CUSTOMER

SERVICE PLAN
2017-2020
 CONTENT

Foreword................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Background ............................................................................................................................................................. 4

What the City is aiming to achieve........................................................................................................... 5

Our Services - Statistics .................................................................................................................................... 6

Consultation ........................................................................................................................................................... 7

Action Plan 2017 - 2020 ................................................................................................................................. 8

Customer Charter ............................................................................................................................................ 12

Service Standards ............................................................................................................................................ 14

Customer Profile .............................................................................................................................................. 16

Where we are now ......................................................................................................................................... 20

Customer Survey Results ............................................................................................................................ 21

Summary & Issues ........................................................................................................................................... 23

General customer service trends ............................................................................................................ 24

Customer service channels ....................................................................................................................... 25

Resolution & Customer Satisfaction...................................................................................................... 27

Appendices ......................................................................................................................................................... 28

2
FOREWORD

The City of Greater Geraldton’s Customer Service Plan 2017-2020 is a three-year plan that includes the
City’s prioritised strategies and actions, which will be implemented to enhance customer service for
our residents, ratepayers and visitors.
This is the first time the City of Greater Geraldton has developed a plan focused on the customer
experience and the service they receive when exposed to our staff and facilities. The City offers several
different ways to interact with customers including: in person, via telephone, email, the web and social
media applications and more. With the recent increase in ways to communicate with the public it is
critical that the City has strategies in place to meet and exceed customer expectations.
The City has worked with BBB Advisory, customer service consultants, in preparing this plan. BBB
Advisory completed an intensive on-site review of City procedures and processes for managing
customer queries and these recommendations have been incorporated in this plan.
The strategies outlined in this document have been reviewed by city staff and the community and will
be implemented over the next three years.

A PLAN FOCUSED ON THE

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND THE
SERVICE THEY RECEIVE WHEN EXPOSED
TO OUR STAFF AND FACILITIES.

3
 BACKGROUND
Located 424 kilometres north of Perth with a thriving population of over 40,000 customers – Greater
Geraldton has been named one of Australia’s regional capitals. The City boasts a prosperous economy
and a number of industries including mining, fishing, manufacturing, construction, retail and tourism. As
one of Western Australia’s top places to live, work, study or invest, Geraldton is the capital of the Midwest
region.

SUPPORTING STRATEGIES AND PLANS

The City has a number of strategies in place to support our customers;

City of Greater Geraldton Community Strategic Plan 2017 - 2027

City of Greater Geraldton Corporate Business Plan 2017-2021
City of Greater Geraldton Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2013 – 2018
City of Greater Geraldton Long Term Financial Plan 2017-2027

A prosperous, diverse,
VISION vibrant and sustainable
STATEMENT community.

MISSION Serving today while

building tomorrow
STATEMENT

Service
Trust
OUR Accountability
VALUES Respect
Solidarity

4
WHAT THE CITY IS AIMING TO ACHIEVE
Throughout the life of this three year plan the City aims to achieve the following outcomes:

Measure and improve levels of customer satisfaction across the City

Focus on making customer interactions easy and convenient
Reduce inefficiencies where possible
Reduce the costs of servicing our customers ensuring better value for money
Increase and refine service delivery channels to ensure customers have more options
Embrace new customer service technology and best practice
Increase employees satisfaction, capability and motivation to provide excellent customer service

REVIEWING THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PLAN

A regular review of the plan will be conducted and results made available to our customers.

5
 OUR SERVICES – STATISTICS*

Population: 41,223
26,084 LG electors on the current electoral roll as at 4 April 2017
Number of Rateable Properties:
Gross Rental Value (GRV) Residential 17,785 (230 in Mullewa)
Unimproved Value (UV) Rural Farming & Mining 1,053 (308 in Mullewa)
GRV Non Residential 1,440 (40 in Mullewa)
Exempt 1,510 (358 in Mullewa)
Value of municipal assets that we provide, renew, maintain
Total value of all infrastructure assets: $1 billion
17/18 Asset Renewal Budget is $21.2m, of which $7 million is grants and contributions.
Length of sealed road network: 800km
Length of unsealed road network: 1,200km
140 parks
14 managed sporting facilities
6,200 customer works requests lodged annually
1100 Building Applications approvals
230 Development Applications
1,746 rated swimming pools
800 regular Queen Elizabeth II Senior and Community Centre users
(4,000 attendances each month)
34,000 Queens Park Theatre patrons annually
Geraldton Library has 12,497 members
Mullewa Library has 117 members
205,000 visits to the Aquarena annually
5,400 visits to the Mullewa Swimming Pool annually
1,000 participants in Youth Programs annually
Over 50 Events annually, (City Function & External Events)
17,000 domestic rubbish collections
2,000 commercial rubbish collections
6,732 registered dogs
1,160 registered cats
700 Paid Parking Bays
126,704 passengers through the Airport terminal (15/16)

