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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - October 24, 2017 SSLODI CITY COUNCIL SHIRTSLEEVE SESSION CARNEGIE FORUM, 305 WEST PINE STREET TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017 A. Roll Call by City Clerk An Informal Informational Meeting ("Shirtsleeve" Session) of the Lodi City Council was held Tuesday, October 24, 2017, commencing at 7:02 a.m. Present: Council Member Johnson, Council Member Mounce, and Mayor Kuehne Absent: Council Member Chandler, and Mayor Pro Tempore Nakanishi Also Present: City Manager Schwabauer, City Attorney Magdich, and City Clerk Ferraiolo NOTE: Mayor Kuehne left the meeting at 7:55 a.m. B. Topic(s) B-1 Receive Update on City of Lodi Customer Service Division (CM) Deputy City Manager Andrew Keys reminded Council that in May 2017 Council received a presentation using the framework of people, process, and technology to discuss the customer service division. Staff intends to provide updates to report on the efforts to improve services. Financial Services Manager Derrick Cotten provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding the City of Lodi Customer Service Division update. Specific topics of discussion included framework of people, process, and technology; cross training; staff training; benchmarking; enhanced customer experience; lobby enhancements and upgrades; improvement plan process; consolidating billing cycles, including pros, cons, and schedule; new technology; future technology improvements; and areas of weakness in technology. Mr. Keys explained staff benchmarks track number of transactions and speed of each employee. That information, which was never before collected, is monitored and shared with staff. Mayor Kuehne pointed out the significant discrepancy between a couple of employees and asked how staff plans to improve their performance. Mr. Cotten stated he meets with staff on a monthly basis to review numbers and discuss what the proficient employees are doing to record such high transaction numbers, whether it is navigating through the system quicker, advanced training, or knowledge of policies and procedures. He then ascertains what he can do for those employee who may need additional assistance in getting the job done better and quicker. Council Member Mounce expressed support for benchmarking exercises because it is difficult to manage systems and techniques when they cannot be quantified. With regard to the Finance lobby, Mr. Keys stressed the goal is to change from an institutional look to a friendly, comfortable setting to make the customer experience more pleasant. In response to Council Member Mounce, Mr. Keys stated he anticipates construction on the lobby will occur over a three-day weekend or phased over a number of three-day weekends to minimize disruptions. Construction will not commence until the kisosks are in place in order to have alternative payment options that can be manned by staff should construction interfere with customer service in the lobby. Funding for the improvements will come from the Utility fund since most of the transactions at the Finance Department are utility-related; therefore, there would be no impact to the general fund. In further response to Council Member Mounce, Mr. Keys stated the impact to utility rate payers would be minor and will be absorbed by normal operations. 1 Council Member Johnson commented on the cost range of $8,525 to $45,765 for lobby enhancements and questioned if there were options available to reduce costs, such as purchasing less-expensive chairs or installing an alternative to laminated flooring, while still making the area functional and comfortable for customers. He stated he believes the kiosks, which are already budgeted and programmed, will be a great benefit to Finance, but he would like staff to take another look at the costs. Mr. Keys assured Council this was only an initial cost estimate that staff will refine as it proceeds. He stated the glass panels are the most important line item in this project because it provides two-way visibility that will greatly improve the one-way communication that currently exists; however, there are different options for the glass that will still work with the overall feel. Staff will fine-tune the final project and associated costs that will ultimately be approved by Council. Council Member Mounce suggested staff consider other architects that may have a more frugal approach and could find less-expensive ways to accomplish the project. In response to Council Member Mounce, Mr. Cotten stated there are roughly 400 preferred billing date customers who will experience a greater level of discomfort with the change in billing cycles. Those customers will be notified and phased in to be billed by location, versus their current set up of billing on a specific date. All customers will have access to the payment