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Westminster staff to pursue customer‑service overhaul: facilitator, metrics and public‑facing flowcharts
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Summary
Council directed staff to identify a facilitator for citywide customer‑service and workplace‑culture training, to develop department‑specific training and metrics, and to create simple public flowcharts for common permitting and counter transactions with an internal target of August 2026 and a reporting cycle by October.
Councilmembers pressed staff for clearer customer‑service metrics and practical tools residents can use when interacting with city departments.
Staff said they will identify a facilitator to conduct citywide customer‑service and workplace‑culture training for public‑facing divisions; that facilitator will help design both citywide and department‑specific training and recommend metrics to track response and resolution times. Staff proposed returning to council with a facilitator recommendation and draft metrics by October 2026, and said some components (e.g., training procurement and sample metrics) could be presented earlier.
On operational improvements, staff described plans to produce simple, public‑facing flowcharts and FAQs that residents can use to prepare for common transactions (for example, roofing permits or ADU submittals). Staff set an internal target to develop and test these flowcharts by August 2026 and said they will incorporate flowcharts into counters and the city website so residents leave interactions with a clear next step.
Council also discussed measurement: departments track different operational metrics (planning counter response, public works work‑order response, business license processing) and staff said a citywide customer‑satisfaction platform would require investment and careful design to avoid unfair or unrepresentative feedback. Staff suggested a blended approach — department metrics plus a simple public comment/kudos channel — and flagged tradeoffs in automated online feedback systems.
The council encouraged staff to prioritize department‑specific content and to include workplace‑culture elements in any training so changes stick beyond a single workshop. Staff will return with a facilitator recommendation and a plan for metrics and flowchart roll‑out.
