Background to the Audits
Our Contact Centre opened in January 2006 and services have been gradually transferred into the centre from March 2006.
The principal aims of the Contact Centre are to:
- Improve customer access to front line Council services by phone, internet or face to face at our reception desks.
- Improve the overall standard of the service provided to the residents, businesses and visitors to Eden.
Customer Satisfaction surveys review randomly selected customers who have used the Contact Centre services within the previous 2 months of each survey. The Contact Centre teams' strategic objective for customer satisfaction for 2011-2012 is 92.5%
Overall Results and Conclusions
The department's strategic objective for customer satisfaction for the year April 2011 - March 2012 is a challenging 92.5%.This target is proving impossible to reach especially with the continued development of the Contact Centre's role with the Council, changes to major services (for example the refuse collection rounds) and the Council restructuring.
The overall average rating for the year 2011-2012 is 88.6%, which although below target, remains a commendable result and reflects a very high level of overall service provided.
This is a very disappointing result and presents the Contact Centre team and Service Officers with a big challenge, if the revised overall average of 90% for the coming year is to be achieved.
The key issues are;
- The Contact Centre is now busier than ever, especially at the Town Hall reception desk (with new services and increased traffic to the Council Tax and Benefits teams) and customers are not receiving the prompt service they received in earlier years.
- 22% of the dissatisfaction arises from the detail of the County Council's residents parking permit scheme in Penrith
- There are key issues arising from our Recycling and Refuse services
- New and improved refuse and recycling contracts will be introduced from 1 June 2012.
- The Council has new Contracts Officer posts, dedicated to management of the refuse and recycling schemes.
Action Plan
In order to redress this and to ensure that the team achieves the targeted 90% overall rating in 2012-2013, the following actions have been identified and will be implemented.
- Consider the introduction of a fast payment system at the Town Hall reception, for customers who are simply waiting to pay for a service by cheque.
- Feedback the detailed problems with the Residents parking permit scheme to Cumbria County Council.
- Produce detailed information for the new Contracts Officers on the existing problems with the refuse and recycling services.
- Set up monthly meeting with new Refuse and Recycling Contracts Officers to review issues raised by the refuse and recycling schemes.
"I am confident that the Customer Services team will do everything they can, to address this reported reduction in customer care and improve the service for all of our customers"
Customer Services Manager
