As part of the work that is taking place to improve efficiency and effectiveness across the organisation, North East Lincolnshire Council is undertaking a review of the way it interacts with residents and customers.
The aim of the review is to improve the customer experience, making interactions easier, improving the ways that residents receive information, report issues, make payments and apply for or book council services, by using new approaches and technology.
Face to face consultation will begin with customers who visit the council’s cashier counters and customer access points in Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Immingham from Wednesday 12 September. Visitors to the council website will have the opportunity to complete the survey online and it will also be sent by email to those customers who have registered with the council’s website.
Focus groups of North East Lincolnshire residents, recruited from across the community will take place at the end of September, ensuring that a cross section of council customers is able to give their views.
Residents will be asked about a number of subjects including:
- Increasing the amount of information about services on the council’s website;
- Enabling customers to pay for more services on-line;
- Using more electronic forms for information collection or applications;
- Introducing mobile phone applications which will allow customers to report issues such as potholes, graffiti, or failed street lights
- Using text messaging to alert customers to services, or planned changes to services
- Making more services accessible through the telephone contact centre, and the single (01472) 313131 number
- Gathering better information about how our customers access our services, so that we can design better ways to serve them in the future.
Councillor Chase, portfolio holder for citizens and partnerships said:
“We are confident that this consultation will give us a vital insight into why customers currently access our services and information the way that they do. It will also inform us about the alternative methods they would use if they were improved or available and what help and support they may need to do that.”
“We will of course still prioritise our more vulnerable customers and they will be considered fully in any changes that we implement in the coming months”