HomeMy WebLinkAbout0430.092(D,
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September 17, 1992
HONORABLE CITY CQEiNC IL
Palo Alto, California
CUSTOMER SERVICE STUDy SESSION
Members of the Council:
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Attached are background materials for the O~stomer Service study
Session on September 21, 1992~ IncluQed are the following:
o An overview of the purpose of the CUstomer Service
Steering Committee and its activities and accomplishments
to date;
o A description of the work of each of the subcommittees of
the Steering Committee;
o Minutes from the "brainstorming" sessions that were the
genesis of the customer Se~ioe steering Committee;
o Examples of employee effort that have been :i"ecognized
throuqh the customer service recognition award program.
Respectfully submitted,
cL / / '---~ I j I. /. J.JfLLiJ-"'~
Eml. Y Harrison
Oi ctor~ance
6Sis~~~~nager
Attachment: customer Service Study Session Handout
CMR:430:92
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COtlllc:n. 8'1'111lY BESSIOI" CUSTOXEll aDVICB
BBPTBKBER 2~, 11'~
o Introduction
o Video presentation: ~Passing the Buck'"
o CUstomer Service Com~ittees
o Video presentation: ItThe BucK. Stops Here"
o CUstomer service awards
COB'rOXXll aDVICI: 1'1"8 A HATTER 0' PlUDE
The environment in which the city provides services has changed:
community demographics, increased competition for businesses,
rvsource scarcity, changing demands for services. Changes to meet
the new environmental demands center a~ound redefining our mission
as one of superior quality service to inter.nal and external
customers.
Key staff from all City departments were asked to participate in
brainstorming sessions to identify how the city coul~ better se~e
its customers (Exhibit :2). Participants in the sesGions decided to
do more than define the problem -they committed themselves to
workinq on the solution. Subcommittees were created to work on
general categories of issues defined during the brainstorming
sessions. These included ci tyvide training, inte=departmental
('!ooperation, recognition of superior customer service, citizen
complaint trackinq, community and employee surveys, and directo
ries/signage (Exhibit 1). After completing a conpr&hensive survey
of all e.mployees as to 'What they needed to improve Cl:'_stO!Der
service, ah additional ~ubco~ittee was formed to develop a
proposal forI and implement, voice mail.
-rt's a Matter of Pride,· the motto for the customer service
improvement effort, has been publicized throughout the organization
via an introductory letter froa the City Manager which accompa~ied
paychecks, along with pens emblazoned with a city seal incorporat
ing the motto. customer service awards given through the employee
recognition program {Exhibit J} also display the emblem, and it is
incorporated into traininq meetings with all staff on customer
service; employee surveys on cu&tomer service needsi and feedback
caras placed with experimental siqnaqe. ,,_ humc;.rous video was
prepared to present the program to the City Council. Volunteers
~ere used from all departments and filminq and editing equipment
was donated by the City's cable company~ Part 1, "passing the
Buck," introduces Palo Altan Joe Buck, who is the. victim of
incredibly poor service at City Hall. Part 2, liThe Buck stops
Here," is an equally exaqgerated version of excellent service.
Thera have been s-everal key results of the Customer Service
Committee's efforts to date: increased sensitivity to customer
service issues; incorporation of the customer service theme iil che
City's nascent business outreach program; and improved cooperat,ion
bet~cen departments as we recognize an~ work together on a common
goal.
Future efforts of the Customer service committee will include a
regular newsletter and laminated "quick stop" service guides tor
the public and employees.
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EXHIBIT I
Training
Training for new and current employees in customer service is
critically important. City staff have been targeted by groups~
support staff: tec~~ical staff; field personnel; safety employees;
part time/hourly/temporary staff: new employees; and management
staff. Reqular meetings with support, technical and field staff
have been instituted, with training in areas such as telephone
techniques and how to deal with an Bn~' customer. Input is given
&t the meetings about what staff feel they need in order to do
their jobs effectively. The customer service theme was
incorporated into the tirst Management Academy program, coapleted
in .June 1992. Rased on information qathered. from the sessions """ith
em:ploy~es I a Compu-buddy program and PC Us-ers group have been
fonted to help departments share expertise in the various City
automated information systems. The SubcoDlJlli ttee ill:; working now
with the Hu:man Resources Department on production of a training
video to be used during orientation of new employees, stressing the
importance of customer service and the City's emphasis on it.
