The Town of Greenwich is working to improve the customer experience during the permitting application process.
In July, the Town announced that all permitting departments now accept credit cards.
Also, all permitting departments now have the option for scheduling appointments with staff from 8:00am to 4:00pm, and the goal is for all permitting departments to have unified public walk-in counter hours between 8:00am to 1:00pm.
The Town launched a new website in August and it is optimized for mobile devices.
Online instructions were rewritten and content was better linked across permitting departments.
The permitting departments have assembled a joint team who continue to streamline web information and create a “one-stop-shopping” philosophy for different types of permits and projects.
Below are more new initiatives:
Customer Service Training
All employees that interact with customers in the permitting departments receive Customer Service Training, administered by the Human Resources Dept.
New employees to each department will receive training at the next available offering.
The First Selectman is working with the Human Resources Dept to develop a follow-up, ongoing customer service training program.
Queueing System
Building Inspection and Zoning Enforcement divisions now have a formal protocol for queue management.
When line reaches a specified length, additional support staff are added to the counter.
In addition, staff are trained on how to manage the line when one customer has a lengthy question or situation. Both departments may allow customers to go to other required departments and return after 1:00pm closing time, if necessary for line management.
Customer Service Fast Lane
Customer lines have new labeling and Building Inspection and Zoning Enforcement divisions have added a line for “General Questions.”
This line is designed to answer quick questions or direct customers unsure of which department they need to see.
Website
A new search engine has been installed on the website that utilizes Google’s technology and has produced significantly enhanced search results.
Departments are near completion on online digital guides designed for residential permitting customers for installing a pool, replacing a deck, or making a minor home addition.
Additional Improvements to earlier projects
Unify Counter Hours
All primary permitting departments have coincident public counter hours, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-1:00pm.
To help plan your visit, all permitting hours have been posted to a single guide online, and have been posted on each department webpage. Town Administration is now working with related departments to ensure their hours are coincident with primary permitting departments.
Improve Signage
In addition to Q1 update, new signage template has been improved and will be installed by DPW. Interior signage within Building Inspection and Zoning Enforcement has been completely redone to provide enhanced customer experience. DPW is developing a building-wide numbering system for easy navigation at Town Hall.
More
• Municity is working with Town team to configure software to fulfill Town’s needs. Software integration must be versatile enough to ultimately work in a coordinated manner across a variety of departments. Configuration is going well and once complete, Town and Municity engineers will undertake rigorous testing program to ensure quality and dependability.
Once testing is complete, training and implementation will begin. Project was originally set to start in January (see below), but Town has head start. First features set to roll out in Spring 2019.
• Permitting departments are working with the Tax Collector to have capability to verify certain tax payments within each department, reducing number of physical trips required to the Tax Collector’s Office on the first floor.
• Paper forms and applications have been collected by a joint team of staff from multiple departments currently exploring options to consolidate the number and reduce variation in forms.
