The balance of power has shifted to the customer. In a consumer-led world there is more choice, more competition and more demand for personalised services. Public services must keep pace. The economic conditions present a formidable challenge to deliver more with less and ensure quality is high even within a reduced budget. Greater input from customers can help deliver improvements, iron out problems and avoid duplication. Feedback can help to shape the services that people value and want, both now and for the future. How can public sector organisations maintain trust and engage with service users at a time when scepticism and scrutiny are rising and overall satisfaction is low?

Public engagement and customer-focused strategies are essential to any organisation aiming to deliver more cost-effective services that add value to the customer. By engaging with service users, providers can drive improvements, tailoring services to meet customer needs and expectations first time, and identifying where savings in the system can be made. Our second annual Excellence in Customer Service: A Driver for Better Public Services event will explore how good customer service can help design services that are better targeted, deliver real benefits for the customer and help reduce the cost to serve.