*Annual figures are taken from 2015/2016 FY

6
CONSULTATION & ACTION PLAN 2017 - 2020
To support the development of this Plan a community survey was conducted in May/June 2017 to
gather information on individual customer service experiences with the City.
The survey addressed preferred communication/transaction options and gauged where our customers
were at with the technology currently available. The survey also gave customers the opportunity to
generally comment on their concerns and service experiences with the City.
(Copy attached in Appendix 1)
The survey was available both online and in hard copy at the Civic Centre, Aquarena, QEII Seniors and
Community Centre, Geraldton Regional Library, Geraldton Visitor Centre and Mullewa District Office.
The survey was launched with a media release followed by a number of social media posts on the City’s
Facebook pages that were widely shared to other community group pages. Posters promoting the survey
were also on display at key City facilities.
Emails were sent to a wide range of stakeholders including community and sporting groups and known
interested individuals inviting them to take the survey. City employees were also asked to participate and
share with external stakeholders.
A total of 156 customers responded and the key findings are outlined in Appendix 2.
Following review of the survey responses a community reference group workshop was held on 29
June 2017 to analyse the survey feedback, review proposed future strategies and offer suggested
improvements.
The Plan was then circulated to Managers and employees to gain their feedback. Several meetings were
held with individual teams within the City to gain more detailed input.

A TOTAL OF 156 CUSTOMERS RESPONDED AND THE KEY FINDINGS ARE OUTLINED IN APPENDIX 2

7
 ACTION PLAN 2017 - 2020
To deliver on the Customer Service Plan the City has created the following high level action plan. The
action plan will be supported by detailed annual implementation plans.

YEAR 1: 2017-2018

What will the City do? What will this mean for our customers?

A Review and update the City’s Customer Charter updated to more accurately reflect
Service Charter. customer expectations and what the City can
offer.

B Commence establishment of a centralised Aim to deliver first call resolution of +75% i.e.
Customer Contact Centre at the Civic Centre customers queries answered at the first point
in Geraldton. of contact instead of being passed around to
multiple staff or having to make multiple calls.
Reduce response times. Decrease customer
complaints. Increase customer satisfaction

C Commence taking credit card payments Provide the option of customers making
over the phone in accordance with Payment payments remotely without the need to
Card Industry Security Standards Council physically attend the office in person.
standards.

D Commence offering dog and cat renewal Customers can complete renewal applications
registrations online. online at a time that is convenient to them.

E Review Councillor helpdesk queries and All customer requests treated equitably
Operational Policy. Currently Councillor irrespective of where they originated.
queries are responded to within 5 working Increased efficiencies for City departments.
days.

F Review and update the number of methods More options and flexibility for the customers.
available for customers to contact the City.
Embrace new cost effective customer service
technologies.

G Source an affordable new customer request Automated processes so queries go directly to

management system (software). the right team/officer first. Reducing response
time and increasing customer satisfaction.

H Undertake a comprehensive customer Increased understanding of our customer

satisfaction survey and benchmark our results. requirements. Target Customer service
inefficiencies.

8
ACTION PLAN 2017 - 2020

What will the City do? What will this mean for our customers?

I Review the issuing of mobile devices to Increased efficiency and reduction of

relevant Officers who can receive their duplicated workloads.
scheduled work requests and update them Staff have real-time access to information
when completed. whilst out in the community meaning most
customer queries can be answered quicker.

J Utilise knowledge management software for Aim to deliver first call resolution of +75%
Customer Service Team so they have access thereby increasing customer satisfaction.
to technical experts information.

K Review and update the complaint process Efficiently managing customer complaints.
and system(s) used to manage complaints.

L Agree inter-department service levels across Increased efficiency (internally) and increased
City departments. customer satisfaction.

M Undertake Customer Journey Mapping Improved customer satisfaction.

workshop(s) to get a detailed understanding Increased understanding of customer pain
of the opportunities available to the City to points.
increase customer satisfaction.
Increased efficiencies for City employees and
departments.

N Review after hours customer service model, Improve after hours response and service.
including opening hours for Civic Centre.

O Create Business Continuity Plan that details Assurance that customers will be able to
how the Customer Contact Centre will contact the City and that core services
continue to operate in the case of an will remain available in the event of an
emergency or disaster. emergency/disaster.

P Obtain customer service training and More engaged teams and employees
nationally recognised qualifications for the providing increased levels of customer service.
Customer Service Team.

Q Conduct customer service training across More engaged teams and employees
entire organisation making customer service providing increased levels of customer service.
everyone’s role.

R Review and consider bringing additional Increased cost savings due to increased
departments and their services into the remit efficiencies and therefore better value for
of the Customer Contact Centre. money for customers.

9
 ACTION PLAN 2017 - 2020

YEAR 2: 2018-2019

What will the City do? What will this mean for our customers?

A Increase the amount of services available Increased contact options and services
online further improving customer made available to customers at a time that is
communication and enabling 24/7 access to convenient to them.
services via an online customer portal Reduction in number of walk in customers.

B Review City forms and where possible make Increased service to customers and reducing
these electronic online forms. need to print forms and / or to attend a City
office with a completed form.

C Investigate the potential to provide digital Increase customers access to online services
literacy sessions for members of the offered by the City and other organisations.
community.

D Review options for a customer self service Increased customer satisfaction and increased
area in the Civic Centre office. options for how customers interact with the
City.

E Investigate providing Councillors with Councillors will have up to date information

information on issues in their wards, progress available on what is happening in their Wards.
in resolving and ability to immediately report
issues.

F Initiate a detailed call quality program for the Increased customer satisfaction with service
Customer Contact Centre. received from the Contact Centre. Reduce
error and rework rates.

