Technical Notes 2021, Issue 202 - Customer Services – New arrangements for Community Hubs

1.         The purpose of this Technical Note is to update Members on the operation of customer services through the Community Hubs as a result of ongoing challenges in the service.

2.         From reports to recent committees, Members are aware of the ongoing challenges in relation to call response times in customer services. This is due to a number of factors including the re-opening of our face to face operations through the Community Hubs, challenges in filling vacant posts despite recruitment campaigns and the lack of availability of agency workers to support operations in the short term whilst recruitment continues.

3.         The recruitment challenges and lack of agency workers for customer services are not unique to East Dunbartonshire, but are issues being experienced across Scottish councils.  A number of councils have not yet re-introduced face to face services and others have reduced their operating hours  

4.        The situation in the Council is currently exacerbated as a result of both absence and isolation requirements due to the continuing spread of COVID-19 and in particular the Omicron variant.

5.         Face to face customer service delivery requires the greatest number of resources but is currently the channel with the least demand.  Telephone calls and digital channels make up the majority of customer engagement.

6.         In order to effectively deliver customer service operations and balance resources across the channels with greatest customer demand, it is necessary to adjust the operating hours of our Community Hubs.

7.         Effective from Tuesday 21 December, our Community Hubs will open from 1pm to 4pm. Customer Service agents will continue to work their usual hours, but this will enable additional resources to be focussed on phone calls in the mornings and on digital channels to address customer enquiries and requests that have been received since close of business the previous day.  Closure of the Hubs at 4pm also enables additional resources to focus on phones for the final hour of the day, when again call volumes can peak ahead of lines closing at 5pm, and also to process and conclude face to face appointment actions ahead of the next business day.

8.         The Council website will be updated to reflect these new arrangements and social media messaging will be issued.  Notices will also be provided in the four Community Hubs, both at the door and at the front reception desk.

9.         These new arrangements will be put in place until the end of January in the first instance, given both ongoing concerns with COVID-19 and ongoing recruitment to vacant posts.  They will be reviewed again early in the New Year and Members will be advised of any further update following that review.