people aged 65 and over have a mobile phone and spend

more time on it than their computer

Most people trust paying and shopping for things online

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Our vision This Digital Customer Strategy sets out how technology and digital

information will improve people’s lives whilst reducing our costs through efficient and creative working.

WE WILL provide digital access to services and meet the needs of customers (residents & businesses) enabling them to successfully transact, interact and engage with the Council on-line and provide support for those who are unable to do so.For our customers (residents & businesses)

3 Help customers to access user-friendly services and information online - in ways that are similar to private sector businesses.

3 Support customers to use digital technology effectively so that they have a choice about how to contact us.

3 Make information easier to find and clearer, and digital channels easier to use.

THE RESULTSOur customers will then:

3 Be able to get involved with us and each other, as active community members.

3 Be empowered to make choices about the services they want and how they are delivered.

3 Give us better and more timely feedback all the time, meaning we will continue to build on our successes and continue to improve.

THE COUNCIL WILL:3 Have a wide range of cost effective communication and marketing channels to communicate with our residents.

3 Capitalise on valuable customer insight and feedback.

3 Be able to make savings to support the council’s Efficiency and Improvement plan.

3 Be able to create a digitally-enabled workforce that isn’t fixed in one geographical location. To do this we will increase agile and mobile working and we will use the most appropriate technology to meet the needs of our customers.

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Making it happen We’ll meet these challenges by working through FOUR priority areas:

DIGITAL CUSTOMER SERVICE Giving customers the opportunity to find the information they need on our website and be able to pay bills, provide feedback and make enquires online.

DIGITAL FEEDBACK AND ENGAGEMENT Helping customers to easily interact with us using a range of digital channels, including social media, and whatever else people begin to use as technology develops.

DIGITAL INCLUSION

Providing people with

access to the Internet,

technology and

equipment and helping

them to learn the skills

they need to exploit the

digital revolution.

DIGITALLY SKILLED STAFF Support staff with the digital tools and skills they need to deliver services more efficiently and effectively. Helping staff to be creative and come up with great ideas is a really key part of this.

We’ll do this by:3 Giving people the information and tools they need to do what they need to do easily, so that they don’t need to contact the council in person or over the phone - leading to increased customer satisfaction and avoiding unnecessary costs. 3 Making everything digital as easy to use as possible - so that as many people as possible use them.3 Thinking ‘Digital first’ - promoting digital communication channels and digital ways of working as the preferred option for people to contact us, whilst continuing to give people a choice. 3 Being able to use the huge amount of data we have across the council by pulling it into one place. We can then use that data in a more meaningful way, providing a fuller, personalised picture of the customer and their journey. We’ll then have a more insightful guide to improving future interactions with our customers. 3 Redesigning services so that we can resolve a customer’s query first time - giving them a better customer experience and saving us money.3 Only using and maintaining the technology we need - to ensure that it’s providing the best value for money and is managed effectively.

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DIGITAL CUSTOMER SERVICEOutcome: ‘Customers will benefit from improved access to services and information on the council’s website 24/7.’

Clearer and easy to find information and tools

Customers and businesses will be able to transact with us 24 hours a day, from any location and any device. That means that they’ll be able to apply, report, request, pay and book for council services effectively online at any time and we’ll use tools such as social media and SMS texts to update customers. Online services will be designed with customers so that they are accessible and provide a good user experience. New technology, such as personalised online profiles, will help access the services needed easier and quicker.

John fills in a planning application online on the planning portal and ticks a box that indicates he would prefer to receive updates via text message to his phone.

His application details are passed directly into the council’s Land and Property system- so staff don’t need to re-enter the details.

The documents and plans he submits are also automatically transferred into the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) and filed and indexed

against the relevant Uniform planning reference.

John is kept up to date automatically – he is notified by text message at key stages of the process; when we receive his application, when it is validated, when a decision is made, the next steps and when he is likely to hear back from the council.

John doesn’t need to call the Contact Centre to find out what’s happening as he is being kept up-to-date.

To make this happen, the website will:

3 Need to contain up-to-date information – which is everyone’s responsibility.3 Be continually developed so more and more

facilities are self-service and people can pay for services then and there whenever possible. This will be developed into the future to include automatic set-up of direct debits and effective use of modern payment systems such as PayPal and Apple Pay.

3 Be continually improved to be easy to navigate - how information and services are represented online will be organised around the customer’s needs rather than how the council is structured.

