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# Customer Service Strategy
Our Customer Service Strategy provides a framework for Haldimand County's customer service approach over the next few years. The plan provides a roadmap for enabling a customer-focused approach to support positive customer outcomes by optimizing external and internal practices using the appropriate technology and tools.
## On this page
* Background
* Customer service principles
* Strategy focus areas
---
Customer Service Strategy 2022-2026
Haldimand County strives to foster a customer-focused service culture that supports staff and provides the necessary resources and tools in order to ensure the provision of a positive customer experience that is consistent, accessible, responsive, and easy for all.
Read the 2022-2026 Customer Service Strategy
---
## Background
The plan was developed as a result of market research, data analysis, stakeholder engagement and consultation.
Engagement feedback: what we heard
#### Customer service
Residents indicated that they value a friendly response, a resolution to their issue, and a quick answer.
Approximately 85% of survey respondents are satisfied with customer service at Haldimand County.
Survey respondent summary:
* 72% feel that Haldimand County should minimize the number of phone transfers required for service.
* 74% agree "Haldimand County should respond with clearly defined time limits."
* 67% prefer to wait on hold to speak with a staff member instead of leaving a voicemail.
#### Digital services
Survey respondent summary:
* 72% want mobile-friendly, online services and the ability to check account info online.
* 36% are interested in a digital chat service option.
* 84% indicated staff would benefit from a corporate-wide shared tool to track requests.
Research findings
#### 2022 customer service statistics
In 2022, the customer service team:
* processed 9,790 payments
* answered 37,340 calls (an average of 155 calls per day)
* transferred 51% of calls to another division or employee
Of the 51% of calls that were transferred, 11,000 (59%) were directed to secondary telephone queues. Of those directed to a secondary queue, approximately 5,500 (50%) were re-routed to voice mail instead of receiving a 'live answer' from a staff member.
#### Service review
Staff have developed an initial service inventory listing over 200 service offerings by Haldimand County to provide a baseline for conducting a service review in collaboration with all divisions.
In 2022, Haldimand County offered approximately:
* 22 online services
* 22 online forms
* 29 PDF forms
Both online and PDF forms are not connected to divisional software which requires staff time to duplicate data entry.
---
## Customer service guiding principles
Our focus is our customers.
* We provide a positive customer experience ensuring fair and consistent treatment for all.
* We implement processes that are easy and require a customer to only have to 'tell their story' once.
* We respond to our customers in a timely manner and provide status updates as required.
* We leverage technology to improve and enable efficient customer service delivery.
* We strive to continually improve services and measure our performance.
---
## Strategy focus areas
The Customer Service Strategy is made up of 3 main focus areas to support our customer service vision:
1. Create a customer-focused culture
2. Enable efficient service delivery
3. Provide easy and accessible services
### 1. Create a customer-focused culture
**Goal:** To build and support the organization's capacity to provide a positive customer service experience.
Actions
* Establish a customer service strategy including a vision and action framework to increase accountability related to service delivery.
* Develop, implement, communicate and monitor corporate customer service standards across the organization to ensure consistent, positive customer service.
* Provide customer service training and resources for all staff across the organization.
* Build a 'one team' internal cross-team collaboration approach for process improvement, applying a customer 'lens' to make service enhancement recommendations.
* Solicit customer feedback through public engagement and to celebrate excellence in customer service.
Outcomes
* Haldimand County maintains a positive public image within the community.
* Residents and local businesses are satisfied with the delivery of Haldimand County services.
* Customer interactions result in a positive customer experience.
* Customer service standards are communicated and understood by all employees and citizens.
* Staff feel empowered and supported to provide the best possible customer service.
Implementation Roadmap
#### 2023
* Establish a customer service vision & action framework by Q4.
+ complete
#### 2024
* Implement corporate customer service standards by Q2.
+ For more information on the customer service standards refer to Contact Us page.
+ complete
* Develop customer service training program by Q4.
+ complete
#### 2026
* Collaborative service inventory by Q2.
+ complete
### 2. Enable efficient service delivery
**Goal:** To proactively respond to our customers' changing needs through leveraging opportunities that improve operational efficiencies and enhance our capacity to resolve issues at the first point of contact.
Actions
* Continue to maintain the shared customer service knowledge base ensuring quick, easy staff access to information required to provide a consistent and accurate response.
* Develop a framework to measure and report on established key performance indicators and divisional service levels enabling improved data driven decision making.
* Leverage new and existing technology to enable automated service processes and closure of the customer feedback loop.
* Facilitate processes that allow the customer to have requests submitted at their first point of contact.
* When first contact resolution is not possible, enable a live answer at secondary customer service touchpoints where possible.
Outcomes
* Residents and local businesses feel that Haldimand County delivers efficient and cost effective services.
* Service areas measure their customer service delivery outputs against agreed upon service level standards.
* Customers only have to 'tell their story' once.
* Customer requests are resolved in a timely manner, at the first point of contact where possible.
* Customers receive service updates, as required, to ensure closure of customer feedback loop.
* Staff have access to resources and tools required to enable cross-divisional information sharing and efficient service delivery.
Implementation roadmap
#### 2023
* Maintain & expand customer service knowledge base.
+ complete
#### 2025
* Identify key performance indicators and divisional service levels by Q1.
* Develop framework to report on measures by Q3.
+ on hold
#### 2026
* Implement process improvements enabling first contact resolution by Q4.
### 3. Provide easy and accessible services
**Goal:** To provide consistent service delivery that is accessible, responsive, and easy to understand regardless of communication channel.
Actions
* Rebuild the corporate website prioritizing the user experience and accessibility in design and site navigation.
* Explore opportunities to expand self-serve online service offerings and digital communication channels.
* Review service and identify high volume customer service transactions for potential transfer to an online self-service delivery system.
* Procure and implement customer service enabling technologies such as a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to effectively manage and report on all customer service transactions cross-divisionally.
Outcomes
* Residents and local business feel that it is easy to understand and access services that Haldimand County provides.
* Service information and updates are proactively and clearly communicated through available communication channels.
* Customers are able to access service through their communication channel of choice.
* Staff have access to shared tools for information enabling accurate and consistent customer service delivery.
Implementation roadmap
#### 2024
* Rebuild the corporate website by Q4.
+ complete
#### 2025
* Identify services for digitization or change process by Q3.
* CRM Market Research & Procurement by Q3.
#### 2026
* Technology (CRM) Implementation by Q4.
+ On hold
- conduct a CRM Service Readiness Assessment to determine updated timeline for implementation
Contact Us
**Customer Experience and Communications**
53 Thorburn Street South
Cayuga, Ontario
Canada, N0A 1E0
Email Customer Experience and Communications
Phone: 905-318-5932