The City of Melville has been recognised for its excellent customer service systems by winning the state and national Local Government Customer Service Institute of Australia (CSIA) Service Excellence Awards.
The City’s Business Improvement Coordinator Tracey Hirst won Customer Service Professional of the Year in the WA category.
Dr Shayne Silcox said the CSIA Australian Service Excellence Awards showcased achievement in customer service.
"Reaching the CSIA finals and then winning the state and national local government awards illustrates the high standards of management, training and commitment to excellence within the City of Melville," he said.
"I applaud the City’s employees for their dedication and success. Customer service is a highly demanding area and arguably the critical success factor for any organisation.
We know we still have much to do to improve our customer service but these awards show us we are on the right track."
On average, the city responds to more than 300 calls each day, with each call averaging 3.5 minutes.
Twenty eight per cent of calls relate to planning and building, 27 per cent are seeking general information, 15 per cent are about parks and environment, 12 per cent are rates enquiries, 10 per cent of calls relate to waste and eight per cent involve ranger services.
Among the more unusual requests included a caller who wanted to be connected to an overseas number; someone asking why Fat Cat was still on TV but there was no Humphrey B Bear; and a resident seeking advice on what to wear to an event.
The CSIA judging committee consists of senior business people actively involved in the customer service profession.
The key stages that the national judging panel undertakes include: individual evaluation of submissions by members of the judging committee; a site visit by an accredited auditor to clarify elements of the submission; and mystery shopping.
For further information visit www.melvillecity.com.au.
