Date: 02/10/2008
At High Peak Borough Council, we're sharing best practice during National Customer Services Week
Callers could be treated to some purple prose -- in the nicest possible way -- from members of our Customer Services team on Friday, October 10, 2008.
For purple is the colour they will be wearing during a dressing down day to celebrate National Customer Services Week, from Monday, October 6, to Friday, October 10 -- and raise funds for the High Peak Mayoral Charities, to boot.
Purple has been chosen because it is part of the branding for the Institute of Customer Services, and team members will each pay £1 for the privilege of wearing the colour -- whether as a tie or scarf, jumper or in make up.
Team members will also be baking cakes to sell to colleagues at the Council's three offices, in Buxton, Chinley and Glossop, for their morning coffee breaks on Thursday, October 9, and Friday, October 10, and also circulating quiz sheets to raise more funds for their chosen charity.
Throughout the week, the Customer Services team, based in Buxton, will play host to a range of events and visitors -- including Simon Baker, the joint Chief Executive of High Peak Borough Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, who will drop in on Monday, October 6, to sit in and listen to calls and bone up on the burning issues of the day.
Other visitors on Monday will include High Peak Community Housing (HPCH) board member John Ardern and corporate excellence manager Louise Pearce, who will listen in to calls from HPCH tenants to find out what they are ringing about and check that they are receiving a quality, value-for-money service.
All borough, town and parish councillors have been invited to an open afternoon and evening on Thursday, October 9, when members of the Customer Services team will demonstrate the technology used to answer queries about the wide range of Council services. They will also hear about the team's efforts to reduce "avoidable" calls -- such as the need to make several calls to report the same problem.
Members of the Council's Electoral Registration team will be on hand at Glossop Co-op on Friday, October 10, between 10am and 3pm, in a bid to reach anyone who has not yet registered to vote.
National Customer Services Week is also being used as an opportunity to share best practice between High Peak Borough Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.
Members of the High Peak team will swap jobs with their counterparts in Leek, on various days.
Twelve High Peak employees will also follow Staffordshire Moorlands' lead by signing up to do NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Customer Service -- a workplace-based assessment programme, delivered by staff from Leek College -- to formalise their qualifications and reinforce their efforts to meet national standards.
"All these events and initiatives aim to raise awareness of our commitment to providing quality customer services, help to boost team morale and share best practice with our colleagues at Staffordshire Moorlands," said Emily Thrane, Deputy Leader and Executive Councillor for Corporate Services.
"They also give local councillors at all levels the opportunity to see our Customer Services team in action, as well as helping to raise funds for a range of local charities."