Council’s customer services charter sets clear standards

Cheshire East Council has reported encouraging performance against its new customer services charter.

The charter builds on the council’s vision to provide the best possible experience for customers, whoever they are and however they make contact. It sets out the standards which all council staff are expected to adhere to, along with a clear feedback process for customers to share their views on service improvements.

Recent data shows:

• 76% of customers were satisfied with the service provided by the council;
• 75%  of calls to the council were answered within the target response time of 120 seconds;
• 79% of correspondence was responded to within the target of eight working days, and;
• 65% of complaints were responded to within the target of 10 or 20 days (target varies depending upon complaint stage).

The charter, which residents were consulted on last year, outlines what to expect when contacting the council, whether that’s using online services, visiting in person, or making enquiries by email, telephone or in writing. It also provides a clear feedback process, making it easy for customers to share their views on service improvements.

Councillor Sam Corcoran, leader of the council and chair of the corporate policy committee, said: “I am pleased to see the ongoing improvement at Cheshire East Council. Our customer services charter acts as an agreement between the council and our customers. It means we can set out the standards of behaviour and values that the council aspires to when interacting with our customers – what they can expect from us, and what we expect from them.

“We are working hard to review our services – with an aim of working as one organisation that offers a clear and consistent experience. Getting things right first time for our customers, without the need for them to contact us again, will also help to drive down the costs of delivering our services – particularly important when the council is facing significant financial pressures and increasing demand for our services.

“We are performing well against our customer satisfaction targets, with many customers reporting that little effort was required to make an enquiry or request a service from us. 

“We do have room to improve on our performance, particularly when responding to complaints, and we will continue to work on that. We are committed to making sure that our services reach the highest standards and want our customers to feel reassured that whenever we fall below their expectations, we will work to put things right. 

“I would like to thank residents who took the time to share their views with us on the charter, which has helped to ensure it reflects their expectations when contacting us and that it sets the right standards for how we deliver services to our customers.”

The council will continue to monitor performance against the standards set out within the customer services charter to identify where further improvements to customer experience can be made.

More details here:

view the customer services charter on the council’s website