Issue - meetings

Please note: Appendix 1 is marked “to follow”.

Report CSD21073

The report provided information on the performance of the Customer Service Contract provided by Liberata for the period 1^st December 2020 to 31^st May 2021.  A letter from Amanda Inwood-Field, Contract Director for Liberata, provided her update on each individual element and her letter was attached at Appendix 1 of the report.

In opening the discussion, the Chairman noted that throughout the period from March to May there had been a steady deterioration in the performance of the contact centre and asked what action was being taken to mitigate the downward trend.  In response, the Committee heard that throughout April and May there had been an increased number of calls relating to the elections and registrations of marriages, births and deaths.  Performance had been closely monitored and recent data evidenced an improvement in performance.

In relation to the review of the Council’s website, the Chairman requested that a particular effort be made to remove expired pages.  The Committee noted that the programme to review and refresh the website content had already started and as part of this old content would be deleted.

Noting that that no surveys had been sent out in April and May, the Vice-Chairman queried whether surveys were now being sent to customers.  In response, the Committee were informed that April and May had been the period of transition to the new survey.  121 surveys had been sent in the current period and measures were being put in place to increase the number of surveys being sent.  Customers who contacted the Council by telephone or in person were provided with a friendly URL or alternatively a paper copy of the survey could be supplied if required.

Noting that the number of surveys sent out was currently comparatively small, the Committee were told that following the changes that had been implemented, future reports to the Committee would evidence a significant increase in the number of surveys.

The Committee requested that the next monitoring report provide details of any analysis of equality impact in terms of increased digitalisation, particularly the impact on vulnerable adults and children.  Members noted that no individual details were collected in terms of the protected characteristics of customers engaging with the Contact Centre.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.