Agenda item

The Customer Service Update was presented by the Cabinet Member for People and Communities.

The purpose of this report was to provide the Committee with an update regarding customer interactions within the Customer Service team and high contact service areas for Q1 2024/25 and call handling up to 31 August 2024.

In the first quarter of 2024/25, there were 50,572 interactions recorded with customers. There were also 388,346 digital interactions via email/website visits. For context, website visits equated for 84.59% of customer interactions in this period.

It was anticipated the relocation of the Customer Service Centre to The Picture House would improve the customer service experience. The Centre had a dedicated self-service area and an increased presence of officers from high contact services.

There was also a Customer Service Centre in Bourne which remained open later in the day. The opening of further Customer Service Centres within the district was under consideration.

During the discussions, Members commented on the following:

-Whether the opening days of the Bourne Customer Service Centre could be amended to coincide with the Bourne Market; the aim being that this could allow the Market to gain casual consumers who were going to the Customer Service Centre. The Head of Service (Revenues, Benefits, Customer and Community) confirmed that this would require consultation with Lincolnshire County Council as the Libraries services was contracted out to SKDC and consideration would need to be given to any potential additional resource and cost. However, it was noted that only 3% of individuals visiting the library building were attending as an SKDC visitor for the Customer Service Centre. Given that relatively few individuals visit the Grantham Office from Bourne, this suggested a lack of demand from Bourne residents.

- Clarification regarding the nature of ‘abandoned calls’ outlined within the report. The Head of Service (Revenues, Benefits, Customer and Community) confirmed this was a reference to any call to SKDC that did not reach an officer. There was a range of reasons why a call may have been abandoned, such as opting to use the online services as prompted by the automated system.

- The suitability of the Customer Service Centre within Bourne Library was raised in the context of the ability to have sensitive conversations without being overheard by library users. The Head of Service (Revenues, Benefits, Customer and Community) confirmed that there was a confidential area within the Bourne Customer Service Centre which could be used as a safe-space for sensitive conversations.

- Also queried was the level of residents from the Deepings that travelled to the Bourne Customer Service Centre. The Head of Service (Revenues, Benefits, Customer and Community) confirmed that between 1^st April 2023 to 30^th September 2024, 30 individuals from a Deepings postcode visited the Centre, out of the 7215 total visitors.

- Accessibility of disabled parking was queried for the Grantham Customer Service Centre. It was stated that Blue Badge parking was available on the adjacent St. Catherine’s Road, Grantham.

The report was NOTED by the Committee.