Customer choice
We must give customers the choice to use online services.
Our challenge is to provide digital channels and services that:
- have been designed for customer’s needs
- are so easy to use
- are always available
- a customer would prefer to use.
We provide a wide variety of services to:
- Medway residents
- local businesses
- partners
- visitors.
Some of our customers use many of these services and are in contact with us often.
Others only contact us now and again or use a few services.
Customers used to telephone, write or visit us if they needed information or wanted a service.
Over the past 10 years email, texting and website services have become more common.
More recently, social media such as Twitter and Facebook have become more popular and customers that used to use our website using their desktop computer may now want to contact us using their:
- smart mobile phones
- smart watch
- handheld tablet devices
- TV
- digital assistants such as Alexa or Siri.
The method of choice is becoming online.
With the growing use of smart phones, most of our customers now expect to be able to transact with us online, at a time to suit them, often outside of normal business hours.
Digital access and inclusion
The Labour Force Survey, conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), asks UK residents about:
- employment
- education
- household characteristics
- internet usage.
The survey is representative, meaning responses can be used to see trends in local areas.
Internet usage in Medway has increased every year since 2014.
Internet usage data from January to March 2020 (the latest available) shows nearly 96% of Medway residents aged 16 and over had used the internet in the last 3 months.
This is roughly 201,000 Medway residents, a 13% increase in internet usage since 2014.
The percentage of residents who had either not used the internet in the past 3 months, or have never used the internet, has gone down over time.
As of 2020, just over 4% of Medway residents were non or infrequent users of the internet, which is roughly 9,000 residents.
The online share of returns from the 2021 Census also tells us about the digital inclusion across Medway.
The heat map below shows the digital response rates across Medway.
The highest of 98.8% is in a small area that covers part of Cliffe Woods (dark purple) to the lowest response rate of 90.2% in a small area that covers part of the Davis Estate (light blue).
Census 2021 heat map showing internet usage in Medway
Whichever method residents use to contact us, we want to give our them the best service we can.
In today’s financial climate we need to do things differently to succeed, which may mean we need to deliver services in a different way.
We must aim to:
- work more closely with our customers and our staff
- identify, and work closely with detractors (those that do not want to use our online services)
- simplify and standardise the way we deliver services
- provide consistent services, even when technology and software is old or no longer used
- make the best use of technology.
Research suggests if you can convert detractors into promoters through design, others will follow.
This will make services even more inclusive and accessible.
As a result of the changing social, technological and financial landscape we are putting in transformation programmes that aim to redesign services around customer needs, whilst also reducing the cost of providing these services.
Creating online services and increasing our customers’ use of our website to access these services, is a central part of this work.
To improve the way we work, we are committed to using the most appropriate technology, including but not limited to:
- robotic process automation (RPA)
- artificial intelligence (AI)
- machine learning (ML).
We are also giving staff access to, and supporting them to use, technology that allows them to spend less time on administrative tasks and more on delivering services to our customers.
Use of this technology also allows our staff to work more quickly and dynamically, meaning they can work from more than one location or even on the move.
Using new technology will let us:
- automate administrative tasks (for example, updating customers about our progress with their service requests)
- remove the need for staff to travel for meetings by having virtual meetings (if appropriate)
- reduce or remove the need to print and carry paper documents
- reduce the need to handle cash or cheques.
Being “digital by design” means designing our services to be used through our digital channels, including:
- the website
- customer accounts
- portals
- chat bots.
These channels have now become the main way for customers to access services.
We expect that most of our customers will choose to use our digital services if we make sure they are:
- simple
- quick
- easy to use
- always available.
However, we understand that some customers will still want to interact with us using more traditional methods such as telephone and face to face contact.
We must design our services against customer demand and continue to improve our telephone and face to face services.
We have a key role to play in teaching and supporting residents to take advantage of our digital channels.
Helping customers who can't or won't use digital services
Although we plan to make more digital services available so that customers can help themselves, there are some services we may not be able to deliver online.
We understand that there are customers who, for various reasons, will not use our digital channels.
Based on the ONS internet usage 2020, we estimate that around 4% of Medway's residents may need help to access our digital services.
We will still give these groups other ways to contact us and get services wherever possible.
Digital poverty and public access
Medway Libraries and Archives give the community internet access on over 150 computers at 17 locations across Medway.
Customers have access to free Wi-Fi and internet use at every Medway Library if they are a library member (it is £3 for 30 minutes if you are a non-member, but it is free to join the library).
Customers can also connect to the library Wi-Fi on any:
- smartphone
- tablet
- laptop.
Printing is also available at every library for a small charge.
Free Wi-Fi access is available within other Council buildings such as Adult Education Centres and Sports Centres.
We are also working to provide public Wi-Fi access in all high streets and other public spaces.
We run a lending scheme, with devices available for residents to borrow so they can access the internet and digital services.
Most library staff have a European or International Computer Driving Licence (E/ICDL) qualification, or a good knowledge of ICT skills.
Library staff support users by helping them with:
- making a search
- printing and saving documents.
