Our Customer Service Charter outlines standards we use to deliver professional, reliable and consistent customer service that meets your expectations. Customer service is everyone’s responsibility and we will hold each other accountable in our service commitment.
Our commitment to you
We will work with you to achieve positive outcomes and commit to:
- act in a way that reflects and upholds our core values - Collaboration, Accountability, Integrity, Respect, Sustainability
- listen and respect your issues and concerns
- set clear expectations and deliver on those commitments
- be professional, respectful and courteous
- train our staff to deliver information and services
- provide clear and concise information in a timely manner
- recognise and respond to the diverse needs of our community and act with proper regard and sensitivity
- actively measure and monitor our performance against the Customer Service Standards
Customer Service Standards
Contact by phone
- When you contact us by phone, we will aim to answer your enquiry the first time to minimise transferred calls
- If we are unable to resolve your enquiry the first time, we will transfer or forward your enquiry to an appropriate staff member
- We will provide a 24-hour phone service for urgent, after-hours calls.
Contact by visiting our offices
If you call in to see us, we will:
- greet you with respect, courtesy and dignity
- identify ourselves so that you know who you are talking to
- where possible, put you in direct contact with the staff member best able to respond to your enquiry
- aim to answer your enquiry at first point of contact
If we are unable to resolve your issue at the first point of contact, we will:
- forward your enquiry to the appropriate staff member who will contact you with a response no later than the close of business the next working day; or
- if necessary, arrange an alternative meeting time that suits you
Contact us by letter or email
If you write to us, we will:
- respond in language that is clear, concise and easily understood
- respond to correspondence using appropriate means and ensure that accurate records are maintained
Contact in the field
If you see us in the field such as parks, beaches and sports grounds, we will:
- put your safety and that of our staff at the forefront of our interactions and endeavour to assist you with your enquiry
- resolve your enquiry or provide details of an alternative contact person
Social media
- Social media allows us to share accurate and timely information directly with our community. Council cannot guarantee a response to all posts made on its social media sites and therefore will post responses when considered necessary or appropriate
Customer Request Management (CRM)
- Council maintains a Customer Request Management (CRM) System that records, monitors and reports on requests we receive
- This service enables Customers to notify us of an issue, request an action, report faults, defects or hazards in Council infrastructure
- You can lodge a customer service request over the phone, in writing or on Council’s website through the e-services portal
How will we evaluate our performance?
We will benchmark ourselves against the following standards:
- Answer 80% of calls within 60 seconds at our Customer Service Centre
- Return messages by close of business the following working day
- Respond to your correspondence within 5 working days and provide ongoing updates until resolution
- Refer your enquiry to another agency if we cannot provide the service you require in all instances
- Acknowledge all Customer Service Requests within three working days
- Notify of completion or provide an update