Customer Strategy 2023 to 2028 (Plain Text Version)

Our offer is wide, ranging from universal services that underpin the infrastructure of the local area to highly specialised and personalised support services for some of the most vulnerable in society.

These services support better outcomes in education, employment, health and community safety and contribute to wider equality in society and the sustainability of the local environment.

The Customer Strategy sets out the key outcomes, activities and behaviours that the council will develop to create a culture of outstanding customer service, throughout the organisation.

The strategy reaffirms our commitment to putting the customer first in every thing we do. It sets out how we will develop our approach to service improvement and how we will advance the use of technology in our services to improve the customer experience.

Our ambition is that this strategy will support transformation and growth in a council that is working to improve lives and make West Lothian a great place to live, work, learn and do business.

Scope of the Strategy

The Customer Strategy is a corporate strategy and adopted across the council.

The strategy covers the period 2023/24 to 2027/28, which is also the duration of the Council's Corporate Plan. The Customer Strategy has been developed in support of this plan and the other key plans and strategies.

Outcomes

The Customer Strategy is part of suite of strategies that will support the council to transform and improve in a smart, flexible and efficient way.

There are four outcomes in the Customer Strategy and these are:

1. A culture that prioritises the customer 
2. Services are designed to meet customer needs
3. Enhancing our digital offer
4. Improving the customer experience

Reporting on Progress

The Customer Strategy will be progressed under the direction of a corporate board. An annual update on progress in the outcomes and actions will be reported to Corporate Policy and Resources PDSP and published on the council website.

An end of strategy report will also be published in 2028.

Corporate Priorities

The council has identified five priorities for the period 2023/24 to 2027/28.

These reflect the areas that are the most important for the community and improving the quality of life for all living, working and visiting West Lothian.

The priorities have been set through consultation with our community, staff and partner agencies and identify and address the most pronounced, collective needs of the local area.

They will also provide a focus for decision making and resource prioritisation in the next five years, ensuring that we target our efforts towards the issues that matter most to the community. In the next five years, the council will focus on achieving outcomes in each priority.

• Raising Attainment
• Strengthening Care and Support for Children, Adults and Older People
• Investing in Skills and Jobs
• Helping Create Strong and Sustainable Communities
• Tackling Homelessness, Poverty and Inequality

The council is a high performing organisation because it holds the primacy of the customer as a key value.

That commitment to customers has influenced decision making and changes since the council was formed and consequently, has ensured that the council continues to prioritise customers in the design and delivery of all services.

Supporting the five priority areas in the Corporate Plan, this Customer Strategy will enhance that customer first culture and continue to promote the needs of customers as a key consideration in the way that we think about, and measure the success of, essential public services delivered by the council.

We recognise that a good relationship with the customer stakeholder group is essential to setting and meeting our strategic priorities, and understand the importance of an approach characterised by the involvement of local people in shaping the long-term direction and ambition of the council.

We will therefore continue to work to build a relationship with customers that is based on shared values and open dialogue to encourage understanding and cooperation.

The Customer Strategy will be an important lever for change in the next five years, aligning with the Budget Strategy and the Corporate Plan, to deliver a programme of transformational change in the council.

The strategy will provide a strategic framework that will support the council to improve service delivery and set out how we can create improved conditions for true cooperation and a mutually beneficial relationship with our customers.

Council Values

As part of the development a new strategic direction and the Corporate Plan 2023/28, new organisational Values were also identified that better reflect the character and ambitions of the council.

The council wants to work with customers, staff and partners to make services better and deliver our Purpose and Vision of a Thriving West Lothian.

In addition to a refreshed strategic direction, it was determined that the council needed Values that reminded staff and customers what the council stands for and the type of behaviours we want to promote across the organisation.

Our Values

• Caring and Compassionate
• Open, Honest and Accountable
• Collaborative, Inclusive and Adaptive

These Values have greatly influenced the development of the Customer Strategy as they relate to a culture that encourages our people to act ethically and create the right conditions for change and improvement.

In tandem with the other Corporate Strategies, the Customer Strategy has been created to support positive change in the council and those Values are a thread through many of the activities and actions in the strategy.

This strategy will help the organisation develop the capabilities and knowledge to transform the council for the future.

The following factors reflect the challenges and opportunities that the council is likely to face and the strategy will address.

Societal Trends and Customer Needs

Customer service trends and customer expectations are likely to continue to evolve in the next five years.

The norms of customer service will be influenced by wider societal trends and the innovations and market disruptions that occur in other sectors, in addition to the changing needs in our local area.