3 Offer customers the option to register for a profile which will automatically generate a customised dashboard - providing quick access to the services, information and updates they want and regularly use. Every profile is unique to that customer - meaning that their needs are better met.

3 Contain an online booking system to help customers book and select appointment dates that are convenient to them.

We will also:

3 Analyse incoming and outgoing post to understand where else we can shift to a digital approach.

3 Run ongoing marketing and communication campaigns to encourage people to see the benefits of using digital channels rather than visiting or calling us.

The outcomes in detail It’s all about outcomes for customers, businesses and the council. Here’s more on what will be the result of being ‘digital first’.

LIVE WEB CHATwill support people to find the

information they need. All staff will be trained to support customers to use the website and online services and know

how to encourage them to use digital channels wherever

possible.

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Outcome: ‘Customers will be better supported in their efforts to access and use the Internet.’

Having access to the internet and having basic digital skills can transform lives, bring people together and open up a wealth of opportunity. Ultimately we want South Staffordshire to be a ‘digitally inclusive’ district, where all of our customers can access and use modern digital facilities in their local area.

• Digital skills for all

Whilst just under half of our residents already

have basic digital skills, we’ll need to support

the most vulnerable groups to learn the basics

and ensure they’re not missing out from a lack

of digital interaction and improve the quality of

life experience.

• The skills and access to transact The council will ensure that customers have access to and the support required to carry out online transactions, and will prioritise those who need to search and apply for jobs or apply for Universal Credit who will have access to computers and the Internet at Jobcentres, in Work Clubs and libraries and other Community Hubs.

TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN, WE NEED TO:

3 Raise awareness of how and where customers can access the Internet across the District.

3 Target the most vulnerable digitally excluded people and areas, and provide greater access and support.

3 Explore external funding sources to develop digital inclusion programmes and initiatives.

3 Work more closely with partners, the voluntary sector and other groups to increase digital inclusion within South Staffordshire.

3 Support businesses to capitalise on the digital revolution by working with them to provide an online presence and develop their digital skills.

3 Work better with older people regards their skills and Internet access as recommended by the Wellbeing Select Committee.

3 Work closely with Staffordshire County Council to ensure broadband coverage issues in South Staffordshire are addressed and improved.

3 Use our Village Agents (our officers that work out in the community) to motivate people to use new technology safely and to trust it.

Digital inclusion

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Outcome: ‘Customers are able to feedback and engage with the council more easily on a range of digital platforms.’

The shift to digital communication has changed the way that people expect to find, share and discuss information, and has open up whole new models for engagement and participation. We need to help customers to easily interact with using a range of digital channels including social media, and whatever else evolves through technology.

We need to:

3 Expand our range of online channels, including social media, to inform and engage, respond

to customer feedback and help communities to share information, knowledge and

experience with each other.

3 Bring together all the email addresses held across the council in one place so we can consult

and engage with our customers on matters that affect them much more effectively.

3 Use ‘opt-in’ bespoke e-bulletins and electronic campaigns to encourage better engagement

and use of our website.

3 Develop self – help forums so that our customers can help themselves.

3 Be proactive in managing customer demand by regularly using our digital communications

platforms (Gov Delivery, Twitter, Face Book and SMS Texts) to keep customers updated

and informed on a regular and timely basis. This means broadening the use of these

platforms across the council and making sure we use people’s data better to target our

messages.

3 Produce a digital version of the council’s ‘Review’ magazine that contains information specific

to different localities.

3 Encourage customers to provide feedback on our

services via simplified online satisfaction surveys

which will help us make better decisions regarding

the planning and delivery of services.

3 Create a culture across the council where

customer insight and intelligence is used to

better meet our customer’s needs.

Digital customer feedback & engagement

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To make this happen, we need to:

3 Keep track of emerging digital technologies, test and trial them at a small cost - and plan services and reviews around them.

3 Change the technology that staff use to more closely reflect what is used in the private sector, such as smart technology e.g. GIS, Smart Phones and mobile apps.

3 Use other digital communication channels when we talk to each other and our partners, including Skype, video messaging and Yammer.

3 Establish a digital and social media training programme to deliver core digital skills training to members of staff and give them the confidence to come up with ideas to make their service more efficient.

Digital enabled workforce Outcome: ‘Staff will have digital tools and skills to deliver services more efficiently and innovatively.’