scheduler, as well as other tools, to schedule payments for a preferred date. Council Member Mounce stated she believes this change will be more challenging for staff than it anticipates because many people plan their payments based on when they get paid and changing it will likely upset customers. In response to City Manager Schwabauer, Mr. Keys explained that the payment scheduler will allow customers to choose a specific date to make a payment by either debit card, credit card, or e-check. He added that most of the 400 customers will see a slight shift in due date, with many of them moving to a different day within the same week. A small percentage will see a shift of a week or two. He explained the concept is that 25 percent of customers will pay in week one of the month, with another 25 percent paying in the second, third, and fourth weeks of the month for four cycles total. During the phased changed-over, these customers will be exempt from normal collection and shut-offs while they adjust to the change. They will all receive advance communications, and, while this may inconvenience some customers, it will provide the City an opportunity on the back-end to serve customers at a higher level and with greater accuracy. Mr. Keys stated that preferred billing is not a commonly-offered service because it is hands-on and requires additional labor by the agency. He explained that billing for one versus 20,000 customers represents the same amount of work (roughly 9 to 12 hours) and the more preferred customers there are in the system, the greater it increases the amount of staff time. In response to Council Member Mounce, Mr. Keys stated currently preferred customers call the Finance Department to request a preferred payment date. With the new system, customers can use the interactive voice response (IVR) phone system or log into Invoice Cloud to create an account and select an option of either one-time payment or recurring payments. Council Member Mounce expressed concern that many of the preferred customers are on fixed incomes and moving the payment due date will create a hardship. Additionally, many customers are senior citizens who do not use technology, computers, or the Internet. She asked staff to keep these points in mind as this moves forward so it does not alienate citizens. Mr. Keys assured Council that staff will also be available to walk customers through the process if they have difficulties. Mr. Keys stated that another utility recently shared with him that, once the agency installed payment kiosks, partial payments increased substantially because customers were more comfortable making regular, partial payments at a machine instead of at a face-to-face transaction. Because of this alternative payment option, the utility experienced a reduction in late charges and shut-offs. The switch-over on billing cycles will not occur until after the IVR phone system, kiosks, and lobby enhancements are completed. Council Member Mounce questioned, in light of the previous provider's less-than-favorable track record, what assurances the City has from Invoice Cloud if there are problems rolling out the program. Mr. Keys stated the company has not yet been compensated because it is paid from transactions. The minor hiccup in the program is a logic-based error that requires rewriting a code that will handle the City's Portable Document Format and multiple-page files. He estimated the 2 issue will be resolved by the end of October. Mr. Schwabauer pointed out that Invoice Cloud is much more intuitive than the last product. Mr. Cotten added the functionality of Invoice Cloud is more user friendly and follows the lines of an Amazon or E-Bay set up. In response to Council Member Mounce, Mr. Cotten stated that one of the kiosks will be available inside the Finance Department during regular business hours; the other will be outside, across the street from the Lodi Police Department, and will be accessible 24 hours. The kiosks will have security cameras; the machines are owned by the provider, but located on City property; and the City will be charged when a payment card is swiped. Mr. Schwabauer pointed out the kiosks are not automated teller machines and will not dispense cash. Myrna Wetzel stated she likes to go to the Finance Department, pay cash on her account, and converse with the tellers. She stated that, in all her years going to Finance, she has never met an unfriendly Customer Service Representative and she has had pleasant conversations with other customers in the lobby. She stated a large number of the population needs human interaction and she was concerned these changes would eliminate that option for people. She questioned who "preferred customers" were, to which Mr. Cotten explained they are customers that reached out to the City asking for an alternative billing date that does not align with the system. Mr. Schwabauer clarified it