Customer Service Plan

Topic(s)
Other
Status
Adopted or Endorsed
Adopted or Endorsed
2014

The Customer Service Plan is about raising the bar and taking the City’s customer service practices to the next level. 

The Customer Service Plan is the result of extensive consultation, a review of best practices and a thoughtful look at how the City of Barrie can support customer needs through all channels and all services. Our journey towards customer service excellence never ends and this plan will guide our collective efforts for the coming years.

This project started in 2013 in response to Council’s identification of customer service as a strategic priority. Through the reorganization that occurred in May 2013 resources were allocated to lead and manage the Customer Service Project.

A cross-departmental Customer Service Team adopted the Executive Management Team (EMT)’s mission for Customer Service:

To build a customer focused organization responsive to the community where all staff understand and embrace their fundamental role as one of serving the Community.

Key Recommendations

The key recommendations of the Customer Service Plan were to move the City of Barrie from a decentralized model for customer service to a centralized model with the following aims:

  1. Create a call centre that merges 40+ existing phone numbers into ONE number.
  2. Provide a "one stop" customer contact centre
  3. Expand mobile solutions and leverage technology
  4. Enhance Barrie.ca to improve the ability of customers to conduct business
  5. Introduce a consistent corporate-wide tracking method
  6. Create a centralized knowledge base
  7. Provide enhanced City Services at community centres

Service Barrie simplifies customer contacts by providing an easy method to contact the corporation through one phone number, email and counter location to provide most general city services in one convenient location with dedicated specifically trained staff.  This is supported by key technology systems such as a customer management and knowledge management (organize information and automate processes) software and increased communication capabilities.

Benefits

  • Single point of access supports citizen centered service
  • Handle future growth & address service demand peaks & valleys
  • Consistency in messaging
  • Easy for the customer
  • Ability to back up departments during peak seasons
  • Councillor support
  • Capturing and managing corporate knowledge