Agenda item

The Director of Delivery, Communications and Political Governance submits a report updating Members on the channel shift programme.  The Commission is recommended to review and comment on the report and to identify any issues arising from the work of the Task Group which may be appropriate for consideration as part of the channel shift programme.

The Director of Delivery, Communications and Political Governance submitted a report on the channel shift programme.

The report provided an update to the Commission specifically covering:

·         Background and context for the programme

·         Future programme management and delivery

·         Progress in relation to the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system

·         Self-service offer in neighbourhoods

·         Channel shift across the Council

The Commission was recommended to review and comment on the report and to identify any issues arising from the work of the officer Task Group which could be appropriate for consideration as part of the channel shift programme.

The Assistant City Mayor (Neighbourhood Services) commented on the report and referred to the content in regard to the future programme management and delivery.  He asked the Commission to note that the Head of Revenues and Customer Support, Caroline Jackson, had stepped down from managing the programme due to the wider demands of her Head of Service role.

It was reported that there were two Senior Project Managers who were reporting for an interim period to the Director of Delivery Communications and Political Governance on this programme. The intention was to appoint a Programme Manager to take the programme forward.

The Chair, Assistant City Mayor (Neighbourhood Services) and members noted the update and requested that their thanks and appreciated to Caroline Jackson be recorded.

In terms of the ongoing programme and the effectiveness of channel shift across the Council clarity was sought on the current ‘live projects’ and in particular to the telephony ‘hard stops’.  In response to questions, the Director advised that a deliberate view was being taken to redirect customers to online services. 

It was confirmed that the approach was being implemented with sensitivity and the Chair advised that a sensible and pragmatic approach would be required for many enquiries that were to be redirected, as some more complex issues could be better explained and dealt with by telephone in the first instance.

In respect of the publicity arrangements and promotion it was suggested that information on how to use the revised systems could be provided at future Ward Community meetings.  Information could also be made available to members on a ‘post-card’ to explain the process to constituents.

The use of email signatures and the LoveLeicester app to promote the revised service information were also discussed.  It was noted that the suitability of these proposals could be discussed further by the officer Task Group.

The need to ensure the availability of public access to services at community centres was debated, and it was a concern that there were currently no appropriate locations in the east of the city to allow access to a multiservice hub.  The requirement to maintain links to the ongoing Transforming Neighbourhoods initiatives was noted in this regard.

In response to a question from the Vice-Chair, the Director referred to the equalities implications of non-English speaking residents accessing services and advised of the efforts undertaken to ensure that the services were inclusive.

In terms of the direct dial phones and use of self-service kiosks, that had been introduced and promoted previously, it was confirmed that the systems would be reviewed so as to not compromise or conflict with the current proposals.

The ease of setting and resetting passwords would also be reviewed, as it was reported that this had caused some users difficulties in accessing services.  The effectiveness of the Wi-Fi and other internet access problems at some Council locations was raised and noted, together with issues concerning security and cybercrime.

In conclusion, the Chair advised that as the channel shift programme affected the whole of the Council, the report would also be submitted to Overview Select Committee and to separate Scrutiny Commissions to obtain an overview of the broader issues and to develop the future work stream.

The channel shift programme would also remain on the Commission’s work programme and would be updated in due course, particularly concerning the consideration of the harder launch of the programme.

AGREED:

                   that the position and update be noted.