G Review the number of phone numbers Increased efficiency and elimination of waste.
available to contact the City with a view to
rationalising services.

H Actively participate in relevant customer Customers are provided with a modern,

service networks to keep up to date with efficient customer service experience based
current best practice and new and emerging on best practice.
trends.

I Participate in customer service benchmarking. Customers are provided with information

on how the City is performing in relation to
customer service.

10
ACTION PLAN 2017 - 2020

YEAR 3: 2019-2020

What will the City do? What will this mean for our customers?

A Increase the amount of services available Increased contact options and services
online further enabling 24/7 access to made available to customers at a time that is
services. convenient to them.
Reduction in number of walk in customers.

B Review the existing telephone system to Enhanced customer service experience when
determine if it still meets our customer and customers phone the City.
business needs. Embracing new technology and industry best
practice.

C Identify all out-going post and develop on- Expansion of customer self-help options and
line options where appropriate. expansion of online options.

D Review the community survey methodologies Assurance that the City approaches
and evaluate benefits offered to the community surveys in the most appropriate
community. and efficient manner.

E Review inter-department service levels to The City will operate more efficiently, which
ensure excellent customer service is being will reduce operational costs for our rate
delivered across the City. payers.

F Consider options to provide customers Customers will have 24/7 access to some of
with the ability to access their personal their customer information.
information, update details and review
transactions.

G Investigate options to promote customer Sharing City resources with other local
service assistance to other local councils. councils and benefiting the larger community.
Cost efficiencies.

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 CUSTOMER CHARTER

OUR CUSTOMER FOCUS

City staff are committed to:
 Respecting the diversity of our community
Working with our customers to understand and respond to their needs both now and in the
 future
 Making it more convenient, easier and quicker to do business with the City

 Being fair and accountable in our service delivery

 Being transparent in our decision making

 Providing opportunities for community engagement

 Striving for excellence in all that we do

 Focusing our improvement efforts on better service for our customers

CONTACTING US IN PERSON
When you visit our offices/buildings we will -
Greet you in a timely manner and provide you with professional, polite and attentive service every
 time
 Ensure all frontline staff wear name badges so we can be easily identified

 Treat you with respect, courtesy and dignity

 Listen to you carefully and fully consider your issues

 Endeavour to satisfy your request at the time of your visit

Ensure that when enquiries of a technical or specialised nature are made which cannot be
 answered immediately that a detailed message is taken and responded to as soon as possible or
an initial response is provided within a reasonable timeframe.

CONTACTING US BY PHONE
When you phone us we will -

 Aim to answer the telephone within 30 seconds

 Ensure you speak to a real person and not to an answering service / voicemail

 Introduce ourselves using our first name and our business unit

 Provide a direct contact name and number where necessary

 Return your telephone enquiry no later than the next working day

 Take personal responsibility for and ownership of your enquiry to reduce transferred calls

 Also provide a 24 hour telephone service for after hours or emergency calls

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CUSTOMER CHARTER

CONTACTING US IN WRITING INCLUDING EMAIL

When you write / email us, we will –

 Reply to you in clear, concise, plain English that is easily understood

Aim to acknowledge 85% of your letters or emails within 3 working days of receipt and
 provide a full reply to you within 10 working days.
If your written enquiry (letter or email) requires in-depth research or follow-up that will take longer
 than 10 working days, we will acknowledge your correspondence and where possible provide an
expected completion date.

CONTACTING US BY FACEBOOK OR TWITTER

All customer contact on social media will be managed by our Corporate Communications Team.

RESPONSE TIMES
Customer Contact Method Response Times
Face to face Greet you in a timely manner

Aim to answer within 30 seconds

By telephone
Aim to return phone-calls within one working day
In writing Aim to respond to 85% of queries within 3 working days

By Snap, Send, Solve Aim to respond to 85% of queries within 3 working days

By web chat Aim to respond within 30 seconds during business hours

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 SERVICE STANDARDS

ACCESS AND INCLUSION

You can help us to meet our commitments to you by:
If English is not your first language or you need some help in understanding any of the services
 the City delivers, we can offer alternative formats and services.
 We will provide accessible information upon request to people with disability.
Additional information is available on https://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/live/my-community/disability-
 information.aspx

HELPING US TO HELP YOU

You can help us to meet our commitments to you by:
 Having a note pad and pen by the phone when you call the City

 Providing accurate and complete details when phoning us with any queries
Contacting the City to make an appointment if you have a complex enquiry or need to see a
 specific officer
 Phoning the officer nominated on the correspondence sent to you

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A CUSTOMER

When you contact us you can expect to be treated with honesty, fairness, sensitivity and dignity.
In return we expect that you will:

 Treat our staff with courtesy and respect

 Not be abusive on the telephone or over the counter towards our staff

 Refrain from any type of malicious threat towards our staff in any City facility

 Be open and honest in your dealings with us

Understand that the City of Greater Geraldton and its’ staff may exercise our right not to deal with
 you should your behaviour and/or actions be unacceptable
Understand that the City of Greater Geraldton has a responsibility to report all threats, implied or
 otherwise, direct to the Police Department

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SERVICE STANDARDS

COMPLAINTS
We realise that sometimes, despite our best efforts, you may not be happy with the way we have
delivered a service. We encourage you to bring your concern to us directly so the matter can be resolved
promptly. A complaint may be received in person, over the phone or in writing including electronic
communication.

