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Customer profiling

"If we want to put our customers first, we need to know them better." London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

Calderdale Council aims to deliver the best services we can for local people. To do this we need to understand what services people want and need, how they would like to receive them and how they prefer to contact the council and get information from us.

Understanding customers

People's lifestyles and behaviour affect their choices. Understanding this helps us to tailor services and communications according to different customer preferences.

Through funding from the Yorkshire & Humber Capacity Building Programme we delivered the Regional Reputation Project:

• how local authorities can use tools and techniques from the private sector to understand what residents want and need from council services
• how to tailor communication activities, increase awareness and take-up of services
• understanding who does and doesn't use services
• developing an approach that services can use
• to increase customer satisfaction and improve reputation in the long term

What is customer profiling?

Customer profiling is a key tool in developing customer insight.

We have a licence for Mosaic Public Sector™ - a generic profiling tool designed to identify groupings of citizen behaviour for households and postcodes. Customer profiling groups people according to their likely similar behaviours and characteristics, based on a variety of data, with enough detail to build a 'profile'. This research - together with data, information, intelligence and staff knowledge - helps us to improve services.

Why do we need customer insight?

'The policy imperative for customer insight:

• Move to a more evidence based policy approach
• CSR07 focus on value for money and performance in the front line delivery of public services
• Citizen expectations of quality and service are rising and the public sector needs to respond
• Taxpayers have a right to expect good service
• High quality customer insight valued in the private sector as a strategic business asset'

Peter Blair, Local Govt Transformation, Improvement & Efficiency, CLG

Developing customer insight at Calderdale Council

The Regional Reputation Project tested the use of Mosaic within four council services. The challenges, approach, key learning and results from these pilots and the project as a whole, are detailed in the 

Profiling Toolkit [PDF file 1475KB]|

 or visit Profiling Toolkit website| This is just one tool we have to help us understand the people we serve.

Next steps

For further information on the project and how we are developing this approach within council services, please contact Corporate Communications on 01422 393003 or email profiling@calderdale.gov.uk