Customers can self-scan using our library devices, or their own, free of charge.
New to Computers Training
This in-depth specialist package training is provided through the support of a Computer Buddy located at some of our libraries.
We also have a Digital Champion at every Library.
Broadband access and infrastructure in Medway
Recently, Medway has had interest from the telecommunications industry (telcos) with many ‘full fibre to the premise’ (FTTP) builds happening throughout Medway.
Companies installing or upgrading critical digital infrastructure to improve internet connectivity for residents and businesses in Medway include:
- CityFibre
- Openreach
- Virgin Media
- Trooli.
The CityFibre FTTP build will provide access to “gigabit” speeds (up to 1,000Mbps) for over 90,000 premises.
Phase 1 will be completed by the end of 2024 and focusses on:
- Rainham
- Gillingham
- Chatham
- Rochester.
Strood and pockets of the Hoo Peninsula have been announced in Phase 2 of CityFibre’s expansion plans.
Due to commercial sensitivity surrounding telecoms, we cannot know all the market’s FTTP plans, but we know there are pockets of market failure in Medway (rural areas that the private sector do not consider commercially viable without government grants).
These areas include:
- remote parts on the Hoo Peninsula
- isolated hamlets
- North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Alongside the Kent Broadband Team, we have partnered with Building Digital UK (BDUK, part of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) on ‘Project Gigabit’.
This project will target areas that have suffered ‘market failure’ with up to £203 million allocated for Kent and Medway.
BDUK are leading on this work and have told all parties that they expect to enter a delivery contract in late 2023.
We know that infrastructure projects of this size are likely to create some disruption to businesses and residents in Medway.
To minimise disruption, we will make sure:
- existing trunking and ducting will be used to prevent unnecessary digging of roads, paths, or verges
- providers use each other’s assets (where possible) to reduce street clutter
- regular meetings are held with contractors to plan works and resolve issues
- permits from the Highways Service are needed in advance for all street works to make sure they are approved
- a consistent approach is used
- works are coordinated between different services and providers (where possible).
Barriers to using digital services
For each new digital service that we design we will analyse the customer groups affected and the likelihood that they might take up digital services.
We'll identify any barriers to using our digital services, such as:
- access
- cost
- skills
- language
- literacy
- motivation
- trust of technology.
We'll use this analysis to form an “assisted digital” plan for each service, which will be given to staff and users.
Each plan will explain how we will promote our digital services for those customers who currently prefer not to use them.
It will also explain how we will support those customers that cannot use our digital services to still be able to access those services if they choose to do so.
Assisted digital tools
We'll help customers to use our digital services through:
- web chat
- face to face support
- the telephone.
Support by paper will be avoided because the customer’s information will be entered into the digital service by the person or technology they are using.
This reduces costs related to double handling and retyping information.
The types of assistance that we will offer are:
Self-help on the website
When someone is already using our website to access a digital service, we want to keep them there and stop them from having to contact us another way.
We want our digital services to be easy to use but there may be occasions when a customer gets stuck.
We'll make information available on our website so that customers can fix issues for themselves.
We'll make sure that:
- we have online help that it is easy for customers to find and understand
- there are online forms for customers to fill in so we can get back to them if they need help.
Webchat and social media
When someone is already using our website to access a digital service, as well as online help, we will offer:
- information
- live webchat
- video support.
Support can be given on screen by a customer service adviser while the customer is trying to use the digital service on their own.
An on screen conversation helps the customer service adviser to support the customer where they are having trouble.
We may only offer webchat support for short periods after we launch a digital service or for longer periods where customers need it.
Where a customer makes a service enquiry through Twitter or Facebook, we'll make sure that we respond to these requests quickly and effectively and will:
- direct customers to the relevant online service
- give customers the choice to get help by chatting to someone online via webchat.
Face to face help
We'll offer customers support to use our digital services at one of our:
- community hubs
- libraries
- contact points.
We may also offer customers support to use these services during an outreach visit, for example, at the customer’s home or in hospital.
The support will allow the customer to sit with our member of staff and be able to see the digital service on screen.
It's important for us to take this approach because it gives the customer the chance to learn digital skills and build confidence.
This means the customer is more likely to complete the digital service on their own in future.
Telephone help
The phone is currently the way that many customers contact us.
Allowing customers to pick up the phone allows customers to opt out of using our digital services easily and reinforces the behaviours we want to change.
As well as the help we offer face to face, we will offer specific phone services, so customers get access to the support they need to use our digital services.
We'll offer:
- automated phone services that allow the customer to hear the information about a service they require (for example, library opening times)
- automated phone services so customers can carry out transactions without the need to speak to a member of staff
- switchboard facilities so customers can be put through to subject matter experts
- phone services to arrange face to face support in a community hub or library
- customers a call back to resolve specific issues if an operator is not available.
By helping our customers to use our online, digital services we will be giving them a better experience where they can get:
- issues resolved
- questions answered
- transactions completed quickly with no waiting, at any time, or place, that suits them.