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:
Create a call centre that merges 40+ existing phone numbers into ONE number.
Provide a "one stop" customer contact centre
Expand mobile solutions and leverage technology
Enhance Barrie.ca to improve the ability of customers to conduct business
Introduce a consistent corporate-wide tracking method
Create a centralized knowledge base
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