A complaint is different to a suggestion, a request for service or a request for information. For
convenience, the following definitions are provided:
Complaint - a statement of dissatisfaction by a customer regarding the unsatisfactory delivery of a
 product or service offered by Council or the unsatisfactory conduct of Council officers
 Compliment - positive feedback about a product or service or Council Officer

 Suggestion - suggested service or product improvement

Request for information - an enquiry or request for information about Council services, facilities,
 policies or procedures
 Request for service - request for action to be taken in relation to a service or product

The City manages all complaints in line with established policies and procedures. When a complaint is
received and registered with the City, the following action will be taken:
 All complainants will be treated with respect, courtesy and professionalism
If the complaint is received by phone or in person an officer will take all the details from you at
that time. If the matter cannot be resolved at that time, an investigation will be commenced
 within 5 working days. A written response informing you of the decision will be sent to you within
15 working days
If the complaint is received in writing we will acknowledge your correspondence within 5
 working days and provide a written reply informing you of our decision within 15 working days
Should you still be dissatisfied with the decision you can apply in writing (letter or email) for it to
 be reviewed internally by the Corporate Service Manager. A written response informing you of the
decision will be sent to you within 15 working days
If the matter cannot be satisfactorily resolved by the Corporate Services Manager the customer
can request that the matter is passed to the office of the CEO for review. An investigation will be
 commenced within 5 working days. A written response informing you of the decision will be sent
to you within 20 working days
Decisions can be appealed via external review by contacting the Office of the Ombudsman of WA.
 Various publications on how to make a complaint are available on the Ombudsman website.
Please note if your complaint requires in-depth research or follow-up that will take longer
 than these timelines, we will acknowledge your complaint within those timeframes and
provide an expected investigation completion date.

PERSONAL INFORMATION PROTECTION

The City values the privacy of its customers. Unless required to do so by law, we will keep your personal
information confidential and not disclose it without your consent.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (FOI)

The City adheres to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 1992. The City’s FOI Co-
ordinator will deal with all FOI requests in accordance with the Act and will ensure that requests are dealt
with in the most timely and cost effective way. Information about how to lodge an FOI request is also
available on our Freedom of Information Requests page. If you are unsure whether you need to lodge an
application, please contact the city’s FOI Co-ordinator on (08) 9956 6600 or email [email protected]

15
 CUSTOMER PROFILE

The City defines our customers as community members, property owners, visitors, businesses, other
organisations and levels of government working with the City, and City employees.

C.G.G DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE (Source: Census data)

CHILDREN <9 14%

YOUTH 10 - 25 23%
ADULTS 26 - 64 51%
SENIORS 65+ 12%

EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS (Source: Census data)

UNEMPLOYED
1% looking for part-time work

EMPLOYED
29% worked full-time

24% NOT IN THE LABOUR FORCE

22% BALANCE

EMPLOYED
13% worked part-time

5% NOT STATED

EMPLOYED
4% away from work

UNEMPLOYED
2% looking for full-time work

16
CUSTOMER PROFILE

HOUSEHOLD WEEKLY INCOME (Source: Census data)

BALANCE

NOT APPLICABLE
ALL INCOMES
NOT STATED

PARTIAL INCOME STATED

$5000 or more
$260,000 or more

$3,500 - $3,999
$182,000 - $207,999

$3,000 - $3,499
$156,000 - $181,999

$2,500 - $2,999
$130,000 - $155,999

$2,000 - $2,499
$104,000 - $129,999

$1,500 - $1,999
$78,000 - $103,999

$1,250 - $1,499
$65,000 - $77,999

$1,000 - $1,249
$52,000 - $64,999

$800 - $999
$41,600 - $51,999

$600 - $799
$31,200 - $41,599

$400 - $599
$20,800 - $31,199

$300 - $399
$15,600 - $20,799

4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0

17
 CUSTOMER PROFILE

HIGHEST YEAR OF SCHOOL COMPLETED (Source: Census data)

YEAR 12 or equivalent 26%

YEAR 11 or equivalent 12%
YEAR 10 or equivalent 23%
YEAR 9 or equivalent 5%
YEAR 8 or equivalent 5%
NOT STATED 7%
BALANCE 22%

INTERNET ACCESS (Source: Census data)

17% NO CONNECTION

64% BROADBAND

4% DIAL-UP

4% OTHER

6% NOT STATED

5% BALANCE

18
CUSTOMER PROFILE

PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH (Source: Census data)

88% SPEAKS ENGLISH ONLY

6% NOT STATED - BOTH LANGUAGE (LANP) AND

PROFICIENCY (ENGP) NOT STATED

SPEAKS OTHER
4% LANGUAGE & SPEAKS
ENGLISH: VERY WELL
SPEAKS OTHER
1% LANGUAGE & SPEAKS
ENGLISH: WELL
SPEAKS OTHER
1% LANGUAGE & SPEAKS
ENGLISH: NOT WELL

SOCIO ECONOMIC INDEXES FOR AREAS (SEIFA)

Socio Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) is a suite of indexes that have been created by the Australian
Bureau of Statistics (ABS) from social and economic Census information.
A SEIFA low score indicates relatively greater disadvantage in general. A SEIFA high score indicates a
relative lack of disadvantage in general. Across Australia’s local government areas SEIFA scores range from
121 (most disadvantaged) to 1,193 (least disadvantaged).
The City of Greater Geraldton (2011 ABS SEIFA score 972 but with Mullewa scoring 941) has significant
socio-economic disadvantage relative to metro Perth (e.g. Canning 1045, East Fremantle 1106) – the
unemployment chart below shows the trend for the past four years.

