CUSTOMER SERVICE TASK FORCE
MINUTES
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011
2:53 PM
TIM HORTON’S ROOM – TOURISM CENTRE
ROLL CALL
Present:
Sally Paul, Judy Wong Page, Vic Bohdanow, Ted Salisbury, Daniela
Di Francesco, Councillor Dignan-Rumble, Kathy Weidhaas, Jan
Chalk, Greg Demers, Laurie Schunk
Regrets:
Councillor Bucci, Councillor Vanderstelt, Deborah Felice, Jackie
Murphy, Matt Reniers, Trudy Belanco, Elly vandermade
1.
DELEGATIONS
None
2.
DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
None
3.
CONSENT ITEMS
None
4.
ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION
4.1
REVIEW OF DRAFT REPORT TO COUNCIL (CM2011-069)
The draft Staff Report CM2011-069 (Customer Service Task Force) was previously
circulated to Members of the Task Force and was reviewed at the meeting. T.
Salisbury noted that since there is only one Member of Council present at the
meeting, a separate meeting of all Council representatives on the Task Force will
be held to review the Report.
It was noted that Customer Relationship
Management (CRM) is a major component of the implementation of customer
service, however there is no funding identified at this point.
It was noted that this is a Council-driven initiative and requires support from
Members of Council to move forward.
Each recommendation was reviewed. It was agreed to recommend that the
Customer Service Task Force continue to ensure the other recommendations are
implemented. The core areas that have been identified in previous meetings have
been incorporated into the recommendations. It is recommended that the
Customer Service Department, under the direction of the CAO or be referred to the
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JULY 14, 2011 - MINUTES
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Human Resources Committee of Council to determine reporting position, be
established to provide leadership for the Customer Service Plan. J. Chalk
indicated that there is opportunity for the City’s Website Team to reposition in the
Corporation, if that is Council’s wishes.
With respect to recommendation #5, it was clarified that the “backend systems”
refer to all the corporate programs that will allow for tracking and management of
CRM. T. Salisbury advised that it could take a long period of time to establish
CRM within the Corporation. He referred to conversations with other municipalities
who have implemented CRM relating to one specific service and noted that
significant funding is required to proceed to implement corporate wide. He
suggested that one service be focused on for CRM tracking and management. J.
Chalk provided information on the requirements to implement a Customer
Relationship Management system. She suggested that the Customer Service
Department be established prior to proceeding with CRM. She will investigate the
implementation cost and report back. T. Salisbury noted that the recommendation
for funding will be presented for the 2012 budget.
Recommendation #6 outlines the option of 311 (Call Centre) models. It would
appear that many of the large call centres from the municipal perspective are
reconsidering this option and moving towards models such as eGovt or other
technology advances. The consensus of the Task Force was that while the
telephone is an important part of customer service that is provided by the City, a
central call centre is not the most effective option. A more enhanced telephone
system or channel will be evaluated. It was felt that buying the domain “Brantford
311” would be beneficial and would allow opportunities. J. Chalk will investigate
this suggestion.
It was agreed to reword recommendation #7 to read “Add expanded mobile and
social media channels to eGovt project”.
Reviewing the remainder of the Report, T.Salisbury indicated that it is common for
some form of recognition for employees. The Task Force discussed various
methods of cost-effective recognition. It was agreed to amend the Report to
identify that a form of reward program be included.
In response to questioning relating to leadership and training, T. Salisbury
expressed the view that the Members of the Customer Service Task Force be the
first to be trained and then are expected to be ambassadors to promote customer
service. K. Weidhaas projected that complete training for all employees would be
approximately $25,000. This amount does not include any form of recognition or
reward but would allow for a training program to be established for any new
employee.
In order for a Customer Service Plan to be successful, it needs to be Implemented,
there needs to be staff dedicated and show leadership and there has to have a
budget and funding for the initiatives. Ideally it would be beneficial to have a
central Customer Service counter in a facility where all municipal services are
offered. Referring to the “Manager of First Impressions”, the Task Force discussed
how to best offer a central customer service counter. It was noted that when you
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JULY 14, 2011 - MINUTES
PAGE 3
walk into any municipal facility, there is no “customer service” area or signage to
assist visitors. It was agreed that a central customer service area, including the
possible relocation of switchboard, be created.
Referring to the IT / IS Technology, J. Chalk suggested that the key features of the
eGovernment should be “solution” rather than strategies. Other wording was
suggested and it was agreed to amend the Report to reflect clarification on internal
customer service. She provided information on the potential of the expansion of
the intranet service for employees.
With regard to financial implications, Members of the Task Force will assist with
providing cost estimates to implement various components of the Plan that are
relevant.
5.
NEXT STEPS
Next meeting date – August
Bring to Council for consideration in September.
6.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 4:24 p.m.