This will require the council to adapt services accordingly and at pace in order to continue to meet the most pressing needs and expectations of our service users and respond appropriately to any risks and opportunities.

The Customer Strategy will ensure that the council continues to prioritise customer needs in the development of service and transformation plans. The voice of the customer will be promoted in our decision-making and will be a key consideration in our approach to service improvement.

Some of the expected trends that will impact upon the way that the council operates are outlined below:

Economic and Market factors

The financial context is challenging and will require changes that will fundamentally impact upon the future composition of council services and the services that are provided to customers in the next five years.

Economic and market factors will have to be closely monitored for the duration of this strategy, with steps taken to mitigate their impact on council services, where possible. In anticipation of rising demand for key services the council will have to review and adapt service provision, in consultation with users and in response to the budget position.

Demographic Diversity

We serve a broad spectrum of people in growing and vibrant towns and the diversity of our service users, in all its forms, is ever increasing.

Every person who resides in or works in West Lothian will access or experience council services at some point in their daily life. It is vital to ensure that we design our services around the people that we serve.

Reducing inequalities in society underpins a number of the strategic outcomes and objectives of the council. But, as a service provider, we also want to understand and address any barriers people may experience to accessing services and find out how we can better serve the whole community.

Technology, Automation and the Demand for Technical Skills

Digital services and on-demand transactions are becoming ever more present in all areas of society, with the pace of technology-enabled change in other sectors driving customer expectation about the way that public services can be accessed and delivered.

In the next five years, the council will need to maximise the use of proven technology by introducing systems and appropriately skilled staff to meet the changing demands of our customer base. The demand for digital channels and flexible service provision across all market sectors accelerated during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Previously resistant groups are now engaging and transacting via different channels, though some still prefer to utilise more traditional methods. The council will ensure that new technologies offer a positive experience for customers to help support them to transact digitally.

Automated customer services can also improve the speed and effectiveness of customer services. The council will have to undertake targeted work on the automation of internal processes and systems that can provide quick, reliable and robust outcomes for the customer.

Legislation and Regulation

Each council service has to be delivered and developed in line with the relevant legislative/regulatory frameworks and officers will have to ensure that future changes are considered and implemented timeously and with due consideration for the impact it may have on service users.

Changes in the legislation can impact upon the level of service that customers receive from councils and sometimes, the way that it will be provided.

Climate Change and Sustainability

The strategy will ensure that, where possible, green options are reviewed when procuring or sourcing new technologies and digital services.

The council will also review potential suppliers' use of renewable energy sources and commitment to reducing their carbon footprint.

The strategy has four outcomes, that we will work to advance in the next five years.

The Council will monitor our success in the outcomes with appropriate performance indicators and targets set to encourage performance improvement.

Outcome 1

A culture that prioritises the customer

The council has a unique place in the lives of anyone who lives, works and learns in West Lothian.

The council will continue to put the customer at the centre of decision-making and prioritise the delivery of a positive customer experience by designing services with the customer in mind and put in place the culture and conditions that will support our staff to deliver positive outcomes for customers.

It is intended that this culture not only results in more satisfied customers and better outcomes for West Lothian but also, that our staff feel they are part of a purpose-driven organisation that is dedicated to improving lives.

In support of developing a positive culture that priorities the customer, the council will:

• Work with our customers: the council will continue to invest in building a strong, collaborative relationship with our customers that is based on trust and understanding. The council will communicate more effectively our purpose, strategic priorities and ambitions (see Action 1) and will also continue to involve customers in the development of strategy and priority setting.
• Know our customers: we will improve our understanding of customer needs, utilising customer insights and research on trends, innovations and customer behaviours to inform decision making and change processes.
• Match our culture to the strategy: we will promote the values, behaviours and a WLC Way of Working that will support outstanding customer service. Through our People Strategy, the council will adapt our management and staff development approaches to prioritise customer orientation, with support and training resources that will improve skills and knowledge and result in improved levels of customer service.
• Invest in customers: we will prioritise our investment of council resources in the issues that matter most to customers, including staff, time and financial resources. This will support the council to find ways to protect and enhance services that are most impactful and important to the community.
• Prioritise customer experience in our transformation approach: we will co-create new services and service changes with our customers, using their input to review and improve the customer experience (see Action 2).
• Measure success: we will continue to make customer-centric results key metrics for assessing the performance and success of the council (see Action 3).

Performance will be monitored in this outcome through:

* The data for this indicator is collected at functional (WLAM) unit level

Outcome 2

Services are designed to meet customer needs

The period of this strategy will be one of substantial change in the council, as we work to reduce the cost of delivering services, whilst retaining the same council-wide focus on high quality service provision and innovation.

