Council adopts 'road map' to improving customer experiences

The front cover of the 'Scenic Rim Regional Council Customer Experience Strategy 2021-2023' features Beau Brown from Harrisville with Health, Building and Environment Ranger Andrew Richter at the Carp Cup held at Canungra Creek. Beau and his mother Megan Brown met up again with Andrew Richter and were greeted by Horticulturist Sophie Lovatt to see a copy of the Strategy first-hand.

Council formally adopted its first Customer Experience Strategy today including a comprehensive customer experience improvements plan to be delivered by 2023.

Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen said it is the culmination of three years' of investigation and consultation with Councillors, the Executive Leadership Team, employees and most importantly with thousands of customers to identify what needs to be done to transform the communities' experience with Council.

"This Strategy is our road map to building a contemporary and customer focused organisation where our decisions and services are designed with our community and for our customers," he said.

"While the adoption of the Strategy signifies the final milestone of the Customer Centricity Project, it also marks the beginning of a long-term journey to improve our delivery of services, our interactions with customers, and to continue to build sound relationships and partnerships between our communities, customers and Council.

"We listened to what our residents, businesses and community organisations had to say via focus groups and a region wide customer sentiment survey. This Strategy is a direct response to that feedback.

"We have then focused that feedback into the Strategy's three themes; building a customer culture; enabling customer interactions; and refining customer experience."

Chief Executive Officer Jon Gibbons explained that the Customer Experience Strategy 2021-2023 brings Council's Customer Charter to life with 26 targeted initiatives and projects.

"It sets the foundation for tangible improvements to our culture, our processes and our technological solutions, for example, we will be reviewing our website to make it more accessible and will gradually introduce more online services," he said.

"We are committed to making meaningful changes to the way we do business. We want all of our customers’ future experiences with us to be as easy as possible, open and honest, and designed for their convenience.

"Significant organisational change takes time and our transformation started in 2018 with the Refresh and Refocus program.

"We are in transition to becoming an organisation led by its customers, and our team of employees is right behind that vision.

"To align with Council's Customer Charter adopted in June 2020, and these new strategic documents, Council resolved today to finalise its customer survey plan in the first quarter of the 2021-2022 financial year.

"This project has shown us that we need to introduce a more contemporary approach towards customer and community surveying, and we expect the community will see those improvements in the future," Mr Gibbons said. 

The Scenic Rim Regional Council Customer Experience Strategy 2021-2023 is available on Council's website, www.scenicrim.qld.gov.au/corporate-publications