A contract was put in place to allow customers to make payments at the Post Office and Pay Point enabled retail outlets, with a bar coded payment card. The telephone contact service was also enhanced in response to feedback from the Residents’ Survey indicating this as the most popular method of contact with the Council.
Local Office Network Rationalisation
Introduction
Key activities
Benefits and impacts
Learning
East Ayrshire Council has rationalised its local office network recognising the changing demands of its customer base. The previous network of 18 offices included a significant element of part-time locations. These were typically in older buildings needing investment in order to support modern customer service delivery. The local office improvement project identified five key communities that should retain a face to face council presence and a customer services “hub” was created in each of these towns and villages, with additional staff resources allocated as appropriate.
Theme: Service Transformation
The rationalisation of the local office network has allowed the Council the opportunity to improve customer service while reducing revenue costs by £0.100m.
Figures illustrate the success of the new approach. In 2013/14, less than 8,000 transactions were conducted via the Post Office and Paypoint: by 2015/16, this figure had risen to 123,000, representing income of £5.4 million for the Council.
Customer engagement and extensive publicity ensured that customers knew what was happening and were ready to change how they engaged with the Council. Zero complaints were received following the reduction in numbers.
Contact details:
To find out more about this case study, please contact:
Craig McArthur
Head of Finance and ICT
East Ayrshire Council
craig.mcarthur@east-ayrshire.gov.uk
01563 576598
Case study added to site: June 2016
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