Throughout the public sector, an increased emphasis is being placed on customer service and marketing. To ensure these vital elements are included in business plans, Brisbane City Council has produced a document titled, ‘Customer Service and Marketing Cycle’.
“The document was pulled together by a cross functional group from various levels of the organisation, including the grassroots,” said Narelle Long, Policy and Coordination Officer. “The result is a document written in plain English so everyone can understand it.”
In addition to the document, a training package was also produced. This provides greater detail to assist staff in working through each step of the Cycle.
“It ensures staff fully understand the marketing aspect of their job and how this fits into both their business plan and the overall corporate goals of the organisation,” Narelle Long added.
Developed by the former Finance Division during 1996, the model has now been picked up and used as a framework by various other Council areas. Following a recent organisational review, the Cycle document and training package have clearly demonstrated their transportability and applicability to the new purchaser/provider split created by the restructure.
“There is wide ownership of the process because it has not been imposed from the top, but was developed by people from all levels of the organisation,” said John McHugh, then Divisional Manager City Governance. “The training package allows people with no prior experience in drawing up a marketing plan to start at the beginning and work through the steps to improved customer relations.
“In meeting the needs of our external and internal customers, a satisfied customer will not automatically be loyal. Loyalty comes from providing value, that is surpassing a customer’s expectations in every respect.”
John McHugh said that the Cycle process has also enabled the business units to have a better understanding of their true costs. However, he believes the most important element is ‘putting the customer first’, as distinct from the past when budget and business processes predominated.
For further information contact Narelle Long, telephone (07) 3403 6705.
