Customer Service Strategy

Customer service

Residents indicated that they value a friendly response, a resolution to their issue, and a quick answer.

Approximately 85% of survey respondents are satisfied with customer service at Haldimand County.

Survey respondent summary:

• 72% feel that Haldimand County should minimize the number of phone transfers required for service.
• 74% agree “Haldimand County should respond with clearly defined time limits.”
• 67% prefer to wait on hold to speak with a staff member instead of leaving a voicemail. 

Digital services

Survey respondent summary:

• 72% want mobile-friendly, online services and the ability to check account info online.
• 36% are interested in a digital chat service option.  
• 84% indicated staff would benefit from a corporate-wide shared tool to track requests.

2022 customer service statistics

In 2022, the customer service team:

• processed 9,790 payments
• answered 37,340 calls (an average of 155 calls per day)
• transferred 51% of calls to another division or employee

Of the 51% of calls that were transferred, 11,000 (59%) were directed to secondary telephone queues. Of those directed to a secondary queue, approximately 5,500 (50%) were re-routed to voice mail instead of receiving a ‘live answer’ from a staff member.

Service review

Staff have developed an initial service inventory listing over 200 service offerings by Haldimand County to provide a baseline for conducting a service review in collaboration with all divisions.

In 2022, Haldimand County offered approximately:

• 22 online services
• 22 online forms
• 29 PDF forms

Both online and PDF forms are not connected to divisional software which requires staff time to duplicate data entry.

• Establish a customer service strategy including a vision and action framework to increase accountability related to service delivery.
• Develop, implement, communicate and monitor corporate customer service standards across the organization to ensure consistent, positive customer service.
• Provide customer service training and resources for all staff across the organization.
• Build a ‘one team’ internal cross-team collaboration approach for process improvement, applying a customer ‘lens’ to make service enhancement recommendations.
• Solicit customer feedback through public engagement and to celebrate excellence in customer service.

• Haldimand County maintains a positive public image within the community.
• Residents and local businesses are satisfied with the delivery of Haldimand County services.
• Customer interactions result in a positive customer experience.
• Customer service standards are communicated and understood by all employees and citizens.
• Staff feel empowered and supported to provide the best possible customer service. 

2023

• Establish a  customer service vision & action framework by Q4.
  • complete

2024

• Implement corporate customer service standards by Q2.
  • For more information on the customer service standards refer to Contact Us page.
  • complete
• Develop customer service training program by Q4.
  • complete

2026

• Collaborative service inventory by Q2.
  • complete

• Continue to maintain the shared customer service knowledge base ensuring quick, easy staff access to information required to provide a consistent and accurate response.
• Develop a framework to measure and report on established key performance indicators and divisional service levels enabling improved data driven decision making.
• Leverage new and existing technology to enable  automated service processes and closure of the customer feedback loop.
• Facilitate processes that allow the customer to have requests submitted at their first point of contact. 
• When first contact resolution is not possible, enable a live answer at secondary customer service touchpoints where possible. 

• Residents and local businesses feel that Haldimand County delivers efficient and cost effective services.
• Service areas measure their customer service delivery outputs against agreed upon service level standards.
• Customers only have to ‘tell their story’ once.
• Customer requests are resolved in a timely manner, at the first point of contact where possible.
• Customers receive service updates, as required, to ensure closure of customer feedback loop.
• Staff have access to resources and tools required to enable cross-divisional information sharing and efficient service delivery.  

2023

• Maintain & expand customer service knowledge base.
  • complete

2025

• Identify key performance indicators and divisional service levels by Q1.
• Develop framework to report on measures by Q3.
  • on hold

2026

• Implement process improvements enabling first contact resolution by Q4.

• Rebuild the corporate website prioritizing the user experience and accessibility in design and site navigation.
• Explore opportunities to expand self-serve online service offerings and digital communication channels.
• Review service and identify high volume customer service transactions for potential transfer to an online self-service delivery system.
• Procure and implement customer service enabling technologies such as a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to effectively manage and report on all customer service transactions cross-divisionally. 

• Residents and local business feel that it is easy to understand and access services that Haldimand County provides.
• Service information and updates are proactively and clearly communicated through available communication channels.
• Customers are able to access service through their communication channel of choice.
• Staff have access to shared tools for information enabling accurate and consistent customer service delivery.  

2024

• Rebuild the corporate website by Q4.
  • complete

2025

• Identify services for digitization or change process by Q3.
• CRM Market Research & Procurement by Q3.

2026

• Technology (CRM) Implementation by Q4.
  • On hold
    • conduct a CRM Service Readiness Assessment to determine updated timeline for implementation