Item 3.4 City Initiatives Roadmap:
Customer Service Vision and
Standards Initiative Report
March 7, 2023
Dolan Beckel, Chief of Staff to the City Manager
Erik Chiarella Jensen, Assistant to the City Manager
Kia O’Hara, Program Manager, SJ311 Customer Contact Center Collin Lopes, Partner, Guidehouse
Kristen Jensen, Managing Consultant, Guidehouse
Elani Owen, Senior Consultant, Guidehouse
1 Agenda
• Initiative Background and Approach
• Discovery Overview
• Customer Service Vision and Standards
• Recommendations, Performance Management, and Multi-Year Transformation Plan • Interim Quick Wins Initiated
• Next Steps
2 City of San José:
Customer Service Vision and
Standards Check-In
Task 1: Discovery // Working Session
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
3 City of San José:
Customer Service Vision
and Standards
Detailed Report
March 7, 2022
3 4
Customer Service and Standards Initiative Approach
PROJECT TASKS INPUTS PURPOSE
The City engaged Guidehouse over four tasks to address customer service opportunities The City of San José is seeking to understand and assess person-to-person customer service across the City and assist in developing a comprehensive Customer Service Vision, set of standards, and actionable recommendations for improvement.
Call
observations
Customer
intercepts
Customer
interviews
Desk
observations
External Customer Engagement
Mystery
shopping
Leading
practices
Department
interviews
Document
review
Internal City Engagement
• Task 1 – Discovery. Current state review, internal City engagement, external customer engagement. • Task 2 – Mapping the Current State. Representative customer personas, data-driven journey maps. • Task 3 – Vision and Standards. Collaborative visioning, customer service standards development. • Task 4 – Future State Mapping and Transformation. Future state journey map, gap analysis, recommendations and quick wins, transformation plan and cost estimate, performance management framework. 5 Discovery
Overview
Council and Staff
Interviews Mystery Shopping Call / Front Desk
Observations Phone / Virtual Outreach Intercept Interviews 6 Discovery Inputs
We engaged 416 internal and external stakeholders over 5 engagement methods • Spoke with 7 members of
the City Manager's Office.
• Spoke with 28 members
of City leadership and
6 priority service staff.
• Spoke with the Mayor, 6 City
Council Members and 6 of
their staff.
• Conducted 2 affinity group
meetings with 13 City staff
members.
• Held 3 persona socialization
sessions reaching 33 City
Staff members.
• Frontline visioning session
engaged 26 City staff
members.
• Conducted journey
research from the
perspective of the customer
to inform understanding of
key customer pathways.
• Analyzed 7 different
scenarios in English,
Spanish, and Vietnamese.
• Scenarios included
applying for housing, park
reservations, reporting
graffiti, abandoned
vehicles, junk pickup,
permits, and animal care
services.
• Assessed SJ311, phone,
email, and web channels.
• Listened to 65 live calls and
SJ311 call recordings to
understand customer
service standard
procedures and key
customer issues.
• Conducted 30 front
desk observations
to understand customer
journeys.
• Observation locations
included City Hall (e.g.,
Permits, PBCE, DOT,
PRNS, Environmental
Services), ACS Intake,
and Police Dispatch.
• Spoke with 37 customers
representing potential
personas from City
stakeholder referrals.
• Provided project
introductions at 2
Neighborhood Association
meetings.
• Continue outreach to key
customers from
representative list of 150+
City stakeholder referrals.
• Conducted short in-person
intercept interviews at 24
locations across the City,
including City Hall (multiple
areas – e.g., Business Tax,
lobby and info desk)
Community Centers, MLK
Library, San José State
University, and El
Chapparal Grocery.
• Utilized interpreter services
to interview Vietnamese-
speaking residents and
Spanish-speaking
residents.
Indirect Constituent Engagement Direct Constituent Engagement 7 Scenarios 95 Observations 37 Customer Interviews 170 Intercept Interviews107 Staff Touchpoints Indirect Constituent Engagement Direct Constituent EngagementInternal Staff Engagement 7 Discovery Themes – Overview
San José has opportunities across culture, operations, and tech to improve customer service Technology
The City does not currently have the
technology to retrieve, process,
track, coordinate, and ensure follow
through on customer inquiries.