Unemployment Rate Greater Geraldton

8%
Unemployment Rate %

6%

4%

2%

0%
Mar 13 Jun 13 Sep 13 Dec 13 Mar 14 Jun 14 Sep 14 Dec 14 Mar 15 Jun 15 Sep 15 Dec 15 Mar 16 Jun 16 Sep 16

Quarters
Source: Department of Employment Small Area Labour Markets (SALM).
(September Quarter 2016 released December 2016). Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Labour Force, Australia, Details, Cat. 5251.0.55.001

19
 WHERE WE ARE NOW
CUSTOMER SERVICE MATURITY
Organisations typically progress through stages of customer focused maturity. This is presented in the
diagram below.

The City of Greater Geraldton is currently in an ‘emerging’ stage, where touchpoints, i.e. where the
customer makes contact with the City, are known across the various departments, but generally
uncoordinated and inconsistent. Centralising the touchpoints, while ensuring the customer enquiry
can be managed at that point of contact is critical to growth in being ‘customer aware’. Centralisation of
customer touchpoints provides the opportunity for economies of scale, consistency in customer service
approach, and visibility of the end to end customer enquiry journey for ongoing improvements. Easy
access to, and search for, knowledge to respond to customer enquiries, will be critical to success.

Other touchpoints by city employees with customers exist – such as interactions at libraries and in
parks, and the need to provide a consistent customer service approach is necessary. Training across all
city employees, customer service statistics, and a common, understood and clearly explained customer
service plan to guide those interactions, are the focuses over the next three years.

Customer Experience Maturity Model 5. Customer Centric


 Continually planning

 Monitoring
and improving
individual customer
4. Customer Focus experiences across
all channels and
3. Customer Aware

 Customer insight
touch points

2. Emerging 
 Actively collecting
services/product
and VOC is part of
the Product/Service
 Processes designed
around the
1. Initial Life customer
 
Individual(s) with data

No activity, no defined
passion shift
organisational 
 Analysis and
 Processes under
review
 Effective demand
management in

strategy and no approach to customer correlation based place

customer experience centricity. on customer Planning process
management information and started  Delivering an

capabilities to initiate a Uncoordinated interactions and effective cross
program. collection of data about linked across Measurements channel experience

No managerial
products/services/
customers across
channels and touch
points
and expectations
are defined prior 
 Empowered
sponsorship or
investments to date.
established channels
and touch points. 
 Some process
to changes and
based on customer
decision making at
the front line

Some pockets of Mangement realising

change

Multi channel
perspective

 Omni Channel

 Total customer focus
Cross chanel
activities can be this is important and
identified investing capability capability delivery

20
CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS
The City has participated in the following customer satisfaction reviews;

• Customer Service Benchmarking Australia Mystery Shopping Report Q4, 2014

• Customer Service Benchmarking Australia CMT Benchmarking Report Q4, 2016

Customer Service Benchmarking Australia Mystery Shopping Report 2014

CITY OF GREATER GERALDTON COUNCIL SECTOR SECTOR BENCHMARK

Apr-Jun 13 Apr-Jun 14 Apr-Jun 14 Apr-Jun 14
Customer Service Grid Scores
Getting Through 91 82 67 92
Service Delivery 79 78 83 97
Overall Service Index 169 160 150 172
Connect Time (Secs)
Average Connect Time 11 15 47 7
Greeting Skills %
Saluation 99 96 91 100
Council/Department Name 99 98 92 100
Agent Name 98 99 98 100
Offer to Help 37 42 61 100
Sign Off 97 97 98 100
Average Greeting Skills 86 86 88 100
Agent Manner %
Interested / Warm / Attentive 74 74 84 100
Businesslike / Unemotionas; 18 23 15 0
Total Acceptable 93 97 98 100
Uninterested / Curt 1 1 1 0
Too Laidback / Easygoing 6 2 1 0
Total Unacceptable 7 3 2 0
Enquiry Resolution Skills %
Clarified Needs 68 88 91 100
Good Product Clear Resolution 82 88 88 100
Provided Clear Resolution 83 92 93 100
Courteous / Helpful 83 89 94 100
Average Enquiry Resolution Skills 79 89 92 99
Communitcation Skills %
Matched Rate of Speech 88 94 95 100
Used Correct Grammar 98 99 100 100
Patient / Tolerant 85 90 93 100
Avoided Interrupting 94 97 97 100
Developed Rapport 71 74 85 100
Maintained Contact 93 91 88 100
Projected Confidence 86 90 92 100
Avoided Slang /Jaron 95 99 99 100
Average Communcation Skills 89 92 93 98
Comparison: 3+ Points Better 3+ Points Worse No Change

21
 CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS

CUSTOMER SERVICE BENCHMARKING

Australia CMT Benchmarking Report 2016
City of Greater Geraldton 2016 City of Greater Geraldton 2016 City of Greater Geraldton 2016

61% 59% 37%

Overall Satisfaction First Contact Net Easy
with the entire experience Resolution Score
with the council
Council Average 2016 Council Average 2016 Council Average 2016

