Lambeth Council recognised that it had to adapt how it delivers services and look beyond generic service provision to one that gives its customers an excellent experience across all forms of contact.
As customer service in the public and private sector becomes more competitive and efficient, residents’ expectations are increasing. People want quick service and timely, accurate and relevant information.
The new customer experience strategy sets out a plan to move Lambeth from a council that performs functions to one that is equipped to deliver excellent outcomes through staff training, technology and the availability of consistent information across all channels.
Councillor Andy Wilson, Cabinet Member for Finance and Performance, said: “This really is an exciting time for Lambeth as we introduce two customer focussed initiatives: the new customer experience strategy and customer standards.
“Lambeth is a fantastic borough in which to live and work. We wanted to understand the areas that were important to our service users and consulted a wide mix of people including representatives from resident groups, businesses, delivery partners and staff forums.
“The feedback showed us that departments need to take ownership of queries and work collaboratively to deliver quick and consistent results. But also demonstrate that we really do put our customers first and show this across all areas of contact.
“Developing the strategy and standards is not a one-off exercise. It will evolve as we work with our services and all business areas and delivery partners who will need to adopt them and deliver to them.”
Lambeth Council has set a target that by 2024 every aspect of council decisions, strategies, processes and plans will pivot around whether the outcomes improve the customer experience.
The customer experience strategy and customer standards are available on the council’s website.
