Agenda item

To consider a Partnership Update from Liberata as at November 2021.

Simon Miller, Liberata`s Operations Director, gave a presentation on the Partnership with the Council as at November 2021.

He reported on what had been achieved so far, learning events and Covid Impact, transformation channel shift and update, job creation, key initiatives being targeted this year, and then 2023 and beyond.

He highlighted that Burnley was doing well comparatively with other Councils, extra recruitment was taking place for the Contact Centre as well as posts moving from Nelson into Parker Lane, that a contact point had been maintained at Burnley Town Hall, that the complexity of telephone calls had increased, that there had been a spike in the number of recovery summonses following the reopening of the court system, that there was an ongoing  focus on providing customers with routes to the relevant contact points.

Members made the following points;

-What is the process for stopping summonses, as there had been some individual cases of concern?

Howard Hamilton-Smith stated that following 2020-21 when recovery only went up to the reminder phase, Court hearings had now restarted but as long as payment plans were adhered to following the reminder phase a summons could be avoided. He asked that any individual cases that were causing concern be passed to him immediately so that they could be investigated.

-Telephone services have sometimes led to a 45 minute wait to get through, with some people who wanted to pay over the phone having difficulty in doing so as they were being advised to pay online.

Simon asked that individual case details be passed to him so that the Liberata Team could investigate them. He indicated that the channel shift from paper/phone to online was aiming for a 65% target and that currently it was between 30 and 40%, but that the target did recognize there were disadvantaged and vulnerable people regarding online payments with other options available.

Lukman Patel confirmed that while the overall aim was for increased automation which would be encouraged if possible as it would help to reduce waiting times ,people could still pay by phone or in person.

Simon Miller also confirmed that the telephony system was being updated so that it would become fully integrated digitally.

-How did Liberata support people who were nervous about the digital route?

Simon stated that for those willing to try the digital route the staff would help them through the process. He stated that due to calls becoming more complex there had been an increase in staff sickness from 4% to 10-12%.

-Were there any barriers for staff working from home?

Simon stated that the effects on individuals were harder to see by Managers due to working from home, but the higher levels of attrition due to calls becoming more difficult were recognized and that staffing was being increased by 30% to address this.

However he stated that Liberata had implemented support mechanisms for people working from home such as work station assessments providing desks and chairs so that the proper environment was being provided to allow them to work from home effectively, and that it enabled and facilitated employees` preferences in working from home where it suited them to manage their work life balances and the flexibility it offered such as for caring responsibilities. He stated that some staff did prefer to work in the office, with others preferring a hybrid or hot desking when necessary and this was also facilitated.

Members asked what percentage of Contact Centre staff worked from home, and Simon Miller stated that he would provide that information.

-How did the e-mail switch off work?

 Simon Miller indicated that the aim was to get customers to attach documents to a populated and integrated digital  form, rather than to an e mail which required further steps by staff.

-An additional KPI on customer satisfaction regarding complaints and on responsiveness to users may be beneficial?

It was indicated that Simon Miller would look at this issue.

Howard Hamilton-Smith stated that the collection rate for Council Tax during 2020/21 was on a par as previously, with the rate now being 1-2% lower. He stated that Council Tax support could be applied for with assistance give to people struggling.

IT WAS AGREED

That Simon Miller be thanked for providing the presentation on Liberata`s partnership with the Council as at November 2021, and that it be noted.