Page 2228 - Week 06 - Thursday, 7 June 2018
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Gungahlin, Tuggeranong and Civic drivers licence services provide extended business hours. However the review found that only five per cent of customers attend outside of business hours. Based on the low proportion of customer attendances outside core business hours, the increasing availability and take-up of digital transactions and the continuing high rate of satisfaction expressed by customers, Access Canberra will not further adjust the operating hours of the service centres at this time. Access Canberra will continue to monitor the customer demand into the future.
For context, it is important to note that to effectively run the service centres out of hours we still need representatives from most other business areas to be on deck to ensure that customers can be served at those times. Thus, extending service centre business hours has a large impact on the working hours of a large part of the rest of the organisation.
Access Canberra prides itself on being an innovative organisation focused on continuous improvement. Feedback, engagement and consultation with the Canberra community continues to inform the design of its transactions and service environments to ensure that its services remain accessible and responsive.
This week the government announced funding as part of the budget to boost Access Canberra’s ability to provide exceptional customer service. Part of this funding will go towards providing additional concierges at the service centres, as well as five additional staff on the phones in the contact centre, to continue to meet the needs of all Canberrans. These additional staff will assist in reducing wait times and increasing the already very high customer satisfaction levels.
The number of digital transactions has increased significantly, with approximately 64 per cent of transactions completed through that channel. However, it is important that people who struggle to transact digitally are not left behind. So in 2018-19 Access Canberra will undertake a project to determine its long-term service strategy, including how to provide services for people in the most appropriate and helpful way that will meet the future needs of a growing and changing city.
Finally, the report demonstrates the continued upwards trend of electronic payment methods over cash and cheque. Only two of Access Canberra’s service centres have limited payment options to EFTPOS and credit card only. These cashless service centres have open layouts, and they encourage quality interactions between staff and clients. The remaining two service centres and three shopfront locations continue to have cash payments as an option. Many Access Canberra transactions can also be undertaken at Australia Post outlets, which also accept cash.
This is a resounding endorsement for the Assembly that Access Canberra is on the right track to meet the needs of the Canberra community today and into the future. I commend the review of Access Canberra shopfront services report to the Assembly.
Auditor-General’s Report No 3 of 2018—government response
Paper and statement by minister
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land
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