Channel Shift Strategy

July 2015

Contents

Introduction page 3

A changing digital landscape page 5

Potential for Digital by Default page 6

Our Digital by Default principles page 7

Principle 1 – Information page 8

Principle 2 - Transactional page 9

Principle 3 - Assisted Digital page 10

Principal 4 – Customer Insight page 11

Principle 5 - Champion page 12

Principle 6 – Signpost page 13

Principle 7 – Platform page 14

Principle 8 – Simple page 15

Further Reading page 17

Introduction Our objective is to provide the same excellent Customer Service we offer face to face and by telephone six days a week – online 24/7. Our mission:- “Excellent, value for money Customer Service, when and where our Customers want it” In providing this we will become “Digital by Default” in the way that we provide services to the community in Fenland. Digital by Default is a term taken from the Government’s Digital Strategy1 published in 2012. It means that we will provide “digital services that are so straightforward and convenient that all those who can use them will choose to do so whilst those who can’t are not excluded”. This approach is about providing more open, transparent and accessible services to the community. It is about making our website www.fenland.gov.uk the central hub of customer contact; where any question about our services can be answered easily and simply, where transactions can be carried out quickly and in one visit, at any time and when it’s convenient for customers not the Council. Our website has started its journey towards a central contact hub, as these figures show:-

Becoming digital by default will allow us to concentrate our traditional service delivery channels of face to face (at Fenland @ your service Shops and Community Hubs) and our Telephone Contact Centre on more complex queries, where customers need more in-depth assistance and longer time interaction with us. Digital by Default is not about closing the above service channels. We are one of the few Councils in the country to have Customer Service Excellence (CSE)8 accreditation for the whole Council. CSE demonstrates that the citizen is at the heart our service provision. It is about providing services for all that are efficient, effective, excellent, equitable and empowering.

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Customer contact by channel

Web

Face to Face

Contact Centre

Digital by default will save us money as well. In the current financial climate that local authorities find themselves in, there is a continuing requirement to save money. This can be done by digitising processes, providing a truly transactional website that is customer initiated. Digital by default is not “digital or nothing”. Where customers are new to digital channels, lack confidence or simply lack facilities to get on-line, we will help. We will do this by “Assisted Digital”. This is a term taken from Central Government2 that fits for local government as well. We will also use the same principle for how we process information when interacting with customers, in that we will use the same on-line process when talking to customers on the telephone or face to face. By having self-service and “assisted digital” offers side by side, we will provide a single Customer Service experience – the customer will use it independently to self-serve, and our staff will help the customer to use it when using “assisted digital”. Digital by default is about behaviour change. It’s not just about compelling customers to interact differently. It’s about helping customers become “digital savvy”. The internet is not just about contacting us, or Central Government. It covers all aspects of modern life from shopping, watching TV and films, researching facts, ordering a takeaway to checking the time of trains, and much more. Helping our customers access our services digitally will help them access a huge range of products and services independently themselves. It is often the case that in the commercial world, digital means cheaper. As a Council providing digital services, but also assisted digital services we can make a real difference to our community in a way much wider than just often brief and infrequent contact with us. We can become “digital enablers” for our community. We must remain realistic. Internet access, mobile 3G /4G coverage, smartphone ownership and internet skills are seem nationally as ubiquitous now. However, there is “digital deprivation” locally that stems from isolated properties having poor internet connections, an ageing population and poor mobile phone signals making smartphones less effective. Super-fast broadband is arriving but often, peoples’ skills to enable them to use it are not. This is why “assisted digital” is an important part of our strategy.

