At our Customer Service Centre in Speke, Liverpool, the focus has been on ‘Digital First’, a concept taken on from other government departments which aims to provide a digital option for customers. Customers have previously said that they would like to have more options to contact the Customer Service Centre through digital channels, so their systems have been evolved to be able to offer this.
Stuart Jones, Customer Service Director, said:
“You will remember that our digital journey started when we launched our digital communication channels providing customers with a range of options last year. We more recently introduced a repairs web form, which customers can find on our website and fill in for non-urgent repairs. Initially this was in the form of a PDF and the challenge was that some customers found it difficult to use on certain browsers. Following their feedback we created a simpler repairs form which can be filled in on any device and any browser, without the need to print or email. The team process these web form requests within 24 hours and it is proving incredibly popular with our customers. You can find links to all our communication channels on our contact us page.
Within the Customer Service Centre we have started to trial a number of different ways to handle digital communications, some of which have not worked well leading to some delays, while others have been great, such as creating our digital team, who have significantly reduced wait times and improved the overall digital experience. Currently around 20% of the Customer Service transactions come through these digital channels and we are looking to increase this to beyond 25% in order to improve efficiency for our customers. We think we now have a really good service to offer on digital, and it’s something we’re becoming increasingly proud of.
We have improved both our digital processes and our digital skills. Our customer service teams are now fully focused on providing a first-class digital experience to our customers, and we are measuring that by asking ‘how easy are we to do business with’. From the survey results we receive at the end of digital transactions we are currently scoring more than 9 out of 10. Our customers are now telling us that the service is quick, easy and convenient, especially for people who don’t have time to call.”