This report asks the Board to agree a draft Customer Contact Strategy for consultation.  Following consultation, the outcome of that exercise and the proposed Strategy for adoption will be brought back to the Board in February 2014.

The Head of Customer Services submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) concerning the draft Customer Contact Strategy. The Board was asked to agree this for consultation, following which the proposed strategy for adoption would return to the Board in February 2014.

Councillor Susan Brown (Board member for Benefits and Customer Services) presented the report to the Board and provided some background and context.

The following Scrutiny recommendations were submitted:-

Recommendation 1: To ensure that separate arrangements for consultation with the Business Community are included in the information gathering to inform the final strategy.

Agreed by the Board

Recommendation 2: To explore the use of Skype as a communication tool within this strategy

Councillor Mark Mills (Scrutiny Chair) explained that scrutiny considered Skype to be a useful method to contact customers in specific situations, and asked the Board to consider it.

Comment from the Board: Understanding how our customers wish to engage with us and through which mediums is fundamental to the consultation approach.  This and all other communication mediums are to be considered.   The consultation findings will be reported to CEB in due course and inform the final strategy. The Board would be willing to investigate the use of Skype in order to ensure that our methods of communication reflect modern conditions, but would not wish to consider it in isolation.

Recommendation 3: To ensure that any service developments are evaluated financially around clear value for money principles.

Agreed by the Board.

Resolved: To approve the Draft Customer Contact Strategy for consultation, with recommendations from Scrutiny as shown above.