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ties understand that, while regulations must
<br />still be met, they can use customer service
<br />as a "carrot" for inviting businesses and
<br />promoting business expansion, especially
<br />given the scarcity of financial incentives.
<br />THE EVOLUTION OF CUSTOMER SERVICE
<br />IMPROVEMENT
<br />Many agencies seek to evolve by simplifying
<br />the customer's experience. In this context
<br />simplification means that the overall devel-
<br />opment services system must move from a
<br />very opaque (fragmented and unclear) ex-
<br />perience to the most transparent experience
<br />possible (intuitive and accountable).
<br />For an agency to even consider this
<br />evolution, it must be willing to ask some
<br />fundamental questions about the following
<br />system components:
<br />Core Business Processes: Are the steps
<br />in the development processing system pro-
<br />cess integrated and efficient, and do they
<br />reflect a culture that is sensitive to the cus-
<br />tomer's point of view?
<br />People Interactions: Are communica-
<br />tion mechanisms for staff, customers, and
<br />citizens structured to share information
<br />freely, manage projects effectively,
<br />and resolve issues or conflicts as they
<br />occur?
<br />Regulatory Framework: Are the
<br />policies, codes, and support documents
<br />that drive the review and construction
<br />process understandable, objective, and
<br />reasonable?
<br />Technology: Do the tools available to
<br />participants provide for accurate and real-time
<br />information and project tracking, and do they
<br />assist in informed decision making?
<br />Physical Space: Does the physical en-
<br />vironment reflect a user-friendly, service -ori-
<br />ented approach for customers and citizens
<br />that interact with the process?
<br />Organizational Structure: Is the or-
<br />ganization structured to be cost effective,
<br />provide appropriate resources for staff
<br />and tools, and support a project manage-
<br />ment approach with accountability for
<br />performance?
<br />At one extreme of the evolution spec-
<br />trum, services are disjointed by being in mul-
<br />tiple physical locations, have limited or no
<br />common technology, and typically have sev-
<br />eral "siloed" permitting agencies for the cus-
<br />tomer to traverse. As agencies evolve, they
<br />begin to colocate staff members from some
<br />departments, add some consistent tech-
<br />nology for tracking, and start to reorganize
<br />individuals under more uniform manage-
<br />ment. However, experience has shown that
<br />reorganization, colocation, and technology
<br />alone won't alter the service culture signifi-
<br />cantly. While each helps service to improve,
<br />the underlying process does not change. With
<br />further evolution, agencies begin to simplify
<br />business processes; provide case manage-
<br />ment, coordination, and more colocation;
<br />and create one -stop permitting centers to
<br />improve customer access. However, the sys-
<br />tem is still permit oriented as customers have
<br />to orchestrate several phases of approvals
<br />on their own (discretionary to design to con-
<br />struction). Some communities are taking ad -
<br />Multiple Staff
<br />Discipline in the System
<br />Environment
<br />Health
<br />Green
<br />Building
<br />Building
<br />Utilities
<br />Planning
<br />Fire
<br />Public
<br />Works
<br />® The development services system typically
<br />involves staff trained in a variety of
<br />disciplines.
<br />ditional steps to ensure that customers won't
<br />need to be concerned about which depart-
<br />ment or organizational unit they are dealing
<br />with. This represents the opposite extreme of
<br />the evolution spectrum, where a local govern-
<br />ment superimposes an integrated and seam-
<br />less face on the entire system.
<br />While there is no perfect development
<br />services system, agencies that strive to im-
<br />plement transparent processes and services
<br />have less frustrated and more satisfied cus-
<br />tomers. It is natural for each agency to excel
<br />at some improvements but still be lacking
<br />in other areas. For example, an agency may
<br />have excellent technology but limited coloca-
<br />tion of staff. Other agencies may have all staff
<br />colocated but have limited tracking technol-
<br />ogy or electronic access to historical records.
<br />KEYS TO TRANSPARENT SERVICE DELIVERY
<br />Transparency, as used in a social con-
<br />text, implies openness, communication,
<br />and accountability. In the development
<br />services arena it is characterized by vis-
<br />ibility or accessibility of information;
<br />especially concerning business practices.
<br />Transparency is an essential condition for
<br />a free and open exchange, where the rules
<br />and reasons behind regulatory measures
<br />are fair and clear to all participants. The
<br />key elements of transparency include a
<br />seamless system, a focus on customer
<br />objectives or results, a project -oriented
<br />approach, tailored processing steps, ac-
<br />countability, and a robust performance
<br />measurement system.
<br />Seamless System
<br />Customers don't just walk in to receive
<br />service. They also phone in, go online, and
<br />some still use the mail to interact with an
<br />agency. No matter how a customer enters
<br />the development services system, they
<br />should have the same experience. This
<br />means a simple triage of their need and a
<br />single handoffto a point person who will
<br />facilitate their request. Conversely, custom-
<br />ers in most systems are routed to multiple
<br />staff for piecemeal feedback or permit pro-
<br />cessing. This is one of the toughest parts of
<br />transparency to accomplish since it requires
<br />redesign of the core business processes to
<br />integrate and formalize customer flow and
<br />create consistent terminologies for multiple
<br />entry types. Transparency mandates consis-
<br />tency and coordination from the outset.
<br />Focus on Results
<br />Customers interact with the development
<br />services system to accomplish several major
<br />objectives or results depending on their im-
<br />mediate need, including the following:
<br />® To collect comprehensive and reliable
<br />information (e.g., information about prop-
<br />erty constraints)
<br />e To obtain a project decision
<br />e To obtain permission to occupy or use
<br />their facility
<br />e To report ongoing compliance or code
<br />enforcement issues
<br />In order for the customer to exit the
<br />system with any of the results above, they
<br />usually have to obtain feedback from mul-
<br />ZONINGPRACTICE 10.12
<br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION (page 4
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