Digital by Design

Where we are now

The drive to place more Council services online has been part of our Customer Contact strategy for some time, and we have made great progress to;

• Make access to our services easier
• Improve convenience and reduce waiting
• Be more efficient in dealing with requests
• Meet customer expectations for online services

We have also improved how these online services are presented:

• Our new website went live in January 2016 and is designed for all device types
• We have had a mobile app since 2015 which provides a range of services including bin collection day reminders and 'report it' forms
• The layout of the majority of our forms has been improved as a result of user testing and external advice.
• We have re-written all our web pages in plain English and made them shorter and more focused
• We are using Google Site Search to improve our customer search experience

How we need to change

There is still significant potential for improving our performance and deliver better digital services. To achieve this step change we need to change the way we work.

We will:

• Ensure that we use a digital-first approach when improving or providing new services
• Design our digital services around our customers’ needs first, through using excellent research, carrying out user testing and acting on feedback to make further improvements
• Encourage people to turn to digital services while being careful not to exclude those less able to use digital channels
• Improve our project delivery by using the most appropriate project management methods, and give our project teams the responsibility for making key project decisions
• Ensure we have the capacity, resources and technical flexibility to deliver new and improved digital services
• Identify appropriate performance measures for digital services to make sure they meet our expectations