Customers come first at Council

The customer comes first is a much heard refrain amongst businesses and service providers - and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council is proving that is very much the case for our residents.

The Council participated in National Customer Services Weeks (3 - 7 October) by shining the spotlight on customer priorities and looking at how staff across all services can work together, as one team, to provide a right-first-time experience for customers.

And with Council services very much in demand it was a timely opportunity - last month the busy team of customer service advisors dealt with almost 14,500 phone calls and 9,300 face-to-face enquiries together with over 1,700 web requests and 250 emails. On a typical day, each advisor handles between 60 and 70 telephone calls and 40 to 50 enquiries made in person.

Councillor Tony Hall, cabinet member for customer services, said: "The very reason the Council is here is to provide the services our residents depend on so it's essential that our customers are at the heart of everything we do - and September's figures bear witness to just how important it is to get it right.

"Customer Services Week provided the ideal opportunity for everyone to focus on that and what we are all able to do to make every customer's experience as good as it can be. I know that we're all working to make sure we're providing first class services and I'd like to thank staff for their hard work and commitment."

The Council's Chief Executive Simon Baker presented three members of staff - Angela Wattley, Carol Garlick and Jayne Owen - with awards for their exceptional customer service and echoed those sentiments:

"Customer focus is one of our core values and part of all our job roles. Angela, Carol and Jayne are fantastic examples of what that means in practice and the comments we've received from the customers they've helped  - such as thanking them for going the extra mile or commenting that without their help a compliment would have been a complaint - really demonstrate the difference good customer service makes.

"Whilst it's important to recognise and celebrate achievements we're not complacent. We are continually seeking ways to ensure that we are offering our residents and customers a right-first-time approach to service delivery and we welcome any feedback our customers have to help us improve."

As part of its commitment to continual improvement the Council will be launching a new website to make it easier and quicker for residents to do business with us. Look out for more information coming soon!