To ensure that we continue to address needs, the council will have to examine the value and impact of key council services from the perspective of the customer, which will require review of the different touchpoints and channels that customers will experience.

We will also consider the views and inputs of staff, partners and suppliers in order to create a holistic and seamless design.

In order to ensure that our services are designed to meet the needs of customers, the council will:

• Seamless customer service: processes should be as simple as possible, with a focus on reducing steps and having clear ownership and accountability at every stage. The council will review key processes to remove barriers, reduce unnecessary steps and deliver seamless progression across different stages, from request through to fulfilment (see Action 4).
• Retain local connection: the council recognises that some of our customers prefer or need more traditional channels, such as face to face contact and telephone. The council will continue to provide choice to customers in the way that they access services, wherever possible.
• Personalisation: council services, such as schools, social care, housing and financial advice and support, are person-centred and tailored to meet individual needs. Personalisation recognises individuals will have different needs and preferences and it often empowers customers to make choices about the way that they receive services. In addition, the council extends choice and personalisation to other areas of provision, such as offering different access channels and communication methods.
• Autonomy: our staff will be supported and empowered to make appropriate decisions that will help them timeously resolve requests and enquiries to customers' satisfaction and remove barriers to access.
• Anticipate needs and respond quickly to change: the council will scan the external environment, identifying societal trends and innovations that may directly influence service user needs and expectations and identify how to respond to new opportunities. This will be led by a corporate board.

Performance will be monitored in this outcome through:

* The data for this indicator is collected at functional (WLAM) unit level

Outcome 3

Enhancing our digital offer

The council will continue to maintain local connections and access to council services via more traditional methods, where it is required.

Much of council provision is delivered in a community setting and the council will continue to look for ways to strengthen our provision through the use of technology, where it can improve the service or increase our efficiency.

A key part of the council's approach to transformation is the expansion of digital innovation in our ways of working. As well as increasing flexibility and choice to customers, extending our use of technology and automation will help to make services more sustainable.

The council will investigate opportunities that will allow the organisation to harness the potential of technologies and improve customer experiences, including:

• Digitising transactions and automation: digital services can harness the power and convenience of the web to make interactions quicker, simpler and more secure for customers. The council will continue to identify processes that can be partly or wholly automated in order to increase flexibility and reduce costs (see Action 5).
• Increasing customer empowerment through self-service and process automation: the council will utilise technologies that allow customers the option to self-serve, via portals and webforms, as this is often a more convenient option for the service user. Customers can use self-service options to submit queries, request services or make payments without the time and cost of visiting an office or calling a contact centre.
• Channel digitisation: the council will consider its use of social media platforms during the period of this strategy (see Action 6), exploring opportunities to extend use in line with customer demand in order to increase our reach and improve the customer experience.
• Developing digital skills and knowledge: the council will identify skills gaps in respect to digital and technical skills and will build our capacity and knowledge in key areas of automation and service design.
• Supporting customers to make the transition to digital services: we will ensure our web services are easy to use in order to support those who want to transact this way to shift to online services.

Performance will be monitored in this outcome through:

* New Indicator

Outcome 4

Improving the customer experience

Good customer experience requires understanding of what people need and value and requires the council to think about service provision from the customers' perspective.

This means every stage, from how the customer accesses a service to make a request, to how the service communicates with the customer and through to delivery of the request.

At each stage the customer should feel like their request is being handled with care and professionalism and importantly, that they are being listened to by the council.

There are many touch points in the council, where a customer can interact with different services across different channels. The council must identify the ways it can track that experience and how it can collect, analyse and share customer insights for action.

In order to improve the customer experience across all services, the council will:

• Improve engagement and consultation: the council will review our approach to consultation and engagement, ensuring that we focus on collecting data that offers better customer insight for target groups (see Action 7). This will include reviewing our utilisation of the Citizens Panel and how we can maximise participation.
• Promoting the Voice of the Customer / Customer Experience: we will use the learning from customers to inform investment decisions and improve internal systems of communication, staff development (see Action 3).
• Increasing learning and knowledge: we will analyse customer feedback, user behaviours, access data, undertake research and benchmarking and monitor trends and other datasets to identify potential improvements and innovations.
• Customer participation in review: we will review services and processes with the involvement of customers, using their views to improve services and performance (see Action 2).

Performance will be monitored in this outcome through:

* The data for this indicator is collected at functional (WLAM) unit level

** this indicator has been suggested by the Customer Champions - not currently measured by services

We will focus on actions that will improve the customer experience, increase the efficiency and effectiveness of services and advance or use of technologies that will increase choice and/or reduce costs.