SERVICES

LOCAL COUNCIL SHOWS ITS COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE

Kettering Borough Council, in Northamptonshire, is one of the first councils in the UK to achieve the Government’s new Customer Service Excellence (CSE) standard, certified by Centre for Assessment.

Launched in March 2008, the new standard is official recognition that an organisation has the highest standards of customer service embedded in its culture. For the public and private sectors, it rewards organisations that deliver services based on a genuine understanding of the needs of their customers and communities. Kettering Borough Council was assessed by Centre for Assessment, the first certification body in the UK to be accredited by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) to certify organisations against the new standard.

Jonathan Bullock, portfolio holder for Kettering Borough Council, said: “Excellence in customer service should be one of the main aims of any Local Authority and we’re worked hard to achieve this new Customer Service Excellence standard. It is recognition of our dedicated working professional staff who are striving constantly to improve the service offered to the public. The CSE standard will act as a useful management tool, allowing us to structure the business so we are continuously improving.

“In order for us to achieve the new CSE standard, we had to carry out customer profiling, something that was very new to us. We needed to be sure we fully understood our community’s needs and that our service addressed these. Now that we have gained the award, which is recognised by both councillors and customers, we are in a position to set a benchmark for other councils to aspire to.”

Amanda Whitehouse, from Centre for Assessment, added: “In the UK customers are expecting high standards of customer service. Kettering Borough Council recognised the need to meet its customers’ needs and ensure they had absolute faith in the service they were receiving. Having met with the community and staff, it was important for them to achieve this standard, which is also recognised by the partners they service, such as the local police force.”

Kettering Borough Council was assessed in five key areas: having an in-depth understanding of its customers; having a customer-focused culture; keeping customers informed; service provision and problem solving; and the timeliness and quality of its services.