Productivity Plan - Our target operating model

Our target operating model has been informed by our understanding that we need to invest in transforming services and the way we work to address areas of lower productivity and see the long-term benefits of becoming a single council for Cumberland. This will take some time and significant investment – but is absolutely critical to improving productivity.

Our operating model is designed to enable a common understanding of how we will operate in the future as one combined organisation.

Each layer represents a different area of delivery which ultimately helps to build a stronger and more prosperous community across Cumberland Council.

At its core, the operating model will:

• empower communities - through partnership working and targeted community development, we will seek to strengthen support networks and respond to signs of need early to reduce pressure on public sector services.
• increase self-service - an improved digital offering will allow customers to access services and resolve simple enquiries through self-service. Self-serve can also be used to capture more up-front information for customers that require more complex assessments. Channels such as the website, a customer portal or a customer chatbot can help customers access council services at a time and a place suited to them.
• improve service delivery - a better digital service offer will enable staff to save time on administrative tasks and focus their time to support customers with complex needs or  focus on delivering the service. Similarly, improving the internal support offered to service delivery employees will free up time to focus more on delivery of services and less on back office activities.
• harness technology, data and insight - providing employees with improved digital solutions will be key to transformation. Technologies such as a Customer Relationship Management system, which would be powered by customer data, can provide a single view of all customer interactions with the council. Insights and performance data can also be used to improve performance and prioritise service delivery and resources across the organisation.