Getting the online service right, and takeup will follow: a case study in eparking services

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Getting the online service right, and take-up
will followa case study in e-parking services

• Alastair Gilchrist
• Director of Parking
• Westminster City Council
• _at_socitm 15th October 2007

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Famous Quotes

• It's all about trial and error. You can try and
  predict a lot by research but I'm very sceptical
  of it. It's all a big con. You can manipulate
  research to say anything you want it to. I use my
  judgment if it doesn't work, I try something
  else."

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Famous Quotes

• It's all about trial and error. You can try and
  predict a lot by research but I'm very sceptical
  of it. It's all a big con. You can manipulate
  research to say anything you want it to. I use my
  judgment if it doesn't work, I try something
  else."
• This internet thing will never work, nerds will
  never leave their computers

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Famous Quotes

• It's all about trial and error. You can try and
  predict a lot by research but I'm very sceptical
  of it. It's all a big con. You can manipulate
  research to say anything you want it to. I use my
  judgment if it doesn't work, I try something
  else."
• This internet thing will never work, nerds will
  never leave their computers

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Agenda

• About Westminster
• Why should Councils bother
• easyJet case study
• Barriers to adoption
• Westminster examples
• Pay by phone
• Permit renewals
• Photo CCTV evidence

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About Westminster

• Fastest growing residential population with
  232,000 (known) residents
• A daily population of over 1 million
• 24 hour City over 2,300 bars, pubs etc.
• Contains most deprived areas in UK
• 2.2 of national GDP
• Same size as Chep Lap Kok (12.8sqkm)
• 47,000 businesses employing over 550,000
  people.
• Over 150 languages spoken in our schools - 30 of
  our population are from a black or ethnic
  minority background
• 12 million overseas and 17 million UK residents
  visit per annum

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CITY OF WESTMINSTER Parking Services
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In the media.
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In the media.
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In the media.
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In the media.
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easyJet

• easyJet case study
• cost to sell a seat on the phone 2.60
• cost to sell a seat on the web 0.05p
• web discount to customer 2.50
• fully absorbed cost not including credit/debit
  charges
• Other benefits
• 24hr 365 days a year
• Multi-language sales
• Wide inventory display
• Promotions
• Marketing cross selling opportunities
• Clear TCs

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seats sold on Internet
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Key facts

• 125 million seats sold online in 10 years
• 3 million unique visitors per month
• 99 sales online
• 18 languages
• 70 customer services online

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Where was Westminster

• 2004
• Brochureware
• Online forms
• 2005
• Online respark first major transactional
  service
• 2006
• Pay by Phone launched Oct
• 2007
• Pay by phone rollout
• Online suspensions, dispensations

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Usual service barriers to adoption

• Social inclusion/exclusion arguments
• Internet accessibility
• Knowledge/experience of staff
• Software/hardware/training
• Vague business cases
• Bad HMI design
• No end to end process
• Poor communications
• Lack of will

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Pay by phone
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New machines
450
Old equipment
Pay By Phone
4400
700
Motorcycles
Disabled Residents Permits
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How to find Pay By Phone

• In several ways
• Signage
• Labels on equipment
• Website

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How it works for the motorist

• Pre-registration is not required
• First-time can register in one of three ways
• Phone - touch-tone or agent
• Text
• Website
• Registration is FREE
• Welcome email / text sent following registration
• For 2nd time onwards just call with location
  number and duration in minutes

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(No Transcript)
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How it works for the Parking Attendant

• Parking Attendants use existing handheld computer
  units.
• Parking Attendants enter the location number and
  display all licence plates parked in that
  location
• Before issuing a Penalty Charge Notice they check
  whether the vehicle is parked anywhere in
  Westminster

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Cashless facts figures

• Started 2nd October 2006
• 400 meters removed in December
• 800 removed in September 07
• Further 800 planned 21 October 07
• 50 (2000) remaining taking only 30 revenue
• Customer satisfaction at 77 from survey in March
  07
• Objective Reduce cash payments from 95 to 0
  within 12 months

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Adoption
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Resident Permits
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Bureaucracy

• What do I need to get a Respark permit?
• V5 Document (Vehicle Registration Document)
• Drivers Licence or certified copy
• Valid Insurance Certificate and schedule
• Two utility bills (e.g. water, Council Tax
  Demand)
• Declaration that the applicant is on the
  Westminster Electoral Roll (or passport for non
  EU/Commonwealth)
• All originals
• All examined, nothing scanned
• Customers often had to visit more than once
• Not a quality interaction

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Customer Comments

• Before
• "Why when I am renewing a permit where all the
  information is exactly the same as last year - it
  has taken me 40 minutes (twice) to be dealt with
• "Will we have to go through this every renewal?
• "I have had parking permits for four years now
  and been a permanent resident for 7 years. There
  must be a better way!
• "The requirement to produce original documents
  for a renewal parking permit is ridiculous"
• After
• I think it's excellent that WCC is now offering
  this service, particularly as it can be a real
  pain to take time off to visit a one stop shop
• The online application is brilliant at last
  you have listened to residents!
• This is the very first application I have done
  on the web thank you!

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Drive for change

• Customer Experience
• Customer Expectation
• Cost Efficiencies
• Strategic Challenge
• Customer Relationship Management
• A Driver for Further Change

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Key facts

• Before
• 36,000 permits in circulation
• 85 of all respark permits issued are renewals
• 95 of respark permit issue was carried out
  face-to-face
• Cross charge of 865k to support 50 of offline
  channel
• The permit costs 105, regardless of which
  channel is used

• After 1 year
• 36,000 permits in circulation
• 40 of renewals are carried out online
• Still some issues to sort
• Significant resident delight
• Reduced cross-charge by 200k
• Charge differential introduced now 10 discount
  to do online

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Online Images
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Better evidence
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Basic information capture
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(No Transcript)
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Results
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Benefits

• One less request via post or call centre
• Immediate fulfilment
• Increase in paid at discount rate
• Better quality representations

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Change agenda

• Acceptance
• Keep things really simple
• Think through from end to end
• Get the commitment
• Set the targets
• Find a service champion
• Get on with it

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Getting the online service right, and take-up
will followa case study in e-parking services

• Alastair Gilchrist
• agilchrist_at_westminster.gov.uk
• www.westminster.gov.uk/parking
• 0207 641 3374