New ways of delivering customer service are ensuring Frankston City Council, Victoria, is supporting residents impacted by COVID-19.
Council has launched a call centre referral service to help impacted residents navigate and connect with the services and resources they need to recover from the virus.
Staff at the Community Recovery Call Centre are manning phones to refer residents and businesses to support services suited to their current needs.
Mayor, Sandra Mayer, said the city was privileged so many community based organisations were on hand to offer support at this difficult time.
“We recognise that our community’s needs are different at the moment, including that of our business community. Many residents and businesses are doing it tough and some are accessing support services for the first time.
“The call centre is designed to facilitate connection with service agencies along with Council services, including but not limited to meals assistance, housing and family violence supports, financial hardship services, parenting and aged services information.
“We also have our business concierge on hand to support local businesses connect with Council and government supports available.”
Council officers have already commenced proactively cold-calling hundreds of known vulnerable residents to check in and to make sure they are getting the help they need.
“We understand that navigating services can be overwhelming so our call centre staff are trained to put residents in touch with the right people to help with their situations.”
The mayor added that social isolation measures necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19, meant some people couldn’t access their usual support networks.
“This can make it harder to know where to turn for help. Our hope is that the Community Recovery Call Centre can assist in bridging the gap.”
Frankston City Council has also fast tracked its website live chat service which allows residents to talk directly with the customer service team.
