MEMORANDUM

DATE:    3/11/2004

TO:         Management Team

FROM:   Customer Service Subcommittee

RE:         Report and recommendations related to customer service

In January of 2003, the Management Team participated in a virtual CEO exercise.  The exercise identified end user/customer service as important because citizen perception was seen as the key to the City’s credibility.  Those participating in the exercise ranked customer service as having the highest impact of nineteen principal elements of the organization but scored our performance in this area the lowest of the elements surveyed.

In order to address this issue, a subcommittee of the Management Team was established to study issues related to customer service.  Fred DeVictor, Casey Liebst, Lisa Patterson, Karin Rexroad, Sheila Stogsdill, and Barry Walthall served as members while Ed Mullins served as the chair.

The subcommittee met on five separate occasions to address four specific areas - defining customer service, establishing customer service standards, training staff, and obtaining customer feedback/monitoring performance.  Below is a report on their work, including a number of recommendations related to each of the four areas.

Customer Service Definition

According to the City’s Mission Statement, “how we get the job done is as important as getting the job done,” and, “our interactions with the community will be professional, responsive, direct, personal, caring, and appropriate.”   

The subcommittee drafted the statement below as an attempt to use that language to define how customer service should be provided by City employees.

The City of Lawrence will interact with the community in a professional, responsive, caring manner that meets or exceeds the customer’s expectations.  We will provide clear, direct communications, while striving to be a partner when responding to a request for service.

The definition focuses on the quality of the interaction between employees and customers.  It is not always possible to give customers exactly what they want.  However, City employees should be able to meet or exceed the customer’s expectations of the level of customer service they receive.   

It is the recommendation of the subcommittee that this definition be distributed to employees and customers.

Customer Service Standards

In addition to the definition, written standards can provide employees with a clear directive by stating the level of customer service they are expected to provide in objective, easy to measure terms.  Written standards can also give customers an idea of what level of service they should expect to receive from their interaction with employees of the City. 

The standards and “how to” statements drafted by the subcommittee are attached.  It is the recommendation of the subcommittee that after appropriate review, a copy of these standards be given to all employees, as well as published on the internet and made available for customers in all City facilities.  It is also the recommendation of the subcommittee that the document be distributed and discussed as part of new employee orientation. 

Customer Service Training

Currently, some City employees attend customer service training provided by department staff or workshops and sessions provided by outside corporations and agencies.  Because customer service has such a high impact and all employees are expected to provide a high level of customer service, it is important that employees receive consistent, high quality training related to customer service.

Unfortunately, there is a cost, time, and administrative burden associated with providing training for all employees and each department may have different needs.  It is the recommendation of the subcommittee that additional funds be allocated to all departments in order to ensure all employees have access to customer service training. 

It is also the recommendation of the subcommittee that customer service training be provided in a way similar to computer training offered by the City.  The subcommittee is willing to develop an RFP and then evaluate and select a vendor to provide training on a variety of customer service topics throughout the year.  Individual employees can then sign up to attend sessions that address their individual needs and/or needs of their department.  This training could be supplemented by outside training workshops and opportunities as needed.  

A large number of employee interactions with customers are over the telephone.  There are a number of features such as transfer, hold, camp, and park that can assist employees in providing better customer service over the phone.  New employees receive training on the phones and training manuals are available, however, these skills can diminish over time.  It is the recommendation of the subcommittee that phone training, provided by the Information Systems Department, be included as part of the customer service related training opportunities offered by the City. 

Customer Feedback/Monitoring Performance

Last year, the City conducted an image survey of employees and a select group of community leaders.  Every two years, the City conducts a citizen survey through the University of Kansas.  Customers also have an opportunity to submit feedback via the City’s webpage.  This feedback is important and can give elected officials as well as staff a general idea of how satisfied our citizens are with services we provide and the manner in which we provide them. 

There are also departments that target surveys to obtain data from customers who have actually used their services.  Transit conducts surveys on their buses in order to obtain information from riders.  The Finance Department has surveyed customers concerning utility billing issues.  The Department of Utilities surveys residents in a particular neighborhood upon completion of major projects.  Using a similar approach in other departments could provide a more accurate measure of customer satisfaction.  For instance, a survey mailed only to those customers who have had their water shut off recently rather than to all water customers could provide a better measure of the level of service provided by utility billing representatives.

Developing a customer comment card, similar to those found in restaurants, and making it available to customers can also provide timely feedback specific to a department and/or program.   

It is the recommendation of the subcommittee that all departments be encouraged to obtain customer satisfaction data in order to monitor their customer service level by creating targeted surveys or customer comment cards.  If possibly, the survey provided by KU should also be modified to obtain more specific customer satisfaction data.

Assuming reliable, useful data can be collected, analyzing and using customer service satisfaction data can be difficult.  Comparing our performance to that of other jurisdictions is one effective use.  It is the recommendation of the subcommittee that the City explore ways such as the ICMA Center for Performance Measurement to obtain benchmarking data so we may compare our performance with that of surrounding communities.  It is the recommendation of the subcommittee that training specific to this topic be provided for the Management Team.

Conclusion

After studying issues related to customer service, the recommendations of the subcommittee are as follows.

• The definition of customer service above should be distributed to all employees and made available to customers.

• The attached customer service standards should be distributed to all employees and made available for customers.  The standards should be reviewed by the management team and the ERC and should be incorporated into employee performance evaluations.  The standards should also be reviewed as part of new employee orientation.

• Additional funds should be allocated to all departments in order to provide customer service training for employees.  An RFP should be developed and a vendor selected to provide training in a method similar to computer training offered by the City.  Training should include sessions on using the features of our phones to better serve our customers. 

• All departments should be encouraged to obtain customer satisfaction data in an appropriate manner.  Training on how to develop feedback mechanisms and use the results should be provided to the Management Team.  Existing surveying efforts should be reviewed and modified if necessary in order to obtain more specific data.

• The City should explore ways to obtain benchmarking data from surrounding communities in order to allow for comparisons of services and customer satisfaction levels.

The recommendations are intended to prompt discussion by the Management Team and find ways to help employees provide a level of service that meets or exceeds our customers’ expectations.