Can municipalities save money by providing a better service?

Telemind has just completed the most comprehensive measurement of the 98 Danish municipalities’ telephone service, and the answer is clear: YES.

In light of the current investigation it can be concluded that in only 54.9% of cases municipalities handle citizen inquiries in a proper and efficient manner. Moreover, it was shown that all municipalities, to a greater or lesser degree, have the potential to reduce the number of incoming calls dramatically and this is without mentioning the increase in citizen satisfaction.

In Denmark you must call twice on average to your municipality in order to resolve your inquiry, which means that municipalities nationwide will receive about twice as many calls as they help citizens to complete inquiries.Lyt

 

It’s not impossible

Many years of experience in measuring and developing employees in Danish municipalities have shown us that staff wanted to provide citizens with the best service. They just do not always know what the best service is.

 

To reduce the number of incoming calls and thus achieve the potential savings, it is therefore important that clear objectives and guidelines are agreed for proper and efficient handling of citizens’ inquiries throughout the entire municipality and not only centrally.

 

Objectives and guidelines should therefore be monitored closely with continuous focus on improvement. In this process it should be ensured that the ongoing improvements are noted and recognized until they become a natural part of dealing with citizens on a daily basis.

Stay focused

Important factors for success are naturally to have clear objectives and guidelines, visible leadership and match expectations. Our experience shows that unconditional perseverance and patience is one of the keys to success.