Customer First is at the heart of Business Transformation for the people of Birmingham, helping the Council to provide world class standards of customer service.

Here the transformation team explain their aims and achievements - and how CHAMPS2 has helped them.

Outcomes for Customer First Programme include

Approach

A new customer interaction process has been designed which is independent of individual services and channels so that it can be applied to any service within the Organisation. This means that a wide range of services can be delivered through a single point of access and customers get the same high level of service and outcome regardless of the service channel they choose.

Customer insight capability has been introduced to develop a deep understanding of customers' needs and preferences, convert this into insight and use this insight to shape the way it designs and delivers services in the future.

Personalised customer relationship with the Council - creating a single customer account across all channels, consolidating the Council's knowledge of individual customers. This means that a customer can update his or her details in a single interaction. It enables the organisation to re-use the customer data when the customer applies for a new service, saving time and repetition for the customer.

Graded response model has been introduced with three staff response levels interacting with customers: 1st Response, 2nd Response and Specialist Response. This will enable the staff with the right skill set to be matched to the complexity of each customer's enquiry
End-to-end view of service delivery will be available. Using the reference number provided, customers can contact the organisation (including via self service channels) to view the status of their interaction. This will also enable the organisation to actively monitor its performance and drive excellence from the point of enquiry through to delivery of services.

Channel integration - all channels will work together by providing a choice to the customer of which channel(s) to use, and by making it possible to move seamlessly from one channel to another. For example customers will be able to start an interaction with the Contact Centre and complete it on the web.

Using CHAMPS2 for the Customer First Transformation Programme

The planned outcomes for the Customer First Transformation Programme have successfully been delivered to date and continue to be delivered using CHAMPS2 methodology.

In order to deliver radical change on this scale, it has been critical to have a rigorous methodology and framework that has been specifically designed for transformation and covers the complete end to end process.

The gateways between phases have provided direction and have given comfort to senior stakeholders that the programme is on the correct path and that the vision and benefits are still valid, whilst managing change effectively. The phases have also ensured that resources can be matched and utilised appropriately, realising better value for money.

A key element, which has provided structure and governance and underpins the methodology, is the Quality Management Framework which has guided the programme to define the products that will be produced throughout each phase, how they will be reviewed and approved.

We have a phased approach to go-live and, as the programme continues, the flexibility that CHAMPS2 provides has allowed for specific phases [usually phases 3 through to 6] of the method to be repeated as we roll out the Customer First Programme into different service areas within Birmingham City Council.

The driver for transformation is the realisation of the benefits anticipated; both financial and non financial. CHAMPS2 ensures that they are Identified, Validated, Enabled and Realised – and that they are agreed with service area budget holders and senior managers at each stage.

Even as service areas go operationally live and are no longer part of the Transformation Programme, CHAMPS2 is continuing to be used through Phase 7, where benefits realisation is being undertaken and monitored through business as usual.

Customer First Transformation Programme team, updated March 2012