62% 58% 41%

FIRST POINT INTERACTING WITH SERVICE OVERALL

OF CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT DELIVERY SATISFACTION

Satisfaction with
Email

59%
CMT Avg 2016
53%

Satisfaction with Satisfaction with Satisfaction with Satisfaction

Call Centre Phone Service Delivery Overall

71% 63% 60% 61%

CMT Avg 2016 CMT Avg 2016 CMT Avg 2016 CMT Avg 2016
79% 65% 69% 62%

Satisfaction with
In Person

40%
CMT Avg 2016
48%

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SUMMARY & ISSUES
SUMMARY
The customer service survey results are acceptable, however there is room for improvement. The City
intends to strive for excellent customer service and to exceed our customers’ expectations and this Plan
will assist us to do so.

ISSUES
The City receives feedback via Customer Service Benchmarking Australia surveys indicating that 61% of
customers are satisfied overall with their city interaction (against an Australian Council average of 62%),
however this indicates that 39% are overall dissatisfied and represent opportunities for improvement. This
Customer Service Plan is developed to deal with the following key issues identified:

• Customers are often passed around a number of staff before their query is answered;
• Some customer contact is not recorded or performance managed;
• Inconsistent procedures and availability of information exist;
• There is a limited number of channels to access services;
• Existing technology is inadequate for current and future business and customer needs;
• Customer contact points for simple enquiries are high cost; and
• Staff are not supported to answer queries outside their own service area.

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 CUSTOMER SERVICE TRENDS
The following information explains the current customer service trends globally. We have considered
each of these and the likely implications for the City when preparing this plan.

1. TELEPHONE SELF-SERVICE
Whilst telephone self service usage (automated digital or voice activated transactions) is declining, it
remains a popular method for simple transactions such as account balances or for obtaining timely
information such as power outages and flight timetables. Often this is preferred when online or face to
face is unavailable to the customer (e.g. no physical access to computers or wifi). Typical telephone self-
service options for local government only offer static real time information relevant to customers without
computer or Wi-Fi access, such as unexpected road closures, waste pick-up changes to days or times,
event changes due to weather.

2. ONLINE SELF-SERVICE
Supporting the desire for ease of access to information, obtain products and request services, is the
increase in online usage and transactions by most age groups, and where internet access is reliable and
available. Increasingly this is being accessed by tablet or phone devices although computer access
remains strong – so necessitating the usage of technology platforms that apply seamlessly across
formats.
The ability to apply, change, amend and pay online for rates, animal registrations, development approvals,
parking infringements and other fees is expected by Australian customers, given the prevalence of similar
functionality across other industries.
The ability to book halls or parks, renew library books and check out e-books online, and to book and
change appointments for inspections is similarly expected given it is commonplace for enquiries as
simple as booking a hair appointment or a massage. Of course the ability to search online for relevant
information is also expected – with a search engine that is ‘Google-like’ in its simplicity and intuitive
capability.
Under unexpected situations where the community is impacted (such as storms, fire, event cancellations
or changes), the city website can present a reliable ‘go-to’ place for community members to obtain
up to date information. The older-fashioned method of using radio broadcast for Council messages
is becoming outdated in many regions due to the immediate and easier access to online message
capabilities and social media.

3. MULTI-CHANNEL AND OMNI-CHANNEL COMMUNICATION

The Australian consumer is relatively comfortable with a wide range of channels of communication,
however many examples exist where companies have offered a wide range only to find that they are not
fit for purpose. The failed introduction of video-chat at Toowoomba Regional Council is one example of
poorly considered technology introduction with very low take-up rates and poor return on investment
due to not understanding customer behaviour.
Most Councils offer a range of communication channels that are targeted to consumer needs including
in person, in writing, and by phone, email, web chat, SMS message, digital applications and social media.
A lack of integration of information from these channels into back office systems (e.g. payment systems,
customer management, library book renewals, hall bookings or ticketing systems) increases workload,
error rates, timeframes to take action and reduces the capability for tracking of customer-requested work.

24
CUSTOMER SERVICE TRENDS
Whilst highly desirable, few companies are currently offering a full omni-channel experience – where
activities partially undertaken in one channel are transparent and integrated across other channels. For
example, a new application for a dog registration commenced online by a customer could be saved and
completed seamlessly over the phone or in person without re-starting the application.
Technology solutions however need to consider this capability which is likely to be common-place in the
next 5-10 years.
While the following tabled data is USA based, Australia is typically either similar or further advanced in
its acceptability and application of digital channels. Forrester’s research is known for its applicability and
reliability and therefore presented here. This research replicates many other research that similarly shows
the high prevalence of consumers to access multiple channels to solve a single problem or questions.

