The main aim of CBOOPSD is to gain a more detailed understanding of customer needs in Pas-de-Calais and Kent so that public services can be tailored to meet them. Pas-de-Calais and Kent are comparable in area, have similar demographics and a similar urban and rural mix. They also face similar issues in the delivery of public services, and notably providing simple and easy access to all, linking similar public services together to ensure greater coherence, improving the efficiency of service delivery and tailoring services to the needs of the hard to reach. This work will be informed by comparing the public service delivery models in both countries so that the best examples can be taken from both. By creating a crossborder model, partners will classify customers from Pas-de-Calais and Kent into common groups, then develop and test a customer service delivery framework which will be used to show how services can be tailored to fit the needs of each group. Achievements: What were the key results of the project?This project has helped partners implement significant improvements to the quality and efficiency of public services:- Partners have improved their customer knowledge, to understand the demand needs of different customer groups.- Partners have tailored services to the needs of each customer group, improving service take-up, increasing customer satisfaction rates and the efficiency of service delivery. - Partners have developed new service mapping methods to support future service development strategies.- An evaluation of customer groups and their demand needs i.e. Some customers prefer using online services, others prefer face-to-face contact- A number of new Gateways have now been launched to service this demand with a customer satisfaction rate of 94% (December 2011).- All partners now have customer service strategies.- Partners have developed new skills and expertise which will significantly help to deliver future improvements.Did all partners and territories benefit from the results?Target groups and beneficiaries: The target group for this project were the partners, the local authorities and other providers of public services and the main beneficiaries are their customers; the citizens in the area, particularly those at risk from social exclusion.All partners have now implemented their customer service strategies, which has helped to improve the quality and efficiency of their services and the ways in which they are delivered. Partners now have the means to improve the quality of their services by targeting the needs of specific customer groups, and in doing so service delivery is more efficient and effective.Customer groups requiring face-to-face services in Kent now have a growing network of Gateway, providing services from a range of different agencies, especially suited to the needs of the less well off. These have been sited in optimum locations to minimise the distance travelled so customers can obtain the services they need; the latest Gateway survey showed a satisfaction rate of 94%. The Maison des Services in Fauquembergues has proved this concept for French territories, and provides the service for the 9300 citizens of CCF.Customer groups requiring online services now have a growing number of transactional services available, and the CASO digital portal , digital library are now available to all 65,00 inhabitants of the Agglomeration and the Saint-Omer Transport platform to the 120,000 inhabitants of the Saint-Omer regionWhat were the effects / outcomes for the territories involved?Each partner has provided a case study which demonstrates the benefits for it’s own territory. For Kent, the most tangible outcomes are the 3 new Gateways. In Sheerness, the Gateway now provides access to public services, attracting 11,000 visitors per month. The new Ashford Gateway Plus has seen customer visits increase from 5,000 per month to 28,000 per month. Gravesham Gateway attracted 5,000 visitors per month and a customer satisfaction rate of 93% in October 2011. The MDS in Fauquembergues has welcomed an average of 350 customers a month for a range of services. The virtual MDS has been visited by 400 customers a month in it’s initial 6 months. The CASO digital portal and library, available to the 65,000 residents of the Agglomeration have both been receiving 3000 visitors per month.