InterdepBrtm:t!!_n.t_~.l~_QQperatiQn
The purpose of t.'t].is Subcommittee is to review internal City
processes to ensure that departments are working effectively
together to serve the customer. The Subcommittee's first task was
to identify all City processes that req1.,;ire interdepartmental
approval, review each process to see if improvements could be made,
and develop recoMBendations on specific improvements. A total of
53 separate processes were identified~ and five were selected as
top priority for initial work. These were public/private venture
proposals, bu-ilding permits, the ArchitectUral Review Board, use
and occupancy permits, and emergency response to ha2ardous
aater-ials incidents. As a result of 1tl'ork on the first, a
Public/Private committee has been formed of top ~anagers in each of
the major departments and c!laired by the Assistant City Manager:
the purpose of the comtittee is to review proposals for
public/private ventures and, if they are approved, to expedite them
through city processes. Under consideration is the idea of giving
the Committee autho~ity to waive fees if appropriate to facilitate
the joint venture proposed.
Pirectgries/Signaqe
Unless they are very familiar with city services, customers often
experience difficulty finding tt:e place or-places they need to go
to get an answer to a question on their utility bill, to get a
building per.mit, to pay for a parking citation, or to sign up for
a class. Being able to direct a customer on the telephone with an
inquiry is just as important as making sure their visit to City
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Hall is as quick and h~lpful as possible. Recently the
subcommittee posted new trial signaqe on levels At BI and C and the
1st Floor, as well as in the elevators, cesigned to di~ect those
fro. the outside to the most frequently used areas of city Hall.
The Subcommit:tee is also ,-,'orld!lg on improvements to the parking
qarllge to make pt:!rmit parking more visible and to direct people to
elevators and stairs; implementation of an information counter in
the Civic Center lobby, staffed by volunteers; cutaway diaqrams of
the Civic Center building to provide directional information: and
citywide maps and directories to all City facilities.
The Steering committee thouqht two types of surveys could be
useful: a survey of all employees to find out what problems they
encountered in delivering effective customer service: an~ a
cityvi~e survey to determine how the City's customers felt about
the services they received. The Subcommittee completed tbe
employee survey in November 1991; its major conclusions were
incorporated into the training and interdepartmental cooperaticn
subco .... ittees' agendas a The concept of a citywide survey was
revised to involve follow-up cards qiven to people who received
City services and counter surveys. These have currently been
implemented ir. th~ Planning Department and at the Revenue
Collections counter in the Finance Department 4 The Subcommittee
also intends to review handouts for the public to ensure their
readability, and is working on a citywide directory of services to
enable employees to direct customers to other departments quickly
and effectively~
"~)IlpJd!'YI"(»IlpHJMIM.
The steering co.-itt .. felt it would be vital to have mechanis~s in
place to allow the cuato .. r to give feedback on the service they
had received. A citywide policy and procedure was developed on
responding to custc .. r cowplaints, the objectives of which were to
ensure that e syst •• wa. in place to ensure that complaints are
prolllptly acknowledged ilnd resclved~ that uniform standards and
procedures for h&n~11nq co.plaints were established throuqhout the
City organization: and to de~onstrate that the city is responsive
to complaints and ctincerns. A CUstomer Service Recognition Program
has also been initiated: employees may nominate other employees
based en specific instances of outstan;:Hnq customer service.
Recoqni tion is in the fOnD of a personal note from the City
Manager, ~nd a me.ento -either a mug, pin or patch, all emblazoned
with the motto, -It' •• Matter of Pride,w
This Subcommittee is examining the appropriateness of voic6 mail
for City departments in terms of improved customer service4 Voice
mail technology will be eva.luated based on its potential for
i.proved responsiveness to customers~ possible budgetary savings,
increased staff productivity, and more timely and accurate
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inrormation tor cllstomers and staff4
identity policy issues to be re~olved
implement a voice mail syste&~
cust.evc
The Subcomnittee will also
as part of thp. decision to
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HHrBIT 1
CUSTOKEa SXRVICB BRAINSTORMING SESSION
Wh~t is custom2r service?