Figure 2: Consumers Increasingly Use Self-Service Channels for Customer Service

Percent of US online adults who have used the following customer service channels
in the past 12 past

76% Help or frequently asked questions

(FAQs) on a company’s website

Conversation with a customer

73% service representative or agent via
telephone

The response to an email that I sent

68% to customer service

Instant messaging/online chat with

58% a live person

Online forum or community with

50% other customers

Base: 4,509 US online adults 18+

43% Using an online “virtual agent”

Contacting a company using

Source: Forrester’s North American
Consumer Technographics Customer Life
Cycle Survery 2, 2014
37% Twitter

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 CUSTOMER SERVICE TRENDS
4. DIGITAL CHANNELS (INCLUDING SOCIAL MEDIA)
Social channels are increasingly common across all industries / sectors for consumers to self-solve
community problems (e.g. transport for events or unexpected conditions) and as an excellent real time
voice of the customer – their issues, pain-points, pleasure and surprise are evident in each post – whether
that be on Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites.
There are many stories of customers in younger age groups now using digital and social channels in
preference to face to face, email or telephone, for two-way interaction with Council. This behaviour
moves the focus on digital channels from a one-way viewing (typically marketing related) to a two-way
communications focus (typically focused on problem solving).
The real value of social media, which is especially relevant for local government, is how it allows
organisations to actively engage with the community.
The City has a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Given the rapid pace of change
in this area organisations need to continually review how these channels are utilised to serve customers.

5. MOBILE APPLICATIONS (APPS)

Many customer service vendors offer some mobile service capabilities, but mobile applications remain an
afterthought. With high penetration of smartphone accessibility among all Australians, including in the
Greater Geraldton area, mobile applications offer great growth opportunity for excellent customer service
at a competitive price.
“Snap, Send, Solve” is typical of the expected mobile applications channels customers expect to be able
to use to communicate with Council and have their issues and observations handled reliably. With over
600 Australian and NZ authorities using it, this is an easily understood requirement. However manually
transferring this data into a ticketing system which then lacks visibility and progress feedback to the
customer is an inefficient implementation model.
Customer feedback below (as presented on www.snapsendsolve.com.au), easily demonstrates the value
of fast response and progress updates.
Given the customer comfort level with the use of smartphone technology, increasing usage of
applications rather than websites to communicate to Council is expected to grow, and the tolerance
for website navigation on smartphones is reducing with the advent of purpose built applications and
progress updates.

6. WEB-CHAT AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

The high volume of website usage as a first point for resolving enquiries and gathering information is
expected to remain high in the next 5-10 years. Given its low business cost/contact and ease of access
for consumers, the requirement for up to date and easy to search customer information across 24x7
becomes increasingly relevant.
Encouraging customer usage of the website includes keeping customers on that channel of choice.
Web-chat is utilised as the optimal method to assist customers on the website.
The challenge for Council is to identify which website points are of highest value to the customer and
Council and how can they best be supported by web chat or by additional or better online information.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is an even lower cost of supporting customers online where questions and
concerns can be supported through structured automated responses.

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CUSTOMER SERVICE TRENDS
7. RESOLUTION & CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Global research is indicating a direct relationship between customer satisfaction with enquiry interaction
and resolution of that enquiry.
That is, if an enquiry is not resolved, then it is highly unlikely that the customer would be satisfied with
the interaction. On the flip side, where a customer’s enquiry is resolved, they are more likely to feel
satisfied or neutral about that interaction.
Well established contact centres can achieve very high levels of first call resolution where the customers
query is resolved at first point of contact. Customers are searching for easy access to have their enquiries
and transactions fulfilled. Ease is also recognised as a key driver of customer loyalty.

8. PROACTIVE AND PRE-EMPTIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE ENGAGEMENT

Customer service engagement that relies on customer context, connected device information and
predictive intelligence to generate proactive or pre-emptive experiences is emerging.
Predictive outbound communication which notify customers of key events of interest such as flight
schedule changes, bank balance changes or the arrival of a bill, are now commonplace.
In Councils, this translates to outbound notification of animal registration renewals, bin pick up days, rates
bills, book returns. It also translates to advice of events that may be of interest and community forums.

9. JOURNEY ANALYTICS
It’s no surprise that a recent study showed that over 58% of companies inconsistently measure or fail to
measure their customer’s cross-channel journey.
Broader measurement programs across communication channels and touchpoints will enable
understanding of the cost and success of end to end customer journeys and pinpoint areas of pain that
can be addressed.
It will also allow the City to derive insights from their customer behaviour which they can use to better
personalise experiences. Typically these programs form a part of a program that reviews all key customer
touchpoints, gathers data and draws insights, then prioritises areas for improvement.

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 APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1
CITY OF GREATER GERALDTON CUSTOMER SERVICE SURVEY 2017
The City of Greater Geraldton is developing a Customer Service Plan for the City. This survey gives you the
opportunity to tell us more about how you would like to communicate with the City so we can improve
our customer service to the community.

1. When you contact City of Greater Geraldton, which of the following methods do you use,
please tick as many as are applicable to you?
Always Sometimes Never
 Visit The Civic Centre office on Cathedral Avenue   
 Visit Mullewa District Office   
 By Telephone: 08 9956 6600 (Civic Centre)   
 By Telephone: 08 9956 6643 (Mullewa)   
 By Telephone: direct to a specific department   
 Website: www.cgg.wa.gov.au   
 Snap Send Solve App   
 Web-chat   
 Email: [email protected]   
 Facebook   
 Twitter   
 Instagram   

2. Did you know the City has online web-chat (online real-time messaging service) available for
customer requests?
Yes 
No 
Would you consider using this in the future?
Yes 
No 

3. Did you know the City takes payments online now for Building Permit Applications, Debtor
Payments Infringements, QPT tickets and Rates.
Yes 
No 
Would you consider using this in the future?
Yes 
No 

4. Which additional payment services would you most like to have available online?
For example online dog and cat registrations, additional bins etc.

