Multi-Channel Customer Contact: Channels, Choice and Change Glasgow PSCSF Oct 2013 Gerald Power www.trapeze-transforma

1. Multi-ChannelCustomer Contact: Channels, Choice and ChangeGlasgow PSCSF Oct 2013Gerald Powerwww.trapeze-transformation.com

2. Todays Session • The aims of this presentation are to: • Stimulate some critical thinkingon what you have heard today • Show the value of a benefits based approach and use of evidence and insight to mitigate risk • Emphasise how important it is to take a holistic approach to channel use and channel shift

3. Who have we worked with? • We have worked across a wide range organisations: • Cabinet Office, Ministers and Direct.gov • Local Government • Jobcentre Plus • Third Sectorand Industry • DWP, HMRC, DoT, DH, CLG and others

4. Message 1: It’s the dog that wags the tail – services determine channels

5. Fashions Change • In Vogue • Web-chat • Social Media • SMS • Apps & Phones • Multi-Channel • Out of Fashion • Face to Face • The Call Centre • Paper • E-mail • Posters and leaflets

6. Example 1: Reducing Face to Face • This was a Borough Council in England: • Very successful award-winning F2F proposition • Relatively affluent community • But, rising contact costs and falling utilisation • How to cut the cost without compromising the actual or perceived quality of service

7. Why were people are visiting face to face? UK Borough Council 2012 Data

8. Did the Residents Want or Need Face to Face? In this LA 70% of the population was web ‘savvy’ and didn’t want or need Face to Face for most services

9. But, there was a need to check where the 30% of residents that have higher desire/need for Face to Face were living All relatively easy with MOSAIC Face to Face was in the right place, but there was massive over-provision

10. Outcomes & Enablers • New ‘high value’ help desk proposition • Approx. £200K p.a. savings on-going by year 2 through giving up leases and reducing manpower • Customers happy and Ward Councillors happy Key Enablers • Communicating a clear and positive proposition • Actively managing out low and no value contact and adding value to what remains • Working across teams

11. Message 2: You must understand where the savings and improvements are coming from

12. Customer insight, process mapping and customer journey mapping If you don’t know what's linking the changes to the benefits there many be no gold at the end of the digital rainbow

13. Example 2: Online Forms • This was a Borough Council in England: • Had paper based Housing Benefits forms • Face to Face personnel heavily involved in new Housing Benefits applications • Sporadic problems with back-logs and processing times. • How to improve the service and make savings using online forms?

14. Making a Housing Benefit application ‘old’ I would like to make a claim Phone ask for paper form DWP/Pension Service In person at the Council Get paper form from web Complete paper form & post it or hand it in Normally sent electronically Gov-Tech processes form Claim uploaded on Northgate automatically

15. Making the Housing Benefit application ‘new’ Use paper form Online form DWP/Pension Service Phone application Complete paper form & post it or hand it in Gov-Tech processes form Claim uploaded on Northgate Phase out paper and phone is not elective

16. Making the Housing Benefit application ‘to be’ assisted The Assisted service will operate either via the phone or web using an ‘advocate’ type service Use paper form Online form DWP/Pension Service Phone application Complete paper form & post it or hand it in Gov-Tech processes form Claim uploaded on Northgate Aim to phase out paper

17. But, where’s the saving? Where does investing in digital save you manpower effort and premises costs?

18. Processing the Housing Benefit application - ‘old process’ Create case on Civica Assess the claim on Northgate Process extra evidence Identify requirement for extra evidence Make Decision Receive extra evidence Contact applicant Decision appealed Decision accepted Evidence gathering was the main source of delay and driver of customer and personnel effort. Both the CS and Benefits teams expend effort in contact with the customer to gather the required evidence by phone & letter.

19. Checking the application - ‘new’ Identify requirement for extra evidence Create case on Civica Initial check by benefits team identifies the evidence needed and this gets communicated to customer by letter, e-mail and text prior to the interview. Agree date for F2F interview Notify applicant of evidence required Assess the claim & make decision at Interview At the interview the benefits assessor can make a judgement and issue a decision letter. Decision appealed Decision accepted

20. Outcomes & Enablers • Major improvement in processing time • Customers happy and 80% + online applications • Councillors happy personnel happy • Cashable savings in F2F, potential back office savings Key Enablers • Deep understanding of the processes • Good metrics and monitoring • Clear and targeted communications [internal & external] • Courage to close channels

21. Message 3: Insight, communication and behaviour change

22. Understanding behaviour, understanding your personnel and customers and delivering change Build it and they will come…. if you did your homework

23. For every Amazon and Facebook there are many forgotten online failures Success requires a very good understanding of your customers, your services and the technology

24. Its a household name and most of us have used it • Its had a volatile and very high profile history • It was part of the .com bubble that burst Key Lessons from lastminute.com • Marketing can win the new channel customers • But, e-business still have back office costs • Sometimes its your behaviour that needs to change

25. Customer Insight

26. Example 3: Getting Customers Online • This was a consortium of partners in England: • Multiple partners interested in getting service users online • Big commitment for ‘self service’ • Channel shift needs to happen against a backdrop of service cuts • How do you get the customers to shift?

27. Outcomes & Enablers • More than 70% self service was going to be hard • But, we could communicate directly with more than 50% of service users via three thematic groups • Coaching, communication and working through key partners was going to be critical Key Enablers • Understanding who is capable of self service • Understanding what's possible/credible • Marketing behaviour change at specific groups • Choosing the right partners based on location and reach

28. Did Residents Use Digital Now? Digital channel usage from mosaic: Service users and general population

29. Can Residents Self-Serve? Self-service propensity from mosaic: service users and general population

30. How to Communicate? These represent more than 50% of service users

31. Where to Communicate? Mosaic type O69-vulnerable young parents

32. Message 4: Partnerships and enlightened self interest is the future

33. Your service users are also somebody else's service users DWP Social Landlords Housing Provision State Benefits Social Services Phone/ internet Education Health TV/Sport/ Films Industry Emergency Housing Housing Benefit Local Authorities

34. Mutual Benefits • Organisations are increasingly recognising that: • There is mutual benefit in looking beyond their organisations remit • No single organisation has the reach or resources to change the behaviour of this client group • Bring together the right partners and you probably do have the ability to get these people self-serving

35. Todays Session • Critical thinking – Challenge channel solutions you are presented with, the good options will survive it never assume a channel is ‘cheap’ • Evidence and insight – These are vital in creating a robust benefits based business case and implementation plan • Holistic approach – You must think about the end to end journey and end to end process, plus the bigger context of your service

36. Change often involves a leap of faith But, it shouldn’t be a leap in the dark Gerald PowerThere are more resources available at our websitewww.trapeze-transformation.com