o CUtting throuqh bureaucratic red tape
o Employees reach out to be helpful
o Employees take responsibility for the customer
o Going aboye and beyond the job description
o Pr~actiye rather than reactive orientation
o Don't just answer questions -find out what the customer
really wants/needs
o Set system/structures up so minimal employee help is
needed -good directions so the customer Qoesn't play
billiards between staff membe~s
ProceBses in Palo Alto are inherently set up to delay ~e customer
because the emphasis is on maximum 1) public input and 2) legisla
tive raview~ staff approvals are not the way of doing business, as
is the case in cities like San HateD or Fremont. This probably
won't change, either, since it's 50 firmly a part of ou~ CitY'5
culture~
There may be levels of customer service, i.e. therel~ the unin
formed citizen who doesn't know where to go or what he has to do to
reach his qoal; and there are the major projects or the groups of
citiz~ns who do know the process I but want it to go quicker or want
elements of the bureaucracy adjusted for their need6~
For the major prajects/groups of citizens:
o Interdepartmental task forces seem the best answer.
o Project managers should be assigned tc projects to
reconcile. all the different requirements of the city
organ,ization
Need to have
orqanization:
heads
customer service identified as a priority for the
must come from the top -City M~nager, department
o All performance eval uat:.ions should inclUde. a customer
service. element, from department heads on do'Wn the
orqanization~
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o Public contact training should be required foI'" lil
employees. especially managers, who have a tendency to
think that only their front-line staff need the training.
Reinstitute the customer servic2 element of new employee
orIentation. Everyone in the City should knoOW hoW' to
t~ansfer a phone call.
o Nancy Lyt..le mentioned that she spends cerlain hours every
week working tl'le counter herself I so tllat she can see
first-hand vhat the problems are that her employees or
the customers are experiencing; good idea for all
managers.
o Rewards for customer service need to be built into the
system
o Use customer service questionnaires to get immediate
feedback on hoW' people feel about the way they were
treatE"!d; have those. reviewed b:y managers outside the
department of criqini respond to the negative comments
(even if they have budget implications) and follow up
with recognition on the positive comments.
o Empower front-line employees to make decisions.
o Address employees' stated nee.ds for tOClls to improve
customer service ability (voicema1l in Planninq and tte
utility hillinq system wer"e examples) ~ Front-line pe.ople
need to have access to top decision ~akers to make their
case for the tools they need.
Need. to provide information about various points of
serJice and publicize so all employe~s can direct
accurately
customer
citizens
o PUt together a group of front-line employees {rotate
membership) that meet on a regular basis to share
information about service provided so that they in turn
can train the members of their department that are asked
questions by the public.
o Recognize internal as well as external customers.
Many things could be done to make the Civic Center more "customer
friendly·
o Location of departments within the civic Center do not
bear any relation to how accessible they are to the
public: the most obvious example is the Planning Depart
ment's location on the 5th and 6th floors.
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o Siqnaqe should be orie~ted to wha~ a customer wants to
qQt done; instead, directi~nal signs are based on
department orqanizations. Find out who ~ the
directories and put emphasis on their needs in puttinq
the directory together.
o More entrance and exit-type signaqe.
o It would be useful to st~ff an information desk in the
front lobby to direct people within the Civic Center
co~plex4 It could be staffed on a rotating basis by the
v!lrious departments. This would also help other depart
ment staff learn where the various functions in city Hall
are carried out. Volunteers are also another possibility
for staffinq the desk.
o It an informatiQn desk is put in the lobby, signs could
be placed in the various elevators, in the Police lobby
and on A leve.l saying, "Information Desk in First Floor
Lobby.... This addresses the multiple access points to
City Hall.
c Guidelines and "Naps· of proces~es could be prepared to
show all the steps required in multi-step processes. The
brochures or maps EOhould be t'eviewed by disinterested
people (husbands and wives 'Were suggested) to make sure_
they don't contain jargQn and are easy to understand.
o Develop an "Owner's Manual-for City services that can be
given to citizens; could include most commonly asked
questions.
o Put more intonnation in the City phone directory that
will help employees direct customers who have a need for
services; Enerqy Services mentioned that they are working
on a "'Who Does What-d.irectory.
Should explore the idea of providing customer service at the
customer site ratber than requirins everyone to come in to City
Hall (utilities is exploring this).
Could ~~ visit/talk with "user £risr.dly cities-or representatives
of the private sector that have excellent customer service
reputations (e.g. PASCO) to qet their input en how we could change
our way of doing things?
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~ERVICE: PA.~T?
June 2fj:. 1991
The pu~ose of ~~e meeting on June 26 was to do tyO things: to
come ur with cS. working de.finition of customer service, and to
identify the highest p~iorities on an agenda to improve customer
service in the City.