A changing digital landscape Our services are currently not geared up to be delivered this way. Ten years ago, when we invested in four high quality High Street Fenland @ your service Shops and a new Telephone Contact Centre we were very much focusing on traditional contact channels. The digital landscape has changed beyond recognition in this time. An Oxford Internet Institute survey3 showed:- In 2005, 30% of households do not have a computer. In 2013, this was 24%. In 2005, there was very basic internet access from mobile phones. In 2011, 34% of people with a mobile phone use it to browse the internet. In 2013, 52% of people with a mobile phone use it to browse the internet. In 2005, 94% of teenagers used the internet. In 2013, this was 100%. In 2005, 27% of those aged over 65 used the internet. In 2013, this was 39%. In 2005, 29% of households with an annual income below £12,500 used the internet. In 2013, this had risen to 58%. In 2005, 36% of people with disabilities used the internet. In 2013, this had risen to 51%. The internet, particularly using mobile devices is taking over all aspects of life. OFCOM4 reported in 2013 that:- 75% of households have broadband. 94% of adults have and /or use a mobile phone. The use of Council websites is also changing. It is no longer the young and tech-savvy only using these. SOCITM5 reported in 2014 that:- More of the people who use Council websites are people over 65 (17%) than those in the 30-39 age range (12%). 88% of adults in East Anglia own or use a mobile phone in 2014. SOCITM’s Website Performance Service indicated that 31% of visits to Council websites in 2013 were made on mobile devices The Government’s Digital Landscape Research6 shows that internet access and in particular access to Government services on-line is higher than many think:- 54% of adults have used a government service on-line 46% of adults have also used a government transactional service on-line.

Potential for Digital by Default Our standards of Customer Service are high, evidenced by 95% of customers saying they were satisfied with our service at our Fenland @ your service Shops and Telephone Contact Centre when surveyed in 2014. Our website is changing to become more transactional. A year ago it looked like:-

It is now fresher and with more clear emphasis on self-service:-

Our Digital by Default principles This is more than a traditional Channel Shift strategy. Typically, these set out the costs of the different contact channels (web, phone, face to face, email, etc.) and set a target for moving from the latter to the former. Our strategy echoes that of Central Government – everything should be available digitally. Whether this is information, booking, applying for, paying for; the common central strand is that our website will have everything our customers need to be able to interact with the Council themselves, without contact. However, by including assisted digital in our strategy, we can help those customers who are unable to help themselves, or have additional needs that warrant a longer, more personal service. Our strategy is not about forcing customers on-line and denying other service channels. It is about opening up the Council on-line in the same way that the High Street has been for the last decade and to come closer to customers by offering high quality services not just 9-5 during the week and on Saturday mornings; but anytime and anywhere; at a time that suits the customer not our internal processes. These are the eight key principles that we will follow:-

1. Information. We will have up to date, detailed and easy to navigate information about all Council services on a website that proactively meets customer needs.

2. Transactional. We will ensure that customers will be able to do business with us on our website without the need for contacting us.

3. Assisted digital. We will help customers self-serve where they are unsure to enable them to become digitally independent. Our Customer Service model will move from “helping the customer” to “assisting the customer to help themselves”.

4. Customer insight. We will work with customers to understand how different demographic factors shape their approach to digital, to help them maximise the digital experience.

5. Champion. We will enable Council staff to become digitally focused by providing leadership and support to mainstream digital principles.

6. Signpost. We will promote digital by default in contact with customers at every opportunity.

7. Platform. We will make our channels consistent and uniform, to standardise the customer experience, particularly on mobile devices.

8. Simple. We will simplify the whole end to end process to take out double handling and duplication of information processing.

Principle 1 Information We will have up to date, detailed and easy to navigate information about all Council services on a website that proactively meets customer needs. We will maintain an up to date, ever changing website as the centrepiece of our Digital by default strategy. Current, interesting and evolving content brings customers back. It makes them use our website first before reaching for the phone or setting off to visit us. The quality of the user experience is vital. We will use simple language, reduce clutter and make navigation to further information easy. We will get the basics right! We will use dynamic website processes to show the most commonly asked questions so that the information that customers want, time after time, is there to hand. We will raise the game within the Council, challenging services to continually update content, find out what customers really want to know and make quick and real improvements to the website from customer insight. We will continually improve our website home page and subsequent pages to make them more informative (but concise), less cluttered and more focused. We will also actively seek website improvement suggestions from customers. We invite feedback on each of our web pages, so customers can help us improve content.

