Craven Council boosts service performance with investment in new contact centre

Craven District Council has transformed its customer service operations thanks to a new customer contact strategy and some astute investments in contact centre resources.

After receiving a ‘fair’ CPA rating in 2003/4*, Craven District Council has transformed its customer service operations thanks to a new customer contact strategy and some astute investments in contact centre resources.

In many business areas, the turn around in customer service performance has been spectacular:

The Council’s new customer contact strategy is based around a new and challenging ‘Putting People First’ vision, a new focus on customer focus experiences under the banner of ‘Contact Craven’, and the creation of a smart new Customer Contact Centre at the Council’s main offices in Skipton to handle face-to-face, telephone, email and web contacts.  Existing facilities were completely overhauled, new interview rooms created and new Macfarlane CallPlus contact centre technology acquired. 

The new Customer Contact Centre opened in June 2006 when a new service area, Customer and Revenue Benefits, was created by transferring Revenue and Benefits services from a Back Office department.  Waste Management services were transferred to the Contact Centre in October 2006 and Environmental Health services followed in March 2007.  

The Centre now employs 15 Customer Service Advisors (CSAs).  All CSAs are multi-skilled to work within either the Council’s reception (serving customers face-to-face) or in an area behind the main reception (where telephone, email and web contacts are handled).

Macfarlane CallPlus technology handles all phone contacts within the Contact Centre, providing intelligent call handling, call recording, customer self-service and management information facilities.  The CallPlus system also acts as a main switchboard for the Council – although citizens can still dial directly into specific Back Office departments should they so wish.  In addition, the Macfarlane technology located in Skipton provides a virtual contact centre facility, supporting a small council satellite office in Settle with call handling facilities (without the need for equipment to be duplicated at that site).

The Contact Centre currently handles around 7500 calls per month – around 40% of all calls handled by the Council.  Around 85% of Revenues and Benefits calls answered within the Contact Centre are subsequently resolved there without transferring callers to Back Office departments.  This compares with around 70% of Waste Management Calls and 55% of general switchboard calls.

"Since we’ve invested in the new contact centre technology we’ve found it a lot easier to measure performance and ensure Advisors with the right skills are available at the right times to answer customer calls" said Paul Ellis, Head of Customer and Benefit Services at Craven District Council.  "It’s been a major factor in our success".

Buoyed by the success of the new Centre, the Council is looking to the future with confidence.  It is looking to bring other Council services into the Centre in the near future, go live with a Document Management System integrated with CRM later this month, and extend Contact Centre opening hours. 

Craven is also keen to further explore opportunities for partnership working.  In 2006, Craven became the first North Yorkshire Council to form a partnership with the Pensions Agency to handle benefits claimants.  A partnership with the Energy Efficiency Agency followed – with officers from the agency often visiting the Council to give citizens advice on grants and energy efficiency, and to hand out energy-efficient light bulb samples.  The Council is currently exploring opportunities with the County Council and the National Parks Authority to introduce new satellite points for customer contact. 

Craven District Council’s customer service transformation has been recognised at two major industry awards.  In October 2006, it was named a finalist in the ‘Excellence in Customer Care’ category by the Institute of Rating, Revenues ad Valuation (IRRV).  And in October 2006, it won the National BACS Direct Debit award for its achievement in switching over 11% of its citizens to direct debit during 2006, earning 500 for a local charity.

"Craven District Council has achieved an amazing amount in a short space of time, bringing about significant improvements in its contact centre performance" said William Gray, Managing Director at Macfarlane Telesystems.  "We’re very proud to have been selected as the Council’s contact centre technology partner." 

* Craven District Council’s 2003/4 CPA highlighted "a lack of focus on customers and poor access to services" 

** Source: Best Value Performance Indicator research