Date: 13/10/2009
Customer Service Advisers at High Peak Borough Council have raised £216.50 for the Neurological Rehabilitation Unit at Cherry Tree Hospital in Stockport.
Fundraising was timed to coincide with National Customer Services Week, which ran from Monday to Friday (5 to 9 October ) to promote first-rate customer care and raise awareness of how the public can access vital services.
Activities at the council's Buxton, Chinley and Glossop offices included a quiz, raffle and cake sale.
Customer Services Supervisor Julie Wood said that staff had pulled out all the stops to sell raffle tickets, bake cakes and produce a quiz.
Fundraising aside, advisers played host to Executive Director Dai Larner, who is responsible for benefits and social inclusion, communities, development services and regeneration. Other guests included Rob Jones, head of benefits and social inclusion; and Chris Elliott, head of transformation. They listened to calls and were shown how to use the Customer Relationship Management system that gives advisors the information they need to deal with most enquiries at first point of contact.
Other visitors included three representatives from Veolia Environmental Services, the council's waste and recycling contractor.
Customer Services Week was also marked by six advisers enrolling at Leek College of Further Education for a Level 2 National Vocational Qualification in customer services, following in the footsteps of the dozen advisers who passed last year.
Photo: Customer adviser Lyn Gould, right, presents a cheque to Steph Darnborough, of the Neurological Rehabilitation Unit. Looking on, left to right, are advisers Jane Wild, Jane Taylor-Dutton and Linda Maxwell.