Tuesday, November 14, 2023

12:20 PM - 12:50 PM

Breakout Room Matiu

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Overview

Presented by Tania Russell, Taupō District Council

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Details

Recognising a need to invigorate customer service experiences following Covid-19 disruptions, Taupō District Council came up with a truly unique solution. Our solution-focused approach to customer service and staff development created an opportunity to implement a new hybrid style of working; proactively engaging customers across the district while honouring our values of kotahitanga. By forgoing the traditional i-SITE model and combining tourism promotion with our customer service centres, we revitalised both. We reimagined how we work with our customers, shifting our focus from an interaction/transactional basis, to providing a positive experience for customers and visitors alike. Our focus was to remove barriers and understand what our customers’ needs were, applying learned insights into a new way of working that would bring about tangible benefits. We embraced a local approach to better reflect the district, its community, and culture. Taupō is the hub of a broad geographical district and working in partnership with all of our communities, we sought to make an exceptional impact on our customers by connecting them to our staff in organic ways and delivering real outcomes. We incorporated visitor information into a wider approach that reimagined the customer experience, opening up our spaces and reshaping the conventional service model. We created hybrid roles to enhance Council’s service delivery, setting up staff for success and bringing benefits to the whole rohe. Energising our Customer Relationship Experience is one of our best decisions. We now have the confidence to deal with whatever is thrown at us and give our customers and visitors the best possible experience. This project has transformed the customer relationship experience, resulting in a skilled, flexible team that feels empowered to serve locals and visitors, working across different service models and geographical locations. Our tangata are engaged, informed, and provide a seamless interaction with all stakeholders.

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Speaker