Cheshire East backs new approach to put customers at the heart of everything the council does

Editor's comment:- should spark some ChatBox activity!

Cheshire East backs new approach to put customers at the heart of everything the council does

Cheshire East Council has approved its first ever customer experience strategy – setting out its vision to put customers at the heart of everything the council does.

At a meeting of cabinet today, members approved the strategy – supporting the council$B!G(Bs new corporate plan which outlines a vision of an open, fairer and greener Cheshire East.

The council's values commit the authority to listening to their businesses and residents, understanding their needs and providing services that meet those needs – fairly and responsibly.

The strategy, which aims to deliver the best outcomes for the diverse range of people living and working in Cheshire East, has been developed with the help of staff and customers. The views of residents, businesses and partners across the borough have ensured that the approach captures what a good experience should be for different types of customers – however and wherever they choose to make contact.

The strategy sets out how the council aims to:

• Work as one organisation to offer a clear and consistent experience for customers;
• Ensure staff have the knowledge, skills, capability and tools to deliver a positive experience, however and wherever a customer interacts with the council;
• Deliver what customers need at the first point of contact;
• Have clear information for customers to access on all services;
• Keep customers informed of progress and provide information which clearly sets out services, access routes and waiting times;
• Use innovative technology to support digital access to services; an
• Provide value for money

Councillor Amanda Stott, cabinet member with responsibility for customer services, said: "With an estimated population of 384,000, Cheshire East is the third largest local authority in the North West, so it's really important that we understand our residents and customers.

Our customers may not have a choice of councils to deal with, or necessarily the services they receive from us. But that doesn't mean we won't strive to ensure their experience with us is of a consistently high quality, that we adapt to changing needs and respond to feedback when designing and delivering our services. We know there is more we need to do to improve. The new strategy is a starting point in transforming the experience our customers have with us for the better.

Thank you to those who took the time to share their feedback with us – which has really helped to shape the strategy into a document that considers the different needs and circumstances of all our customers whenever they need to contact us.

I look forward to helping the council really drive this forward."

You can read more about the council's new approach to improving customer experience by visiting the dedicated pages at cheshireeast.gov.uk/CES.