does not mean the City prefers them over any other customer. Mr. Keys assured Ms. Wetzel these updates are not intended to take away the option for personal interaction, adding that some will prefer to use the kiosks or on-line services, which will allow staff greater time and flexibility to work with customers who prefer to come to the lobby. Mr. Schwabauer stated the idea is to make technology attractive to customers so those who do not wish to stand in line do not have to. C. Comments by Public on Non-Agenda Items Alex Aliferis shared a personal story in which Officer Ryan Holz assisted a homeless man with improving his life. This gentleman from Australia has no family in this country, lives in his car, and cannot find a job even though he has no drug or alcohol addictions or felonies. He is down on his luck and cannot get a break. Officer Holz met with him and connected the individual with sources in Southern California for training to become a truck driver. Officer Holz continues to stay in touch with him should he need assistance with school or money. Mr. Aliferis expressed concern that a majority of people categorize homeless into one classification; however, many are down on their luck due to unfortunate circumstances and simply need a helping hand. He encouraged people to break out of their shells, interact more with one another, and communicate with someone who needs assistance to help them back on the right track. D. Adjournment No action was taken by the City Council. The meeting was adjourned at 7:56 a.m. ATTEST: Jennifer M. Ferraiolo City Clerk 3 AGENDA ITEM B-l Crrv or Lonr CouNcrr-, C onnMUNICATIoN AGENDA TITLE: MEETING DATE: PREPARED BY: Receive update on the city of Lodi customer service Division October 24,2017 Financial Services Manager RECOMMENDED ACTION Staff recommends that Council receive an update on the City of Lodi Customer Service Division. No council action is required. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The City's customer service (cs) Division strives to provide top of the line service. As such, the department seeks continuous improvement. The presentation will provide a status update on the department and briefly touch on future planned enhancements. The Shirtsleeve session on May 1 6,2017, focused on the opportunities, improvements and current challenges in the CS division. Today's discussion provides an update on progress to ensure continuous improvãment in line with the People, Process, Technology framework introduced at the May Shirtsleeve. That framework is summarized here and will be used to guide the presentation' people: lt is essential to have the right people, with the right training and the right mentality to succeed in all business endeavors, including the CS division. Employees must buy into the philosophy of the division and any proposed changes' process: The appropriate business rules (policy and procedures) must be in place in order to successfully administer existing programs, provide services and implement new programs. Business rules also establish tñe paiameters of each position's duties, responsibilities, authority level and set clear performance expectations. Technotogy: Technology is an essential asset to modern organizations. However technology will never overcome people and processes. Successfultechnology implementations are contingent on the existence of best practices that pre-date the technology and are widely known (through thorough and consistent training) by high quality employees moving in the same direction at all staff levels. Attached to this report are a schematic cost estimate, floor plan, mockup images and pictures of suggested materials in other service lobbies that are suggested for the Customer Service Lobby enñáncement first discussed briefly at the May Shirtsleeve. These details will be referenced in the presentation, but no action will be considered at this meeting on the lobby enhancement project. FISCAL IMpAGT: There is no impact from this informational presentation. FUNDING AVAILABLE: Not a licable. Derrick Cotten, Financial Services Manager Andrew Keys, Deputy CitY APPROVED nager , City Manager City of Lodi Finance Department Customer Service Lobby Interior upgrades – Schematic Cost Estimate 5757 Pacific Avenue Suite 226 Stockton CA 95207 209.944.9110 2000 L Street Suite 125 Sacramento CA 95811 916.254.5546 www.wmbarchitects.com OPTION 1 Carpet Tile over existing flooring 300 SF @ $9/SF $2,700 Re-use (e) seating 6 chairs @ 0/EA $0 Large Scale artwork for north wall 3 EA @$350/EA $1,050 Re-paint w/ added accent walls 1 LS @ 3,500 $3,500 Replace wall mounted service shelf w/ custom casework 1 EA @ $500 $500 SUBTOTAL $7,750 10% CONTINGENCY $775 Total Estimated Construction $8,525 OPTION 2 Carpet Tile over existing flooring 300 SF @ $9/SF $2,700 New upholstered contract seating w/ commercial vinyl 4 chairs @ $800/EA $3,200 Large Scale artwork for