I. Definition ~f customer service:
A. Making sure the customer is successful; requires that we
evaluate the quality of service, analyze how we p~ovide
service
B. Meeting the perceived, implied, or expressed needs of the
consumer ir. a manner that meets or exceeds established,
negotiated or promised delivery
1~ "Needs· or expectations of customers m~y involve ~n
educational effort to make sure they ~re realistic
2. -oelivery-components include timeliness and quali
ty ot •• rvice
C. Difference between public benefit (e.g. rec~eation
classes) versua involuntary services (parkinq citation)
II. Action Agenda (i~ approximate priority order)
A. City Priority
1. CU&to •• r aervice not currently a City p~iority
2~ Will require the commitment of top management (SMG
not aeen as good communication tool)
3. Would be advantageous if the City Council also make
custo'lller service thEir priority at their annual
session
4~ Needs commitment of resources (e~g~ voice mail)
5. Evaluations should include
element; need spot checks on
is doing
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a customer service
how customer service
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B. Voice mail (considered by group to be the ~ost important
resource issue)
c. Directories/siqne.qe
1. Elevator dicectories
2. Dep~rtments sho~ld prepare list of what it thinkE
it does, to be consoli~a~ed into custo~er service
directory (Energy Services has already started an
effortj
3. Handcuts prepared by all departments available in
the lobby of city Hall and other City facilities
4. Let talented people in the City organization review
current handouts for accassibility to public;
commitment by departments to multiple reviews of
d cx:um.en ts
D. Training
1. New and old employees
2. Telephone techniques and basiC courtesy (including
policy on transferring calls)
3. Techniques for dealing with unhappy customers
4~ What City services are provided and by which
departments/divisions
E~ Surveys
1. Survey front-line employees as to problems encoun
t.ered
2. Counter surveys, follow-up cards qiven to people
receiving service; use volunteers or interns to
tollow up on survey results/complaints.
3. Citywide survey: Palo Alto Weekly or utility bill
a. Let citizens identify what customer-service
means to them, identify problems with current
service
b. Danger is that people have long memories
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". Heed to ~oordinate what is done with completed
surveys, who reads the responses
F 4 other ideae
1. 900 I1wnber for people 'Who want to talk
2. Volunteers to statr front lobby
34 "Well-connected communityW
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EXHIBIT 3
ClIS'l'OXER SERVICE AWARDS
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PROGRAM
A customer servicQ Recognition Program was initiated to recognize
City employees who e:w:emp!ify good customer service. E'lnployees are
nominated by other employees as a result ot special efforts to the
publio or to other departments that thE-y serve. The !"ecoqnized
employee receives a personal !'late from the city Manager and a
memento displaying the motto under whi~h they work: -It's a Matter
of Pride."
Over the past ~xee months approximately forty employees have been
recognized.. The followinq are a few examples cf employees 'iIo~ho
have, tbro~9h extra efforts~ demonstrated efticiency~ compassion,
and a striving to improve City services.
Ron Bierman --Police De~~
"Ron impressed. me 'When he investigated t'Wo very tragic cases which
involved child~en. The first involv~d n 2~year-old boy who nearly
drowned in our city duck pond. Even though life saving efforts
spared the child's life~ unfortunately he su~fered severe brain
damaqe. Ron~ both on and off duty, followed up with the child's
family in trying to ease their pain. He also continued to visit
the child on his own time, even after the child had to become a
medical ward of the State until the child's death.
-The second involved a train accident which claimed the life of a
14-year-old qirl. Through Ron!s sensitive intervention on behalf
of the victim's near indigent family~ the funeral expenses were
absorbed by the funeral home.
"Not only did Ron professionally investigate each one of these
cases, he 'Went beyond the call of duty to assist each victim's
family ~ith their needs and adjustment. Ron did not do these.
thinqs because he was seeking self recognition, but instead because
he believed ~~ey had to be done.-
Georgene Takayama and Linda Hall --City Cler-k's Office
-I am nominating Georgene and Linda for the Customer service Award
because of their energy, resourcefulness~ and haro work in planninq
two informal sessions for City employees to make the council packet
process run smoothly: tCAN WE TALK -Everything you wanted to know
about the packet process, but were afr~ld to ask~'
-At these sessions, Georgene and Linda distributed hando·u.t
materials on the new packet assembly procedures and general agenda
information. In addition, they explained that they ar-e alwars open
to new ideas, questions, reconunendations --anything that ,",ould
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make the pt"ocess more efficient. The m~etings were usefill and
informative and should help to provide better customer servicet-
Rgb Steele --Community s@ryices pepartment. Junior Museum
"On July 29, Palo Alto Cit.t' Library's Children's Services had a
special program planned ;~s part of the annual summer reading
program~ Several l'Iours before the program was t::> start, the
performer canceled due to illness. In desperation, I called Rob
and he qraciously agreed tc cancel his afternoon plans and step in.
