Whitehorse customer service staff can congratulate themselves after achieving a High Commendation in the State section of the Australian Customer Service Association’s Annual Awards.
Entrants in the awards come from all areas of industry, including the private sector, so Manager Civic Services, Bruce Manks, said it was particularly gratifying to receive such a high honour.
“With these awards, entrants do not compete against other organisations,” he explained.
“Rather, each entrant is judged against a set of criteria devised by the ACSA to the high standard they wish organisations to achieve.”
He said the process requires a written submission which, if it meets the standard, is followed by a site visit.
In Whitehorse’s case, its three service centres were inspected by two representatives from the private sector. These representatives were also given a list of 500 customers who had recently requested action.
They were then shown the results of a ‘mystery shopping’ test which ascertained the level of response and satisfaction Council had provided.
Criteria for judging included service leadership, customer research, employee development, recognition processes and scope for innovation and improvement.
Bruce Manks said apart from externally verifying a high level of customer service at Whitehorse the exercise of entering the Awards brought many other benefits.
“It lifted staff morale and also gave us excellent feedback on potential improvements we could still make,” he said.
“Customer Service staff are now looking at where we can improve for next year’s awards.
“It has been a fantastic exercise from a recognition point of view.”