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APPENDICES

5. Did you know the City has a Snap, Send, Solve App for customers to use to report issues
and request
Yes 
No 
Would you consider using this in the future?
Yes 
No 
6. Many companies now send information to their customers electronically, rather than
posting out paper copies. If the City offered this service, would you choose to receive
information in this way?
Yes 
No 
If no, why not?

7. Would you like to communicate with the City by SMS text message?
Yes 
No 
If no, why not?

8. Do you have access to a Smartphone?

Yes 
No 

9. Do you have access to the internet?

Yes 
No 
10. If the City offered a self-service kiosk (similar to a bank where you have access to a computer
in our office and someone to assist you with your online transaction), is this a service you
would use?
Yes 
No 
If no, why not?

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 APPENDICES

11. If you could access personalised information on your council account using a secure account
number (similar to banking) would you use this?
Yes 
No 
If no, why not?

12. Please enter any additional ideas you have for how the City can improve its customer service
in the below space.

DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
Gender
Male 
Female 

Age
15-24  55-64 
25-34  66-74 
35-44  75-84 
45-54  85-94 
95+ 

Do you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander?

Yes 
No 

Are you interested in participating in a half-day workshop to discuss the results of this survey and
how they will be used to improve customer service at the City?
A small gift will be provided to each participant.
Yes 
No 
If you answered yes to the above question please provide us with your contact details.
Contact Name: __________________________________________
Email Address: __________________________________________

Phone Number: __________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to complete this customer service survey.

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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 2
1. When you contact City of Greater Geraldton, which of the following methods do you use,
please tick as many as are applicable to you?

150
Instagram 6

154
Twitter 2

104
Facebook 3
49
73
Email: [email protected] 7
76

152
Web-chat 3
1
123
Snap Send Solve App 46
7
42
Website: www.cgg.wa.gov.au 92
22
83
By Telephone: direct to dept. 12 61
139
By Telephone: Mullewa 15
2
43
By Telephone: Civic Centre 93
20
141
Visit Mullewa District Office 13
2
35
Visit The Civic Centre Office 93
28
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 130 140 160

Never Sometimes Always

2. Did you know the City has online web-chat (online real-time messaging service) available for
customer requests?

24%
Yes
76%
No

Would you consider using this in the future?

50% 50% Yes

No

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 APPENDICES
3. Did you know the City takes payments online now for Building Permit Applications, Debtor
Payments, Infringements, QPT tickets and Rates?

54% 46% Yes

No

Would you consider using this in the future?

28%
Yes
72%
No

4. Which additional payment services would you most like to have available online?
For example online dog and cat registrations, additional bins etc.

Pet registrations 29

Everything that requries payment 23

Additional bins 7

Facility/program/home business fees and rates 6

All building related applications, plan copying, etc 4

QPT tickets 2

All infringements 2

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

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APPENDICES
5. Did you know the City has a Snap, Send, Solve App for customers to use to report issues
and request services?

56% 44% Yes

No

Would you consider using this in the future?

37%
63% Yes
No

6. Many companies now send information to their customers electronically, rather than
posting out paper copies. If the City offered this service, would you choose to receive
information in this way?

32%
68% Yes
No

If no, why not?

Limited or no computer access 10

Like to have a paper copy for records 10

Get too many emails 5

Don’t regularly check my emails 2

Emails can be deleted or lost 2

Prefer regular mail 1

Email is not secrure 1

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

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 APPENDICES
7. Would you like to communicate with the City by SMS text message?

51% 49% Yes

No

If no, why not?

Prefer email 7

Don’t text message 6

Don’t know who you are talking to 5

Too hard for long or complicated messages 5

Prefer face to face 4

Yes, for emergency notifications 3

Not personal 3

Too unprofessional 2

Only if timely responded to 1

Webchat is better 1

Only as reminders 1

No evidence and/or easily erasable 1

Yes, to reach Rangers after hours 1

Too easily missed 1

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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APPENDICES
8. Do you have access to a Smartphone?

17%
Yes
83% No

9. Do you have access to the internet?

15%

Yes
85% No

10 If the City offered a self-service kiosk (similar to a bank where you have access to a
computer in our office and someone to assist you with your online transaction),
is this a service you would use?

38%
62% Yes
No

If no, why not?

Would do it online at home 23

Prefer face to face 10

No need for it 6

Computers are too hard or computer illiteracy 5

Why do it myself when staff are available to do it 2

Too impersonal 2

Feels like ordering at a fast food restaurant 2

Would rather use email 1

0 5 10 15 20 25

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 APPENDICES
11. If you could access personalised information on your council account using a secure account
number (similar to banking) would you use this?

32%
68% Yes
No

If no, why not?

Internet security concerns 3

Have no computer or am rarely online 3

No need or not interested 6

Prefer face to face 5

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

36
37
GERALDTON:
City of Greater Geraldton Administration Centre
63 Cathedral Avenue
Geraldton WA 6530
Phone: 08 9956 6600 | Fax: 08 9956 6674
[email protected]

MULLEWA:
Mullewa District Office
Corner of Thomas and Padbury Streets
Mullewa WA 6630
Phone: 08 9956 6643 | Fax: 08 9961 1206
[email protected]

www.cgg.wa.gov.au