A key part of the digital strategy is to offer online services by default to our residents, while supporting those who struggle to use online services through a digital inclusion programme. We want our customer services team to take a key role in the upcoming changes connected with this work. 

This work will help the customer services team to play a major part in the council's digital inclusion programme. It is well-placed to do this as it already offers first-line services across our main channels (phone and face to face), which residents will need when they cannot get online. 

Because the customer services team sees our residents every day, they can also offer face to face support for those who want to get online, or are willing to try, but who do not have access to either a device or sufficient internet access. 

Our vision for this work is to: 

• create several new 'digital champions' in the customer services team, who alongside their usual roles, will lead parts of our digital inclusion work. They will be based in the service centre at The Woolwich Centre, helping customers use online services or upload documents. The digital champions may also attend the contact centre, where they can coach residents who are accessing services over the phone to contact them by email or online

• provide new devices in our Woolwich and Eltham service centres, for the use of residents who do not have digital access. These devices may be tablets or laptops, which our staff can pair with residents to use if needed

• provide new 'self-serve stations' at the Woolwich and Eltham service centres, with scanners and printers so those without access to these devices can use them (although we hope that our services will eventually be paper-free)

• remodel the ground floor of the Woolwich and Eltham service centres to allow residents to have full-service access, including support if they cannot get online 

• explore the possibilities for 'assisted digital' services over the phone, by text, chat, or video call - helping our residents use our services at home

Around 10% of our adult residents can be assumed to be unwilling or unable to go online (according to the Office for National Statistics). If we implement this plan, we will make sure that these people will not be left behind as more services go online.