Issue - meetings

To consider the report by the Head of Customer

The Place and Resources Overview Committee considered the report by

the Head of Customer who described the strategy, the process that formed it and the impact of it on the customer. The Customer Strategy reflected the voice of Dorset Council customers and set the expectations for easy, accessible, and inclusive services that are convenient to use through information, advice, processes, people and technology opportunities. The link between this strategy and the Our Future Council programme was emphasised by the Corporate Director for Transformation, Customer & Cultural Services.

Following the presentation, recognition was shared to the Head of Customer for the time taken to introduce this item to committee members in advance of the meeting.

The discussion that followed covered several key areas-

·       Digital skills and digital exclusion were identified as a potential barrier to a good customer experience, although digital inclusion is not a fixed state.

·       The work completed around digitalisation and the support structures already in place such as digital champions.

·       The opportunity to learn from other councils who have already implemented parts of this strategy to shorten the learning curve and mitigate any pain points.

·       The importance of making sure that the aspirational expectations were grounded in the reality of what is deliverable.

·       The importance of libraries as customer access points.

·       The integration of this strategy within the wider Our Future Council programme

·       The importance in ensuring this strategy is embedded across the organisation through clear objectives and clear feedback.

·       The importance of funding and clear measures to make sure this strategy resulted in delivery.

·       The addition of a customer impact assessment to reports

Following the discussion the recommendations in the paper were proposed by Cllr Brown seconded by Cllr Taylor and Unanimously agreed.