north wall 3 EA @$350/EA $1,050 Re-paint w/ added accent walls 1 LS @ 3,500 $3,500 Replace wall mounted service shelf w/ custom casework 1 EA @ $500 $500 SUBTOTAL $10,950 10% CONTINGENCY $1,095 Total Estimated Construction $12,045 OPTION 3 Woodgrain Vinyl Plank Flooring (existing vinyl to be removed) 300 SF @ $25/SF $7,500 New upholstered contract seating w/ commercial vinyl 5 chairs @ $800/EA $4,000 Occasional tables @ seating 3 tables @500/ EA $1,000 Large Scale artwork for north wall 3 EA @$350/EA $1,050 Re-paint w/ added accent walls 1 LS @ 3,500 $3,500 Replace wall mounted service shelf w/ custom casework 1 EA @ $500 $500 SUBTOTAL $17,550 10% CONTINGENCY $1,750 Total Estimated Construction $19,300 OPTION 4 – Updated 10-12-17 Woodgrain Vinyl Plank Flooring (existing vinyl to be removed) 300 SF @ $25/SF $7,500 New rubber base 1 LS $300 New upholstered contract seating w/ commercial vinyl 5 chairs @ $800/EA $4,000 Occasional tables @ seating 3 tables @500/ EA $1,000 Large Scale artwork for north wall 3 EA @$350/EA $1,050 Translucent dividers (demo + new construction) 3 EA @ $3,000/EA $9,000 Re-paint w/ added accent walls 1 LS @ 3,500 $3,500 Replace wall mounted service shelf w/ custom casework 1 EA @ $1,500 $1,500 Retrofit troffer lighting 3 EA @ 600 $1,800 New Signage/ dimensional letters & Logo 1 LS $3,000 SUBTOTAL $32,650 10% CONTINGENCY $3,265 SUBTOTAL $35,915 18%+ General Conditions $7,000 Total Estimated Construction $42,915 Total A/E Fees $2,850 Total Estimated Project Cost $45,765 Presented By: Derrick Cotten, Financial Services Manager Customer Service Division Update 2 Agenda •People, Process, Technology –Background –Overview of current status –Improvements •Consolidation of Billing Cycles BACKGROUND – PEOPLE, PROCESS, TECHNOLOGY Background •Prioritization –People –Process –Technology PEOPLE People •Cross Training –50% increase in payment windows –Decreased customer wait times •Staff Training –All CSR’s intended the Public Treasury Institute course in customer service and cash handling best practice. –Hands on and web based training on technology before roll outs. •Invoice Cloud training included extensive staff testing People - Staff •Continues improvement and benchmarking –Analyze strengths and weaknesses to best utilize staff strengths Staff Member September 2017 Total Volume % Vol Per Hr Staff #1 490 8% 3.06 Staff #2 1,418 22% 8.86 Staff #3 673 11% 4.21 Staff #4 508 8% 4.23 Staff #5 1,070 17% 6.69 Staff #6 1,329 21% 11.08 Staff #7 692 11% 5.77 Staff #8 209 3% 1.31 Team Totals: 6,389 100% People - Customer •Enhanced Customer experience –Provide the tools necessary to preform self service if desired •Web based •Phone based •Kiosks –Lobby Enhancements •Modernize the lobby layout to improve customer flow and enhance the experience for in person customers •Customer Service “rebranding” •Softening of colors •Translucent glass for staff visibility •Enhanced seating •Flooring •Lighting •Artwork Lobby Upgrade Options •Invest in making customer service pleasant for the customer •Primary functional enhancement is the translucent dividers –Also carries the highest cost •Funding source would be utilities •Provides a source of pride for residents and staff in the professional environment •Cost ranges from $8,525 to $45,765 –Staff recommends the “all in” Option 4 at $45,765 PROCESS Improvement Plan Process Improvement Process •Benchmarking and best practice efforts –Working with industry partners to determine best practice •Resource and workflow scheduling –Using analytics to best utilize staffing and resources September 2017 Process Improvement Consolidating of Billing Cycles –16 billing cycles down to 4, 75% reduction –Standardizes bill due dates for customers –Data review and management of monthly or weekly billing cycles (as opposed to daily) will result in more confidence and accuracy in billing –Field services staff will be working within assigned routes –Labor savings of 84 hours per month, over 1,000 hours a year Process Improvement Consolidating of Billing Cycles – Cons –Preferred billing customers will no longer be supported •Less than 400 customers on preferred billing •No late fees or shut offs during transition •New billing portal provides other options –Recurring credit card and EFT payments –Payment scheduler Process Improvement Consolidating of Billing Cycles – Schedule •November – Notify preferred billing customers and update bill message. •December – Update preferred billing customers to correct route and partial bill for usage •January – Combing to 4 billing routes. Preferred billing customers will have special condition to not receive late fees during transition. TECHNOLOGY Technology Improvement New Technology •Web/Mobile upgrades – InvoiceCloud –Went live October ___ –Recurring credit card payments –Payment Scheduler –Mobile payments/ Pay-by-Text options –Improved customer interface Technology Improvement Technology – Coming Soon •Kiosks for 24 hour payment processing with receipt (Nov. 2017) –Cash –Checks –Card Technology Improvement Technology – Future and ongoing discussions •Voicemail box for general line, including voicemail to email conversion (discussion in 2018) •Continued testing of new and existing products and dispersion of internal knowledge (ongoing) •Continued dialogue with ERP provider and internal training (ongoing) –Ensure staff has adequate system knowledge –Ensure system is activated to preform optimally Phone Infrastructure Technology – Continued Weakness •Phone Infrastructure - Ongoing –Limited volume –No analytics •Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – Recent Upgrade –Phone payments –Check account information QUESTIONS? Presented By: Derrick Cotten, Financial Services Manager Customer Service Division Update 2 Agenda •People, Process, Technology –Background –Overview of current status –Improvements •Consolidation of Billing Cycles BACKGROUND – PEOPLE, PROCESS, TECHNOLOGY Background •Prioritization –People –Process –Technology PEOPLE People •Cross Training –50% increase in payment windows –Decreased customer wait times •Staff Training –All CSR’s intended the Public Treasury Institute course in customer service and cash handling best practice. –Hands on and web based training on technology before roll outs. •Invoice Cloud training included extensive staff testing People - Staff •Continues improvement and benchmarking –Analyze strengths and weaknesses to best utilize staff strengths Staff Member September 2017 Total Volume % Vol Per Hr Staff #1 490 8% 3.06 Staff #2 1,418 22% 8.86 Staff #3 673 11% 4.21 Staff #4 508 8% 4.23 Staff #5 1,070 17% 6.69 Staff #6 1,329 21% 11.08 Staff #7 692 11% 5.77 Staff #8 209 3% 1.31 Team Totals: 6,389 100% People - Customer •Enhanced Customer experience –Provide the tools necessary to preform self service if desired •Web based •Phone based •Kiosks –Lobby Enhancements •Modernize the lobby layout to improve customer flow and enhance the experience for in person customers •Customer Service “rebranding” •Softening of colors •Translucent glass for staff visibility •Enhanced seating •Flooring •Lighting •Artwork Lobby Upgrade Options •Invest in making customer service pleasant for the customer •Primary functional enhancement is the translucent dividers –Also carries the highest cost •Funding source would be utilities •Provides a source of pride for residents and staff in the professional environment •Cost ranges from $8,525 to $45,765 –Staff recommends the “all in” Option 4 at $45,765 PROCESS Improvement Plan Process Improvement Process •Benchmarking and best practice efforts –Working with industry partners to determine best practice •Resource and workflow scheduling –Using analytics to best utilize staffing and resources September 2017 Process Improvement Consolidating of Billing Cycles –16 billing cycles down to 4, 75% reduction –Standardizes bill due dates for customers –Data review and management of monthly or weekly billing cycles (as opposed to daily) will result in more confidence and accuracy in billing –Field services staff will be working within assigned routes –Labor savings of 84 hours per month, over 1,000 hours a year Process Improvement Consolidating of Billing Cycles – Cons –Preferred billing customers will no longer be supported •Less than 400 customers on preferred billing •No late fees or shut offs during transition •New billing portal provides other options –Recurring credit card and EFT payments –Payment scheduler Process Improvement Consolidating of Billing Cycles – Schedule •November – Notify preferred billing customers and update bill message. •December – Update preferred billing customers to correct route and partial bill for usage •January – Combing to 4 billing routes. Preferred billing customers will have special condition to not receive late fees during transition. TECHNOLOGY Technology Improvement New Technology •Web/Mobile upgrades – InvoiceCloud –Went live October ___ –Recurring credit card payments –Payment Scheduler –Mobile payments/ Pay-by-Text options –Improved customer interface Technology Improvement Technology – Coming Soon •Kiosks for 24 hour payment processing with receipt (Nov. 2017) –Cash –Checks –Card Technology Improvement Technology – Future and ongoing discussions •Voicemail box for general line, including voicemail to email conversion (discussion in 2018) •Continued testing of new and existing products and dispersion of internal knowledge (ongoing) •Continued dialogue with ERP provider and internal training (ongoing) –Ensure staff has adequate system knowledge –Ensure system is activated to preform optimally Phone Infrastructure Technology – Continued Weakness •Phone Infrastructure - Ongoing –Limited volume –No analytics •Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – Recent Upgrade –Phone payments –Check account information QUESTIONS?