Agenda item

To receive a presentation from Fay Hammond, Acting Executive Director of Resources.

The Chair welcomed Fay Hammond asked that the main areas of challenge were highlighted in the presentation. It was noted that Cllr Maguire, Cabinet Member for Finance had to leave the meeting before this item commenced.

i)             It was highlighted that accessibility will be at the forefront of the customer experience moving forward and there will be an improved offer for those residents identified as requiring early help.

ii)            We now offer face to face support at community hubs within Enfield Town and Edmonton Green Libraries where residents can gain appropriate help and early intervention as necessary.

iii)           The Council website is being redesigned and a range of groups will be consulted, for example the Over 50s forum and the Youth Parliament. The profile of the website will be raised to ensure residents and businesses find it useful.

iv)           As one of the future improvements, resident interviews will take place in relation to navigating the website.

v)            A new telephony system will be implemented which will provide a better experience for callers.

vi)           Over 130 Pay Points are now available across the borough in supermarkets and newsagents to pay Council Tax, business rates and housing rent. The availability to pay cash is still current.

vii)          In response to a question it was confirmed that there are now 4 flagship libraries open, reviewed on a weekly basis.

viii)        A question was asked as to how increased demand has impacted on  council employees and it was noted that improved IT for staff has alleviated stress levels considerably, with rates of absence reduced. Staff are encouraged to take down-time and annual leave.

ix)           The level of phone calls and webchat have increased during the covid-19 period. Our current, fragmented telephony system doesn’t work well from a customer perspective., so a single telephony system is being implemented.

x)            We are currently reviewing the operation and number of community  hubs available. The feedback from residents has been very positive.

xi)           The majority of contacts with the council are still via telephone but we are promoting self-help so there will be an increase in webchat and self-service via the website.

xii)          It was confirmed that 42% of calls are resolved at the first point of contact. The customer journey overall has been improved.

xiii)        The issue of outside contributors not being able to fully access Teams Live Events was raised and Fay Hammond agreed to take this back for further consideration with the Director of Digital, Data and Technology.  

xiv)        Residents have informed councillors that navigation of the website has often proved difficult. It was confirmed that the new website would contain pictorial guidance and the search facility will be much improved. New tools and add-ons will be included to improve customer service.

xv)         The deaf community should be assisted as English isn’t their first language.

xvi)        In response to a question, it was commented that feedback from customers during the pandemic has been very positive, especially when offering 1-1 assistance for vulnerable residents.

xvii)       During the initial stages of the pandemic, we had to adapt services quickly and reach-out to customers to ensure they were aware that services were still available.

xviii)      It was confirmed that there is a very diverse workforce in the Contact Centre.

The Chair summarised the comments received and thanked officers for their presentation.