Find what you wanted? Tell us why not

Principle 2 Transactional We will ensure that customers will be able to do business with us on our website without the need for contacting us. Our website now has these quick links to transactional content that will build over the next few months:-

There are three stages to a truly transactional website that we will take:-

The central principle is that we will provide transactional opportunities on our website to handle common tasks like these:-

Report a missed bin

Arrange a bulky collection

Set up a Direct Debit for a Council service

Pay for all, not just some Council services

Report a change of address

Complete an on-line form for all top transactions

Now

Stage 1»»

Customer tells

us»»

We complete

service request»»

Service gets

instruction»»

Service

provided»»

Customer

notices it's

done

Short-term

Stage 2»»

Customer

compeletes e-

form

»»

Customer

knows we have

request but not

when it's done

»»Service gets

instruction»»

Service

provided»»

Customer

notices it's

done

Medium-term

Stage 3»»

Customer

compeletes e-

form

»»

Back-end

system

updated

automatically

»»

Customer gets

confirmation it's

done

Principle 3 Assisted Digital We will help customers self-serve where they are unsure to enable them to become digitally independent. Our Customer Service model will move from “helping the customer” to “assisting the customer to help themselves”. Our website will become guiding, as the illustration from the Government Assisted-Digital manual shows.

Assisted digital is about helping customers help themselves. It is about building their confidence in using on-line services. It can help give them opportunities to access other commercial services such as on-line shopping and travel and could save them money, which in turn will put more money into Fenland’s local economy. Just simple changes in how we greet customers will make a difference.

Our greeting now Our greeting in future

Face to face:- How can I help? (Advisor offers face to face customer a seat across a desk)

Face to face:- Let me show you how to get the information you’re after (Advisor takes customer to self-service terminal and guides customer)

By phone:- How can I help? (Advisor asks open question and responds accordingly to answer)

By phone:- Thanks for calling us. Have you used fenland.gov.uk? Did you know that…. (Advisor then answers query using our website as driver)

Moving to Assisted Digital will mean a different customer experience, which may mean longer waiting and transaction times in the short term, as both staff and customers get used to a different process. The central principle:-

Help customers to help themselves

Principle 4 Customer Insight We will work with customers to understand how different demographic factors shape their approach to digital, to help them maximise the digital experience. We will help all customer groups access our digital services, whether directly or assisted. We will map the needs of these groups and ensure that the changes we make to enable digital services allow all of these groups to still access our services. We will work with other public sector organisations to identify community champions to help us encourage digital by default and help fellow residents go on-line and use our digital services. We also will understand our website from a customer viewpoint, to create a user experience that customers want, not one that we think they want. In doing this we will not reinvent the wheel or use expensive proprietary software. We will use Connecting Cambridgeshire data that created “Persona Profiles” for Cambs:-

The “Persona Profiles” take digital exclusion data down to ward level – this is to areas small enough to contain a few hundred homes so we will do more to look at the customers we interact with to understand their needs. We will engage customers directly – what digital services do they want from us? What do they need to get on-line? How can we make our services more interesting to access digitally? In a recent Government survey5, 82% of those asked said they regularly go on-line. Over half used services like e-mail, searching, shopping, banking and social media yet only 27% used Central and Local Government services. That is the target to beat.

Principle 5 Champion We will enable Council staff to become digitally focused by providing leadership and support to mainstream digital principles. Service providers often look at customers’ experience of digital services and assume that customers are the barrier to moving digital forward. Customers are just the same as staff with regards digital – they just need the help and confidence to get to grips with digital services. Anyone can be “digitally challenged”. A lack of understanding, concern about the impact of digital and often just plain fear can act as barriers to people becoming “digitally-savvy”. Across the UK, advocates for helping the community get on-line and become “Digi-savvy” are apparent:-

We will connect to voluntary sources of help as well as other public sector organisations locally to help customers become more digitally aware and used to dealing with us on-line. We won’t forget our staff at all levels. Senior Managers will champion the web as our prime channel and constantly promote it as well as challenge it. We also identify enthusiastic members of services across the Council and enable them to champion and develop our website. We will follow the approach set out by Central Government. In his introduction to the Civil Service Reform Plan9, Frances Maud made a fundamental statement that we have adapted for Fenland:- “Fenland District Council where possible must become a digital organisation. These days the best service organisations deliver online everything that can be delivered online. This cuts their costs dramatically and allows access to information and services at times and in ways convenient to customers rather than the Council”.

Principle 6 Signpost We will promote digital by default in contact with customers at every opportunity. Nudging customers to on-line information is a key part of this shift. We have taken our address and phone number off our website home page. This encourages customers to look for the information they need without just reaching for the phone. Our contact details are still available with a further click here:-

In our Fenland @ your service Shops we will refocus on signage that makes our self-service terminals more prominent. Now:- To be replaced by:-

Reception Quick Queries – do it quick, here >

< Need Help? We can show you here

Principle 7 Platform We will make our channels consistent and uniform, to standardise the customer experience, particularly on mobile devices. At present, the experience looks the same on desktop and mobile:-

Our website will in future offer the best user experience that is dependent on device used. We will improve the “small screen experience” to make our website more useable on small screens without the need to manually resize the image.