• Staff will have access to devices and software they need to deliver high levels of service and will have the skills to use them. We will work to automate many processes that are currently handled manually, and only complex issues will be handled by a member of staff.

• All council services will actively seek ways to implement digital technology as part of the E+I programme – all members of staff will capture email address and put forward their ideas to be ‘digital first.’

• Councillors will also be able to work in a mobile and efficient way and embrace new digital channels such as social media to more effectively engage with their community.

But better digital customer

service won’t just be about serving

our external customers better. It’s also about

internal customers and our stakeholders.

3 Service departments will regularly consult with internal customers and stakeholders to get their feedback to improve the way they are supported to meet organisational objectives.

3 Staff will have the time and space to think creatively, challenge the status quo, share ideas and develop new ways of working.

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Exploring outcomes

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What it means in practice.

Sar

ah’s

stor

y

Sarah is an unemployed single mother of two. Her youngest child is now at school full time so Sarah needs to start looking for work.

The Jobcentre has advised that she needs to register with Universal Job Match (UJM) and apply for jobs. Sarah has a smartphone and can use Facebook and Twitter but has not worked since having her first child eight years ago.

She contacted the council via the website and used live chat to talk to

members of staff. They told her about the South Staffordshire Work Clubs. The Clubs helped her to set up an online account and register with UJM.

The Careers Coach helped her create a CV and with support she uploaded this to UJM and to other websites.

She was also able to register for online training courses and sign up to the council’s Self Service portal to transact with us online.

John

’sst

ory

John fills in a planning application online on the planning portal and ticks a box that indicates he would prefer to receive updates via text message to his phone.

His application details are passed directly into the council’s Land and Property system- so staff don’t need to re-enter the details.

The documents and plans he submits are also automatically transferred into the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) and filed and indexed

against the relevant Uniform planning reference.

John is kept up to date automatically – he is notified by text message at key stages of the process; when we receive his application, when it is validated, when a decision is made, the next steps and when he is likely to hear back from the council.

John doesn’t need to call the Contact Centre to find out what’s happening as he is being kept up-to-date.

Tom

’sst

ory

Tom works as an Environmental Services Officer for the council and has two school children. After dropping them off at school he checks his jobs for the day on his tablet.

He notices that an urgent request has been sent from Customer Services for a street scene team for litter picking in Perton. He checks his tablet for the exact location and notices that the locality officer is already on route via the GIS system installed on his tablet.

An hour later Tom checks and notices that an order request has been placed with the street

scene operational team to bring the standard of cleaning to the required standard. The timescales will be by the end of the day due to the nature of the incident. The Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) that the Customer Services Team uses is updated with the status, which also triggers a text message to the customer to advise them of progress.

As the CRM system has been updated this will also help the Customer Services Team to manage any enquiries from other customers.

Digital Inclusion

Digital Enabled Workforce

Digital Customer Service

What it means in practice

It’s everyone’s job to make this digital strategy a success, and there will be local governance

arrangements put in place to help support progress. The Customer Services and Strategy

Manager with corporate ICT and the Business Improvement Team (BIT) will have overall

responsibility and will report into SMT.

Progress will primarily be the responsibility of the Customer Services & Strategy Manager with corporate ICT and the Business Improvement Team (BIT).

The key milestones and expected delivery for each of the major priorities which will be delivered in

conjunction with the Council’s Transformation Challenge Award

Programme (TCA) in partnership with Stratford-Upon-Avon

District Council, our strategic IT partner.

Team work will make this happen

The key milestones and expected delivery schedule

No Milestone 16/17 17/18 18/19 19/20

1 Launch the new mobile enabled council website

2 Integrate payment and transaction systems into the website

3 Develop FAQs and other self-help tools to help people to do what they need to do online

4 Launch of Web Chat pilot to help people to better find the information they need online

5 Develop a consistent approach to online forms that are easily customisable and dynamic in nature

6

Develop My Account+” to allow customers and businesses to have a profile and keep that profile updated by keeping information up to date , that then drives updates and notifications automatically across back office systems.

