Dacorum Borough Council
The challenge
The council faced consistently high complaint volumes and wanted to understand the root causes. At the same time, limitations with systems and processes were preventing the Customer Services team from working effectively.
To respond, the council aimed to:
Review and improve its complaints approach
Reduce inefficient use of email and phone contact
Identify digital improvements that would support channel shift and ease operational pressures
The result
We supported the council through a two-phase programme. The first phase focused on discovery, using data analysis and customer research to identify improvement opportunities. Phase two focused on implementation.
Key areas of delivery included:
User feedback and research: engaging with customers to inform the redesign of 12 high-volume customer journeys.
Customer journey redesign: to identify opportunities for improvement.
Business case development: for a new digital platform to support customer relationship and complaints management.
Public engagement: to inform the new customer strategy and charter.
Strategy development: collaborating with customer service managers to develop a new customer strategy.
Outcomes delivered included:
A revised customer strategy and complaints policy.
Quantified pipeline of over 100 improvements.
Funding approved for a new digital platform.
Redesigned customer journeys and aligned service standards.
Skills and knowledge transfer to internal staff to support future improvements.
What made it successful
Evidence-based delivery: channel data, call patterns, website reviews and feedback shaped every recommendation.
Structured approach: phased delivery with clear project controls supported timely, measurable progress.
Strong collaboration: council staff and members of the public were engaged throughout, ensuring relevance and buy-in.
Capability building: business analysts were supported to lead elements of the work and build skills in journey mapping and benefits tracking.
Focused technology review: digital gaps were identified and prioritised in line with the customer strategy.