1. #togetherweachievemore
Suffolk Coastal & Waveney District ‘hidden talent’ develops
customer service values.
Where we were:
CustomerServiceswere goingthroughadepartmental re-structure withsome difficultchallengesahead;changesin
customerdemand,adrive forchannel shiftandoperatingina challengingfinancialenvironment.The new structure
proposedefficiencies andimprovedcustomerjourney.Inordertodrive these changes;
 A clearpurpose forCS had beenagreed bySMT.
 NewstrategyforCS has beendeveloped –“The JourneytoExcellence”.
 A newstaffingstructure wasputintoplace with a dedicated team looking at Customer Experience.
 An actionplanof improvementprojects wasscoped.
 Recognitionthatwe were previouslyinconsistentinmanagingperformance andnew KPI’sagreed.
Where we needed to be:
In orderto manage performance andgive cultural directionto staff we neededtodevelopaperformance framework
whichincludedclearvaluestodrive improvement.
We neededclearcorporate customerservice values. The valuesshouldenable
customerstohelpthemselves butalso;
 Promote ourstaff to be the advocatesforcustomersinthe councils.
 Provide aholisticservice atthe firstpointof contact.
 Assistus deliverefficientlyandeffectivelyservicesandinformationto
customers.
 Promote andenable self service andchannel shift.
What we did to achieve this:
 We seta top downobjective andbottomupsolutionapproach.
 Createda natural workteam,askingfor volunteerswithinthe Customer
Service Teamtosubmitexpressionsof interestaskingthemtobe creative.
Thiswas an innovative organisational first forbothWaveneyandSuffolk
Coastal Councils!
 We ensuredthatthere wascontinuousstaff engagementthroughoutthe
process.OurNatural Work Team ran theirownTeamMeetings,
presentedtheirfindingsandconsultedcolleaguesthrougheachstepof
the project.
 Presented the final values toSMT.

2. The outcome:The four customer service values:
Ownership– We will stepup, not away
By takingownershipandfindinganswers,thiswillleadtoincreasedknowledge,withgreaterjobandcustomer
satisfaction.We will be proudof whatwe doand how we achieve it.
Bespoke – A service tailor-made to your needs
We knowthateverycustomerhasdifferentneeds.Ourteammembersmustbe knowledgeable andconfidentabout
our online andalternativeservicesandbe aware of everychannel of contactthat we have to offer.We musthave
the skillsandknowledge tohelpandempowercustomerswith digital channelsandfree upofficerstoofferamore
personal service tothose whoneeditmost.
Integrity– If we can we will,ifwe can’t we will be honest
For the customer,itgoeswithoutsayingthattheywantstraightforwardhonesty.
Opennessmaynotalwaysbe the easyroute and the customerneverwantstohear that we can’t help. Butby giving
clearalternativesandoptions,the longtermoutcomeswill be better. Byalwayssettingarealisticexpectationthe
customerwill neverbe leftfeelingdisappointedbyourservice.
Caring – Whateveryour needyoumatter to us
For the customer;whetherit’sasimple queryaboutwhich binneedstobe putoutthisweekor dealingwith
someone whohasjustbeenmade homelessandneedssomewhere tostay,everypersonwhocontactsusneedsto
feel thattheymatter. Everypointof contact withus isa chance to show that we care
Team Culture - #togetherweachievemore
The staff developedateamculture whichwe will always presentasa hashtagto be includedoneverysingle social
mediapost;whetheritisTwitterorFacebook.We want to encourage andengage withourcustomersandsocial
mediaisa great opportunitytoreachout andcommunicate withthose whouse it.By usingsocial media,we have
the opportunitytoinfluence howourcustomersperceiveour
teamculture everysingle day,forfree.
Our teamculture isa memorable,meaningful andconcise
statementthatcapturesthe essence of howwe wantto be
perceived.
Staff engagement

3. The CustomerService Teamat bothCoastal and Waveneywere consultedandasked:
 How the publicviewus.
 How we viewourselvesasateam.
 How we wantto be viewedinthe future.
The NWT ran a series of staff eventsgatheringteamfeed-backencouragingthe team
to engage.Ideasandprogresswere displayedinstaffingbreak-outareaswithspace for
commentsandopportunitiesforfurthersuggestion. Collectivelydevelopingthe core
valuesandensuringtheyhadbuy-infromcolleague’s through-outeverystage of the
process. The teamalso made gooduse of social media,keepingcolleaguesandCouncil
staff engaged andup to date on theirprogressthroughTwitter.
Confidence
The Natural Work Team successhas instilled confidence inusasa department collectivelyand raisedourreputation
withinthe Councils.Teammembersare feelingmore empoweredtoputforwarddecisions andsuggestionsto
improve ourworkingpracticesandthe valueshave givenusguidance andconfidence tomake adifference toour
customers.The valueshave beensharedatourstrategylaunchwithour internal clientsacrossthe Councilsand
feed-backhasbeenexcellent withotherdepartmentmanagerssupportingourculture valuesandsuggestingthat
theyshouldbe embracedcorporately.ForourCulture workteammembersthishasbeenaninvaluable experience
and those involvedhave shownpersonal growthanddevelopment,allowedthemtodemonstrate leadershipskills
and improvedself confidence.
It has been a privilege to have been part of the Culture values team,
working on the team took me outside my comfort zone, allowing me to
acquire and implement new skills. Taking part in the culture group gave me
the confidence to apply for a new role within the team.
Fiona Uttridge - Culture WorkTeam Member.
Hidden talent
The Culture workprojectidentifiedhiddentalentswithinourteam.The bar was setincrediblyhighfromproject
initiationwithexpressionsof interestsubmittedtoa veryhighstandard.The teamshowedcreativity,displayingskills
indesign,presentation,leadershipandinnovationthatotherwisemightnothave beendiscoveredinthe previous
existingworkingenvironment.
Howthis will be used:
Improve performance
We will measure performance improvementthroughcall monitoring–A call monitoring/face toface assessment
formwill be created& usedbymanagementtomeasure performance accordingtothe values.
Staff appraisals – Aswiththe call monitoringform, eachof the key questionsand individual performance indicators
will be tailoredaroundthe values.
Recruitment
We will recruitpeople whoare more motivatedandcommittedtothe successof the departmentanditsgoals.

4. We wantstaff withcompatible personalvalueswhichwill fitinwithourcultural values;thereforetheywill be
includedin the jobdescriptionandapplicationformsothatprospective employeescansee whatwe believe inand
our expectations.
Training
Staff trainingthatis customerfocusedwill incorporate ourcore valuesandwe will promote themactively daily
throughcoachingand mentoringwiththe teamleaderandseniorofficerroles.
What everyone thought?
Using a 'top down objective' and 'bottom up solution' has developed
an impressive set of core values for the customer service which will help
continuously improve the services we provide. The outcome produced
demonstrates the talent we have within our organisation.
Darren Knight– Head of CustomerServices
Our new core values have been designed for customer services to bring a
modern & unified approach to our work ethic. I am proud to have been part
of the Cultural Works Team & proud of what we have achieved.
Jane Speller– Culture Work Team Member
I am proud of the Customer Service Team’s dedication in making our
new values a success. We live and breathe these values everyday, now we have
the ability to prove it.
Rachael Durrant – Culture Work Team Member
This project has been such a privilege to work on, to see first hand
staff thrive and develop, working in a creative environment. They have
produced a high quality document that I am proud to say has been
embraced not only by colleagues in Customer Services but is being supported
throughout the wider Council.
Emma Lockwood – Culture WorkTeam Manager