The lack of centralized data
collection and metrics leads to a
fragmented understanding of
customers.
People
City staff often do not leverage
collaboration across Departments
or take extra steps to problem
solve for customers.
Many customers felt customer
service was inconsistent depending
on who they reached out to.
Process
Inconsistent and complex policies
and processes across Departments
resulted in a fragmented, lengthy,
and ineffective customer experience.
Customers without deep familiarity of
City services struggle to navigate
towards a resolution.
The City’s current state of customer service delivery creates challenging and at times insurmountable barriers for residents and businesses in accessing the services that they need. 8 Customer Journey – Key Phases
The customer journey is broken down into five key stages Awareness
Prior to engaging with the
City, the customer is aware of
services and has an idea of
how to connect with the City,
what their needs are, and
whether they need a solution.
Information Seeking
The customer researches a point
of contact to connect with the
City to address their need and
uses a selected channel (in-
person, email, 311 phone, SJ311,
call center, dispatch) to reach out
to the City.
Engagement
The customer service
representative receives the
information and either provides a
solution, transfers the customer, or
provides contact information for
another Department.
Service Delivery
The customer directly
engages with a City
Department to receive a
service or solution.
Resolution
The City provides
updates to the customer
and the issue is resolved
and/or closed.
9 Current State Customer Journey – Representative Bright Spots Our discovery identified bright spots across every step of the customer journey Awareness
Customer has an awareness of City services
through personal experience or through
personal connections (e.g., Neighborhood
association leaders, community center, library,
neighbors, family, friends, etc.)
Customer is provided bilingual
representatives who can switch to
their preferred language.
FAQ section is available on the
front page of the City website and
helps customers locate
information quickly.
When being transferred within departments,
customers felt they were given enough
information and knew how to proceed.
.
Customers were appreciative of
the programming and services
provided and praised the quality of
these programs.
.START: Customer
needs support.
“The people are helpful; unlike other
places I’ve lived where sometimes the
attitude is ‘what do you want’ – there is
more a sense of ‘how can I help you’ from
San José.” – Intercept #78, Dai Thanh
Supermarket
“It’s pretty nice – there’s a
pool, field trips, and
movies. My grandson
goes to camp here. We
live nearby and come
often.” – Intercept #11,
Mayfair Community
Center
“I used 311 before and felt they
were pleasant and efficient.” –Intercept
#12, Mayfair Community Center
Customers that have used SJ311
thought the process was easy and
convenient.
Reps feel connected to the community
and feel a sense of pride in supporting
customers.
END: Customer has
accomplished what
they wanted.
“[I] interact mostly with the
website and app… [I] like the
chat feature online and makes
using the City website easier.” –
Intercept #60, Bascom
10 Awareness
The customer has low familiarity with City
services and does not have the time and
resources to figure out the process, which puts
them at a disadvantage from the start of their
journey.
The customer has challenges
reaching a human representative who
speaks their preferred language.
The customer is not able to
determine who to contact for their
needs – phone numbers listed on
the website are out of date.
Reps do not have visibility into the
customer’s previous touchpoints, so
the customer must repeat their inquiry.
The customer reaches the wrong
Department when calling. The rep
does not provide actionable next
steps nor a warm transfer.
The customer experiences long wait times
with no follow-ups on their inquiry status and
feels there is a lack of urgency from the City.
Several months pass without the
customer hearing back from the City.
START: Customer
needs support.
END: Customer is
hesitant to reach out to
the City in the future.