Two hours later, there were 185 children and 850 adults at the
College Terrace Library, expectinq to see ~ program on reptiles.
And tha~ is exactly what they saw, thanks to Rob. We are very
grateful to Rob for this service above al'ld beyond the call of
dutyl"
Kbiem Nguyen --Inf~ation Resources pepar~
-A few weeks ago, the hard driVe on the staff workroom comp~ter at
Do~town Lihrary failed. Khiem brought the computer up the next
day and then 'Worked tirelessly to provide the. old machine 'With
additional memo',q' whiCh we desperately needed. Three days later,
a staff person formatted the C Drive and destroyed all of Khiem's
'Work. Despite an extremely hectic schedule I he made time within "
days to get us up and running aqain and then came back to install
add.itional programs to make the computer run sI!Ioothly. Most
importantly, he did all with finesse and good humor and incre~ible
response time.-
Bl11 Fellman --Finance Department. Real Estate Division
"This summer, the Department of Community services proposed
installing a coffee cart in the CUltural Center qarden area to
provide a higher level of service to the patrons of the center.
Bill took responsibility for helping the Cultural Center staff find
out ho'W to have a coffee cart installed. He coordinated require
ments ~ith Planning, Police, Public Works, Purchasing, the city
Manager's Office, and the Attorney. And this certainly isn't in
his job description.-
Ks!'en Obstar --Pol iCE: pepartJ1l.ent
MAs the Volunteer Coordinator tor the Polio::::e Departmer .. t, Karen
became aWdre of one ot our older volunteers who experienced some
serious health problems~ Prior to these problems, the volUnteer
had been injured while serving in a. volunteer capacity. After
learning of the woman's health problems, Karen took it upon herself
to assist the .... oman in dealing .... ith her medical bills and in
helping her to receive payment from the insurance company. Karen
also learned that the woman I 5 scn was not very responsible in
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ca.ring to'!:' his moth9r and has spent her own
checking on her to make sure she is all right4
qone above and beyond in helping this ~oman.·
time frequently
Karen truly has
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CUSTOMER SERVICE SUBCOMMITTEES
pirectories/Siqpaqe
Dianah Neff, Chair
Mike Miller
Jim Gilliland
Del:li:lie Katz::
GC:1yle Likens
Cal Coran
Training
Greg Munks, Chair
Lynne Johnson
Evelyn Espinoza
DiL"ll Williams
Pete Hazarian
Jeanine Goodale
garen Kit
Kelly Norton
Jeremy Hoptowi t
Jim Bonander
Surveys
Ashley Hooser, Chair
Yolanda Kaelemakule
Mary Di vinski
Mary Jo Levy
Donna Redecker
Fred Berman
Melinda Cook
Haura Morey
Ellie Chan
Greg Hunks
Karen Kit
Lir-da Ha 11
Yvonne Selner
Jim Gilliland
David. Fisch
Rosemary Ralston
other participants not shown aboVe!
8/03/92
Intgrdepartmental Coop-~:c..ation
Bill Fellman l Chair
Nancy Lytle
Phil Bobel
Bob Colyer
Ruben Grijalva
Kathy Lee
Ann Mills
Janet Freeland
Complaint tracking/Commendations
Vicei Rudin, Chair
Fred Herman
Lynn@. Johnson
Mike Hi 11 er
Oi:lnah Neff
Yolanda Kaelemakule
Nancy Lyt::'e
Voice Mail
Lihby Dame~ Chair
Cliff '~lmeida
Georgene Takayama
Shari Reynolds
Phil Bobel
Russ Reisserer
Jim McGee
Phil Constantino
Pete Hazar-ian
EVelyn Espinosa
Yolanda Kaelemakule
Peter Govea
Jim steele
Randy Baldschun
Susan R::r'erson