Webinar: How Mature is Your Council’s Customer Experience?

The Strategy Group hosted an engaging discussion with leaders from local government exploring what it takes to make customer experience (CX) real, actionable, and measurable across councils. The session shared findings from the 2025 Local Government CX Maturity Index and showcased how two councils Mornington Peninsula Shire (VIC) and Noosa Council (QLD) are leading the way in CX transformation.
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Key Themes

1. The Evolving Role of CX in Local Government

• Citizens expect seamless, responsive experiences that match the private sector.
• Councils face the challenge of doing more with less while balancing regulatory and community expectations.
• AI is emerging as a powerful tool to improve responsiveness, efficiency, and human-centred service delivery.

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2. Insights from the National CX Maturity Research

• Leadership commitment is strong, but many councils lack foundational structures, governance, metrics, and technology.
• Departmental silos and unclear ownership impede cohesive customer journeys.
• Reactive feedback systems dominate; proactive, data-driven insight is rare.

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3. Council Case Studies

Mornington Peninsula Shire – Rebuilding Trust
• Following low satisfaction scores, the Shire merged customer service and CX functions.
• Developed a Customer Strategy, Charter, and Voice of Customer Framework.
• Gathered 800+ staff insights, forming 32 work packages for improvement.
• Embedded CX in induction, training, and KPIs, creating organisation-wide ownership.
• Achieved steady improvements in satisfaction and internal culture.

Noosa Council – Building from the Ground Up
• Began with a single corporate plan reference to CX; now a council-wide initiative.
• Engaged The Strategy Group to developed a CX Roadmap and Community Satisfaction Survey to establish baselines.
• Introduced CX into staff induction and set up cross-functional working groups.
• Gained leadership and councillor buy-in, leading to increased resourcing and sustained momentum.

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4. Lessons and Takeaways

• CX is a marathon, not a sprint, continuous improvement is essential.
• Empower staff: link CX to daily roles and decisions.
• Celebrate quick wins to build engagement and confidence.
• Integrate CX into systems and culture, from recruitment to reporting.
• Voice of Customer and Employee Experience are inseparable; empowered staff create better community outcomes.

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Next Steps

Download the 2025 Local Government CX Maturity Report.

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Councils are invited to participate in the 2026 CX Maturity Assessment and receive personalised scorecards benchmarking CX capability across Australia.

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Hosted by The Strategy Group – October 2025

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