Customer Services System Proves Popular with Public

TAMESIDE Council’s customer services restructure has received a vote of confidence from the public

Sixteen months after it was implemented, usage figures and reaction show that it is being embraced by resident. Consequently, members of the authority’s executive cabinet voted to continue with the plan at their July meeting.

The impetus for the restructure came from the pandemic when the closure of council buildings made face-to-face inquiries impossible. A replacement system was designed, based on phone calls and webchats, and it quickly became clear the public were happy to use it.

When the new scheme was launched in March, 2022, following a public consultation, it was adapted so that people retained the option of making their inquiry face-to-face. This could be done by visiting a library where staff are qualified to handle the most commonly raised issues.

Figures for the first 12 months of the customer services restructure show that 3,338 appointments took place. Of these, 2,174 were face-to-face and 1,164 over the phone. Feedback has been excellent. More than 90 per cent of people were satisfied with the scheme, and only 1.8 per cent said they found it difficult to use.

Cllr Vimal Choksi, Tameside Council’s executive member for Towns and Communities, said: “We believe our new system fulfils people’s needs and the figures and feedback we have received for the first year show that to be the case.

“However, while we are happy to continue with the scheme, we are in no way complacent. It will be kept under review to ensure it meets needs and that staffing levels are adequate to meet demand.

“Tameside Customer Services exists to do what its title says – serve customers. Our new system is not only a more efficient way of processing enquiries, but it is also very cost-effective. This is of the utmost importance at a time when inflation continues to soar and we are facing a twelfth successive year of government cuts to our budget.”

For anyone wishing to make an inquiry, the council’s phone number is 0161 343 8355. Lines are open Monday to Wednesday, 8.30am to 5pm; Thursday, 8.30am to 4.30pm and Friday, 8.30am to 4pm (excluding bank holidays). The email address is customer.services@tameside.gov.uk

There are Tameside libraries at Market Place, Ashton; Denton Town Hall; Guardsman Tony Downs House, Droylsden; Concord Way, Dukinfield; The Hub, Hattersley; Hyde Town Hall; George Lawton Hall, Mossley; and Trinity Street, Stalybridge.

Full details of how to contact Tameside Council with queries – including webchat – can be found at www.tameside.gov.uk/directions