Public Sector HR Podcast

The delivery of customer service in the public sector is something that we all experience - usually with no choice. In this month’s show, we hear from two professionals who are passionate about ensuring that top quality customer service levels in the public sector are consistently reached and maintained and discuss HR’s role in achieving this.

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Angela O’Connor is Executive Director HR (Policing), at the National Police Improvement Agency. She believes that any service we receive from the public sector should be as good, if not better than the service we receive elsewhere and there is a fantastic opportunity for HR to really drive customer service in the public sector.

Her advice is:

• DELIVER REALLY GOOD SERVICE - in the right way, at the right time, to the right standard

• HR SHOULD SEE THE LINE OF SIGHT - between what they do and the community they serve

• REALLY LISTEN TO YOUR INTERNAL AUDIENCE - understand what line managers lives are like and walk in their shoes

• SPEND TIME IN THE BUSINESS - ensure that people solutions are built around common sense approaches that are relevant to the lives of their customers

• CONNECT PEOPLE - with the services they deliver and break down the silo mentality, so people can see that they bring something really special to individuals and communities

• DEMAND THE ABSOLUTE BEST - in terms of attitudes in staff

To contact Angela or find out more about the NPIA visit www.npia.police.uk

The Association for Public Service Excellence is the foremost specialist in local authority front line services. Paul O’Brien is APSE’s Chief Executive and he talks about the public’s perception of service delivery and how the energy and ideas of the front line staff who deliver the services, should be harnessed in order to improve the customer’s experience.

Some other pieces of advice Paul shares are:

• GET BETTER AT MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION - tell the public what we do well

• HR CAN INFLUENCE THE CULTURE OF AN ORGANISATION - well motivated people deliver high quality and excellent services

• GET THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS RIGHT - create that environment where people feel they get an opportunity to learn, thrive and aspire to greater things

• PUT ALL OF THESE THINGS TOGETHER - find a way of binding them into a ‘one team’ approach

To find out more about APSE’s work or to contact Paul visit www.apse.org.uk or call them on 0161 772 1810.

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I would love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for further shows. Either email me directly at karen@publicsectorhrpodcast.co.uk or click on ‘Comment’ underneath the show title and type away.