“If I needed something I’d just
give up because I wouldn’t know
who to call.” – Intercept #155,
Farmer’s Market
“We’re really bad about reporting back
out what the resolution was…some
Departments have single resources
that manage inquiries, which can
create a bottleneck or lost opportunities
to respond if they leave that job or are
on vacation.” – City Staff, Persona
Session
“Language access on phone calls is too limited - needs
Chinese speakers. – Intercept Interview #34
“Having to wait to be seen is
horrible – [I] understand having
to wait a few days or a week, but
months; the impact is losing jobs
and not being able to get stuff
done.” – Intercept #2, City Hall
Current State Customer Journey – Representative Pain Points Our discovery identified pain points across every step of the customer journey 11 Customer Service
Vision and Standards
Customer Service Vision and Standards
Standards are guidelines for City employees to deliver customer service and achieve the vision Working together to serve our community through reliable, empathetic, and solutions-oriented customer service
Standards
5. Set expectations for next steps at point of contact and communicate along the journey.
3. Work as a team to facilitate a seamless customer experience.
4. Enable customers to easily navigate the City on their first try.
2. Support a consistent and accessible experience for all customers.
1. Deliver customer service with a focus on solutions.
6. Treat every customer like their problem matters and we are on the same team to solve it.
7. Continually improve our customer service through our people, processes, and technologies.
Vision
3. Work as one team to facilitate a seamless customer experience.
2. Support a consistent and accessible experience for all customers.
1. Deliver customer service with a focus on solutions.
12 Customer Service Standards – Definitions
Standards were developed based on discovery research and staff visioning workshops
3. Work as one team to facilitate a seamless customer experience. Many customer inquires are complex and may require engagement across several Departments. In order to provide the best information possible information to our customers, we need to understand each other and practice open communication. If a customer needs to be transferred, we will do our due diligence to make sure they are transferred to the right person, and that person should be given enough information to ensure a seamless transition. Customers should feel like they are working with one City, no matter where they receive service.
2. Support a consistent and accessible experience for all customers. Our customers are diverse - in preferred language, technology proficiency, preferred communication channel, level of trust in the government, and so much more. It is our job to meet the customers where they are to ensure they can engagewith the City in accordance with their preferences and needs, including providing an end-to-end experiences in their preferred language and channel. We will ensure that all customers are serviced fairly and effectively by following the standard protocols and processes to help them reach their goals.
1. Deliver customer service with a focus on solutions. It may not always be possible to say “yes,” but we will aim to complete customer inquiries from beginning to end where possible. We will avoid handing off issues to other Departments and practice innovative and creative thinking when solving issues. We want our customers to know we tried our best to help them achieve their goals.
6. Treat every customer like their problem matters and we are on the same team to solve it. A customer’s first impression of the City can be based on the attitude, etiquette, and/or knowledge of the representative that picks up the phone or answers the email. We will interact with every customer in an empathetic, kind, positive, and productive way. We want to reassure our customers and put them at ease.
5. Set expectations for next steps at point of contact and communicate along the journey. Many solutions or services cannot be provided in a day, but we will strive to acknowledge the request or provide customers with next steps and expected timelines the same day. When transferring between departments or external organizations on a singular customer inquiry, we will provide clear and concise directions and expectations for completing the task at hand. When setting expectations withthe customer, we will be honest, transparent, and accountable. We want customers to feel like they know where they are in the journey and where they are going.
4. Enable customers to easily navigate the City on their first try.For many customers, our online presence is their entryway to the City and its services. We will ensure that information is accurate and up-to-date on our website and publicly-facing materials and that in-depth knowledge about City processes is not required to navigate the website. For people that prefer to speak with a person, phone trees and processes are set up so that customers are connected to a human on their first try. No matter which entry point customers choose, each channel should lead towards a resolution.
7. Continually improve our customer service through our people, processes, and technologies. On an individual and organization-wide level, we will strive to identify and improve San José’s policies, programs, and decision-making towards improved outcomes for all San José residents. We will listen to our customers and seek customer feedback to understand their needs and barriers. We will strive to pursue the best practices available and regularly review our operations and technology to ensure we are providing the best experience possible. 13 14
Recommendations,
Performance Management, and
Multi-Year Transformation Plan
Vision, Standards, and Recommendations Framework
The recommendations support San José in achieving its Customer Service Vision and Standards Working together to serve our community through reliable, empathetic, and solutions-oriented customer service
Standards
3. Work as
one team to
facilitate a
seamless
customer
experience.
2. Support a
consistent and
accessible
experience for
all customers.
1. Deliver
customer
service with a
focus on
solutions.