Note that the central picture frame on these two website views is different. This is due to the frame changing every few seconds to scroll through the three top news items on our website.

Principle 8 Simple We will simplify the whole end to end process to take out double handling and duplication of information processing. This will make us really digital by default. The route to an outcome will be the same for both customers and staff, using our website as the primary route. This commonality will allow us to talk customers through a process as we do it on the phone, it will allow us to provide assisted digital when face to face and it will allow shared understanding that sees no boundary. This is not just process simplification but one process that everyone understands and uses.

Why is content management a key part of Digital by Default?

Fenland’s needs are diverse, with groups of residents with varying levels of online confidence. ONS research from 2011 (outlined in the chart below) shows that 90% of service users are open to accessing online services.

Whilst it is important to continue to support residents who cannot and are unable to access services online (aka digital inclusion), there is a clear opportunity to engage an increased number of customers to use our website to:

Find out information,

Self-serve to complete a transaction (i.e. report a missed bin). The gov.uk website is written for a reading age of 9 years old. This means that the majority of the population can understand its content. When tested, some of the content from our website was aimed at a university degree level. This shows that information is not being conveyed in a transparent or accessible way. Projects such as the Local Government Transparency Code and INSPIRE are examples of how district councils are expected to operate in an increasingly open way by allowing residents to access key data sets through a website.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Online and have used a governmenttransaction online

Online and have accessed governmentinformation online

Online and have not used governmentinformation or transactions online

Offline and willing to get online

Offline and unwilling to get online

The website is the council’s ‘shop window’. It is often the first method of contact for customers, businesses, visitors and partners. As such, this gives many people their first impression of the authority. Well written content will:

Offer customers an excellent service,

Create the foundations to unlock organisational-wide cost savings,

Make community engagement easier and relevant; crucial in a time where we are seeing to increase community capacity. To have poorly written, outdated, or a lack of information reduces consumer confidence and does not present the Council positively. Once a customer is disengaged (especially if they have a low level of internet confidence), it is difficult to re-engage them to access services through online channels. Improved content will reduce avoidable contact, which in turn is likely to reduce the demand for interaction through the more expensive face-to-face and telephone channels. The adult population in Fenland (over 19 years old) is 74,000 people. If a modest 10% made use of self-service channels avoided on average just one telephone call a year, this implies a potential saving of £17,760 in telephony costs.1 If a modest 3% made one less face-to-face interaction in a One Stop Shop/Hub, this implies a potential saving of £18,000.2 In reality, the objective would be to also switch users from face-to-face contact and encourage uptake of online transactional services. There is a great deal of opportunity to improve the content and the navigation of our website. A number of successfully projects have already been completed to achieve these objectives, such as the New Vision Fitness website. The improved content, navigation and design led to an increased number of hits, an improved user journey and an increase in self-service (i.e. finding out class times and making a booking.) High-quality, informative content is the necessary foundation to enable customers to self-serve through online forms and online payment. Empowering customers to be able to do this not only provides an improved website journey, but is likely to unlock staff capacity and cashable savings. Therefore, this document is designed to outline the key principles that will be used to:

Transform the website content,

Decide areas of focus,

Develop timescales of delivery.

1 An average telephone transaction costs £2.40

2 An average face-to-face transaction costs £8.50

Further reading Information referred to in this document can be accessed below. 1 Government Digital Strategy https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-strategy 2 Government approach to assisted digital

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-approach-to-assisted-digital

3 Oxford Internet Institute survey http://oxis.oii.ox.ac.uk/

4 OFCOM

http://media.ofcom.org.uk/facts/ 5 Cabinet Office – Digital Landscape Research

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-landscape-research 6 SOCITM – Better Connected 2014

https://www.socitm.net/research/socitm-insight/better-connected/better-connected-2014

7 Plain English Campaign http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/

8 Customer Service Excellence

http://www.customerserviceexcellence.uk.com/homeCSE.html

9 Civil Service Reform Plan https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-reform-plan