Pemberstone Group
Local property and venture capital group Pemberstone, based at Whittington Hall, commissioned ONE Creative environments (ONE) to provide design and...
Find out moreHQ: +44 (0) 1905 362 300 | London: +44 (0) 208 0596 526 | Birmingham : +44 (0) 121 312 3876 | Cardiff : +44 (0) 2920027983 |
HQ: +44 (0) 1905 362 300 | London: +44 (0) 208 0596 526 | Birmingham : +44 (0) 121 312 3876 | Cardiff : +44 (0) 2920027983 |
In line with Worcester City Council’s ambition to support local residents to more easily access council services, the council made the decision to bring their customer services back in-house and required a new customer reception and telephony hub. ONE was commissioned to re-purpose an area of the Guildhall for a new Customer Services Hub.
Worcester City
Worcester City Council
£73K
Architecture, Interior Design, Building Services,
The Council’s Customer Services Hub provides one point of contact for council related enquiries and in recent years this has been situated in The Hive, Europe’s first joint university and public library.
The decision was taken to move this facility to the High Street location of the Guildhall to an area of the building previously occupied by the Kiln that provided hotdesking and coworking desk spaces.
The design for the refurbishment focused on a roving support approach rather than a fixed reception desk for enquiries, so that visitors could be guided to and assisted with the payment portals and other online services. The design also had to consider confidential enquiries and provision was made for 1-2-1 discussions with meeting pod and a waiting area.
This work also opened up the possibility for evolving access options to the Guildhall itself, and the use of the Hub as a permanent reception facility for the entire building.
The project was handed over to the City Council on the 23 March 2020. This was during the COVID-19 Pandemic which provided some additional challenges, however, these were overcome with a business as usual commitment from all involved with the appropriate safety precautions which meant no face to face contact at all between the parties and a virtual handover. The local contractor, Total Build, completed their works and their inspection. An inspection followed from the Council and then from ONE. The three parties held a teleconference and followed all the appropriate mandated processes and successfully discharged the project to the client. This will mean when the social distancing and Stay at Home directive is lifted after the Pandemic, that the Customer Service Hub is ready and waiting to receive those who will need support to access vital services.
The team understands the pressure on the public purse and always works to deliver best value for all our clients.
ONE’s designers provide creative solutions for design challenges. Here with the added issue of a Global concern of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and supply issues for some months from abroad, the team was able to source alternative light fittings manufactured in the U.K. with no compromise on style, budget or quality.
We work with our clients to make sure we provide the best possible service. Thanks to a can-do and business as usual attitude from ONE, the client and the contractor, we were able to work together to fulfil all the appropriate requirements to discharge the new Customer Service Hub to the council while adhering to all COVID-19 safety advice with no contact between individuals. The Hub is now ready to receive those in need when it is safe to do so following the COVID-19 Pandemic.