Summary
To: Town Commission
From: Stefan Massol, Director of Support Services
Date: 9/17/2019
______________________________________________________________________
Subject:
Title
Discussion of Customer Services at Town of Belleair
Summary:
This item is for discussion purposes only. Town staff will be reviewing the current customer services tools and procedures with Town Commission and potential opportunities.
End
Body
Previous Commission Action: N/A
Background/Problem Discussion: Over the years town staff has made efforts to increase efficiency while maintaining or improving services provided to residents and other customers. Unfortunately, with limited staff, it is often difficult to provide the same service-level when certain key staff members are absent or otherwise unavailable. Meanwhile, limited resources have resulted in slower adoption of newer tools, such as improved payment options and electronic form options for customers.
Historically, the town has budgeted for one full-time staff member to answer and transfer all incoming phone calls. Because the Town has its own Police Department, there is significant concern that emergency calls would be made directly to our operator, rather than the Pinellas County Regional 911 Center, delaying emergency response. Our telephone operator is not a trained emergency dispatcher and does not have the ability to dispatch life safety services, nor do they have a way to bypass the 911 call queue.
As industry standards have continued to evolve the Town may consider a potential auto-attendant or department specific numbers for incoming calls. This would allow the Town to redirect emergency calls to 911 and also avail the operator to provide additional customer service support for calls and in-person requests. With limited staff available for customer service requests, this change could potentially improve services for residents and expedite the processing of requests.
Furthermore, as adoption of digital resources continues to grow, staff is also considering additional web based, self-service options for residents. There are tools available that would allow customers to schedule building inspections or submit permit applications online, receiving automated notifications when the status of their request has been updated. We intend to continue evaluating the cost of these options as well as their potential merits in improving efficiency and the customer service experience.
Financial Implications: None.
Recommendation: None. This item is for discussion purposes only.
Proposed Motion: None. This item is for discussion purposes only.