5. Set
expectations at
point of
contact and
communicate
along the
journey.
4. Enable
customers to
easily navigate
the City on
their first try.
6. Treat every
customer like
their problem
matters and we
are on the
same team to
solve it.
7. Continually
improve our
customer
service
through our
people,
processes, and
technologies.
VisionRecommendations
Culture &
Training
Governance
Centralization
Equitable
Access
Channels,
Software & Data
People Process Technology
3 Detailed Recommendations 5 Detailed Recommendations 3 Detailed Recommendations 15 Policies and
Processes
Policies &
Processes
Detailed Recommendations
Recommendation Theme Detailed Recommendations # of Steps
1. Culture & Training: Define a unified
and consistent culture of customer
service across the City so staff feel
empowered to make decisions that lead
to quality customer service.
Recommendation 1.1: Define and celebrate customer service excellence (short term).
Recommendation 1.2: Develop tools and training for improving internal and external connectivity and invest in customer service-related professional development opportunities (long term). 8 2. Customer Team Reorganization:
Centralized governance and support for
customer service.
Recommendation 2.1: Centralize governance and distribute operations for customer service (long term). 2
3. Equitable Access: Implement
measures to ensure equitable access
throughout the customer service journey.
Recommendation 3.1: Ensure customers can access a full journey in-language (short term).
Recommendation 3.2: Strengthen in-person resources to help customers better navigate the City (short term).
Recommendation 3.3: Optimize outreach campaign to engage and educate residents (short term). 6 4. Policies & Processes: Develop
policies to improve processes
throughout the customer experience.
Recommendation 4.1: Establish clear policies on communication and expectation setting throughout the customer journey (short term).
Recommendation 4.2: Define and build quality assurance processes for customer service (long term). 7 5. Channels, Software & Data: Improve
existing channels, procure new
infrastructure to process customer
inquiries on a City-wide level, and use
data-insights to identify and improve the
customer experience.
Recommendation 5.1: Optimize current phone and online channels to improve accessibility and ease (short term).
Recommendation 5.2: Procure a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution to centralize customer data collection, tracking, and sharing (long term).
Recommendation 5.3: Establish consistent metrics and leverage data to identify areas for improvement for customer service (long term).
19 The five themes each have detailed recommendations that are broken out into sub-steps 16 Multi-Year Transformation Plan Framework
The transformation plan supports San José in achieving its Customer Service Vision and Standards Working together to serve our community through reliable, empathetic, and solutions-oriented customer service Standards
3. Work as one
team to facilitate a
seamless
customer
experience.
2. Support a
consistent and
accessible
experience for all
customers.
1. Deliver
customer service
with a focus on
solutions.
5. Set
expectations at
point of contact
and communicate
along the journey.
4. Enable
customers to
easily navigate the
City on their first
try.
6. Treat every
customer like their
problem matters
and we are on the
same team to
solve it.
7. Continually
improve our
customer service
through our
people,
processes, and
technologies.
VisionRecommendations
Culture &
Training
Customer Team
Reorganization
Equitable
Access
Policies &
Processes
Channels,
Software & Data
People Process Technology
3 Detailed Recommendations 5 Detailed Recommendations 3 Detailed Recommendations 17 City-wide performance metrics at the CSA and Department level to measure the success of the recommendations in support of the Vision & Standards Performance
Performance Management Framework
Working together to serve our community through reliable, empathetic, and solutions-oriented customer service Standards
3. Work as one
team to facilitate a
seamless
customer
experience.
2. Support a
consistent and
accessible
experience for all
customers.
1. Deliver
customer service
with a focus on
solutions.
5. Set
expectations at
point of contact
and communicate
along the journey.
4. Enable
customers to
easily navigate the
City on their first
try.
6. Treat every
customer like their
problem matters
and we are on the
same team to
solve it.
7. Continually
improve our
customer service
through our
people,
processes, and
technologies.
Vision
18 Performance Measures
3. Percent of
customers who felt
their experience
engaging with the
City was seamless.
2. Percent of
customers that
engaged with City
employees in their
preferred language
and using their
preferred channel.
1. Percent of phone
calls resolved on
first call (SJ311
Contact Center).