7Development of marketing and communications campaigns to encourage customers to use digital channels before contacting us in person

8 Develop ‘Apply, Report it and Pay’ transaction opportunities

9 Develop e-bookings, e-planning, proactive alerts and reminders

10Analyse post and work to reduce postage spend by working with service teams on challenging postal activity and doing things differently

Dig

ital

Cus

tom

er S

ervi

ces

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No Milestone 16/17 17/18 18/19 19/20

1 Encourage communities to learn digital skills and raise awareness where customers can access the internet

2Support businesses to capitalise on the digital revolution by working with them to provide on-line presence and help them to develop their skills

3

Create self-help events, promoting how access to the internet can help with reducing bills and finding offers as a mechanism to introduce Council online services, etc.; and Community based training via Job Clubs etc

4 Understand the most vulnerable digitally excluded customer group and target support accordingly

5 Development of digital customer forums and self help groups to help customers to help themselves

6 Implement the Wellbeing Select Committee actions around effective communication with older people

Dig

ital

Cus

tom

er In

clus

ion

No Milestone 16/17 17/18 18/19 19/20

1Work with Parish Councils in developing their digital capability to help broaden reach and successful customer engagement

2Develop system to keep customers informed about various activities )( e./g planning applications, blue bin collections, etc)

3 Social media reach expanded and training rolled out across the council

4

Ensure that the different digital front ends (Website, My Staffs app, Report It portal and Good Life Webiste) are all interconnected and promoted for greater take-up and reach

5Development of data management system to so that data is stored and used centrally , to help with better marketing and engagement

6 Use the marketing segmentation tool ‘ MOSAIC’ to help understand customer groups better

7 Promotion of Gov Delivery email marketing tool across the organisation to drive better take up and reach

8 Develop of customer satisfaction portal on the website to help with better engagement and service re-design

9Develop a comprehensive communication plan to help encourage greater take up of on-line services and customer engagement

10 Simplify corporate customer satisfaction surveys to help increase take up and customer feedback

Dig

ital

Cus

tom

er F

eedb

ack

and

Enga

gem

ent

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No Milestone 16/17 17/18 18/19 19/20

1 Ensure the workforce has relevant and well developed digital skills

2 Develop policies for staff to work in a more agile and mobile way

5Development social media training and effective use of digital communication channels to give staff confidence in maximising these opportunities

6

Create a culture where service areas lead by example, challenging non-compliance with the strategy e.g. not printing in colour and better use of SharePoint, electronic payslips etc.

7Create and develop a culture whereby digital service delivery is embedded in service planning and service re-design

Dig

ital

ly e

nabl

ed w

orkf

orce

Everyone across the council has a role to play

and will need to work together to make this

digital customer strategy a success

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Measuring successSuccess will be measured by the take-up of online services and by customer satisfaction ratings.

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s Website visitor numbers.

s Web Chat interactions.

s Online forms.

s Mobile app use.

s Customer satisfaction.

t Outbound post.

t Telephone calls.

t Face to face contact.

t Emails.

s Customers with improved digital skills.

s Usage of automated payments e.g. direct debit, web & telephone payment.

s Revenues & Benefits Self-Service sign up.

s Customers updating their accounts via the Revs & Bens Self-Service Portal.

s Housing benefit applications received online.

s Number of people who sign up to receive emails form the council.

s Number of people who use social media to contact and interact with the council.

s Sign up to receive the digital Review Magazine.

s Feedback and completion of online satisfaction survey.

s % of workforce trained in digital

skills.

s Staff satisfaction levels.

t Printing costs.

t Outbound post.

t Paper costs.

t Carbon footprint.

Digital Customer Service

Digital Customer Feedback and Engagement

Digital Customer Inclusion

Digital Enabled Workforce

Further monitoring and reportingThe Digital Customer Strategy is essential to the success of the Council Plan so we must make sure that it gains and keeps momentum. To ensure that it is on track, its progress will be received on a regular basis: quarterly by the Strategic Management Team (SMT) and Cabinet Members, and through reporting cycles bespoke to each work stream. All processes will be agreed by SMT from the outset.

The Chief Executive will hold Directors and Managers accountable for taking steps to ensure this strategy is embedded within their teams.

SMT will take overall responsibility for making sure that implementation and success is optimised.

Do you have any questions?

Please contact communications@sstaffs.gov.uk for more information

References • South Staffordshire Customer Services Strategy 2013/16

• Ofcom Mobile Usage Data • Camden Digital Strategy • Staffordshire Observatory • Socitm – Cost per Contact Data • Hampshire Digital Strategy • cable.co.uk – broadband data

www.sstaffs.gov.uk2204 HD Mar17

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