South Kesteven District Council is modernising its customer service provision to harness new technology and meet the needs of residents who are accessing services differently in the wake of Covid-19.
The council has seen a big switch in how residents who need support and advice communicate with the council, particularly since coronavirus temporarily closed customer access points in Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and Market Deeping.
Residents who need to see SKDC staff face-to-face in Grantham and Bourne can still do so by pre-booking essential appointments. Changes in Stamford and The Deepings will introduce new digital kiosks offering a variety of ways to access SKDC services, including a self-serve payment facility. SKDC has more than 100 forms online which means residents can do transactions at a time that is convenient for them.
South Kesteven District Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Annie Mason, said: “Our residents have successfully switched to methods other than face-to-face contact during the pandemic.
“Customers now expect a modern council and moving forward, as part of this raft of improvements, we will actively support the vulnerable and those who need assistance to get the help they require.
“These refinements provide choice and deliver convenience to all residents, businesses and visitors by maximising the use of all the channels available. Self-serve transactions are available 24/7 through our website, which improves accessibility and makes it easy to do business with SKDC at a time that best suits the user.”
In Stamford the kiosk will be relocated to Stamford Arts Centre where a £100,000 improvement scheme is planned that will also include a reconfigured coffee shop, box office and tourist information point.
A digital kiosk will also be available at Deepings Community Library, just a few metres away from the previous access point at the local community centre.
The changes were yesterday agreed at a meeting of SKDC’s Cabinet.
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