5. Percent of
customers who
were “very
satisfied” with the
timeliness of the
response.
4. Percent of
customers who were
very satisfied with
their experience
contacting someone
in the City.
6. Percent of
customers who are
“very satisfied” with
the courtesy,
competency, and
cooperation of City
employees.
7. Percent of
employees that feel
they have the tools
they need to
facilitate a positive
customer
experience.
Percent of customers surveyed who answered “very satisfied” with overall customer experience
3. Rate of points of
contact
experienced to
reach a resolution
per customer.
2. Percent of
customers that
were able to reach
a resolution in their
preferred language
and using their
preferred channel.
1. Percent of phone
calls resolved on
first call (citywide).
5. Percent of
inquiries that
received a
response/next
steps at point of
contact.
4. Percent of
customers who felt
the effort required
to contact the City
was very easy.
6. Percent of
customers that
would be very
willing to contact
the City again.
7. Percent of
employees
engaged in people,
process, and
technology
improvements.
Long-Term Near-Term
Service Area Customer Issue Quick Win Summary Status
People
SJ311 Language Access: Spanish speakers using the SJ311 live chat option were receiving responses in English.
Limiting Spanish live chat to only be available when there is a Spanish speaking representative and encouraging SJ311 staff to utilize a translation application.
In progress
Comms City Tools: Some employees are unaware of citywide access to translation services.
Communications distributed a citywide email to staff to educate them on these services and connect to support resources. Complete CMO
Partner Access: A key City partner was feeling disconnected from, and unaware of, a variety of City services for which they were in need.
The City connected the partner to a variety of resources and relationships, including COVID-19 Recovery, Economic
Development, Cultural Affairs, and Community Energy services.
Complete
Process
SJ311 Language Access: The hold message of the SJ311 phone tree was not translated to Spanish. Spanish SJ311 hold message was added to the phone tree. Complete DOT and
SJ311
Information Uniformity: Information was inconsistent across DOT webpages. Language representation was not uniform.
The SJ311 and Communications teams worked to update all relevant information. Complete
Animal Care
and Services
and SJ311
Staffing: Customers calling Animal Care and Services that were being rerouted to SJ311 were left unanswered at specific times due to competing team meetings.
Reduced SJ311 team meeting length to decrease windows of workday times when reps are unavailable. SJ311 updated training for overflow partners so there is always a rep available.
Complete
Animal Care
and Services
Phone Tree: The Animal Care and Services phone line was routing all non-emergency inquiries to the same voicemail.
Staff are working to update call flow (e.g., reviewing for any “dead end” pathways like the “Customer Representative” option). In progress Tech
Comms
Language Access: While start up pages were translated – attachments, forms, and pages many clicks within the website were not.
Website translations with SJ311 products are being analyzed and any gaps will be identified with the appropriate team. In progress SJ311
Transfers: Customer did not know when they were being
transferred outside of the SJ311 phone line, creating customer confusion about who they were speaking to.
SJ311 department has implemented an automated message to alert callers when they are being transferred from the SJ311 line to an external department (e.g., Department of Transportation).
Complete
SJ311 Departmental Transfers: Customers contacting SJ311 often need to be transferred to a City department to resolve a request.
SJ311 is working towards a warm hand-off model, where a customer needing departmental transfer can move forward with the context of their request to minimize frustration and repetition.
In progress
SJ311
Customer Relationship Management System Consolidation:
Multiple systems exist across departments, creating variation and fragmented customer service delivery.
IT is exploring an early analysis of consolidating two different instances of a CRM into a single instance to reduce costs. In progress Interim Quick Wins Initiated
19 Item 3.4 City Initiatives Roadmap:
Customer Service Vision and
Standards Initiative Report
March 7, 2023
Dolan Beckel, Chief of Staff to the City Manager
Erik Chiarella Jensen, Assistant to the City Manager
Kia O’Hara, Program Manager, SJ311 Customer Contact Center Collin Lopes, Partner, Guidehouse
Kristen Jensen, Managing Consultant, Guidehouse
Elani Owen, Senior Consultant, Guidehouse
20