Customer Service/Customer Responsibility

Brenda Hogg, Regional and Local Councillor
Town of Richmond Hill

On Friday May 13th, Richmond Hill launched its new Customer Service Strategy. No doubt some will find the launch date amusing because they have lost faith in customer service. Why? What is "good" customer service? And how can I get better service?

The first line of customer service is communication. For better service, choose it wisely. Residents and businesses make contact by telephone, written correspondence, email, or a drop–in visit. Each method has benefits and drawbacks. The least efficient is the drop–in visit. It is always best to set up an appointment if infact, it is necessary.

The most timely method of communication for me is email but not everyone has access to the internet.

Phone contact is very good but sometimes involves using a message machine and there are still some who will not use message machines. Personally, I resent the "push one, push two…" mechanized voice that instructs us in the name of ‘improved’ customer service and now Rogers Cable has a voice–actuated message system that purrs, "How can I direct your call?" "Tell me what you are looking for." It’s still a poor substitute for a live person.

Letters and faxes can be processed reasonably quickly but may require answers from a variety of departments depending upon the requests. I really don’t know the answer to all planning, engineering, legal, and/or financial questions which may arise in the running of a town but I can help direct those questions. Knowing what you want is vital to getting efficient service.

The City of Vaughan recently adopted a ‘Declaration of Citizens’ Rights and Responsibilities’. The rights include community safety, health and wellness in an efficiently run, productive, and economically responsible city. I think that every municipality strives to provide such service.

The list of responsibilities that Vaughan assigned to citizens was somewhat illuminating. It expects that citizens are to avoid behaviour that threatens the safety, health, and wellness of fellow citizens or the integrity of the natural environment; acknowledge that municipal services are finite, shared, and are dependent upon our ability to pay; recognize that our well–being is built on the willingness of each of us to seek the common good and acknowledge that staff are professionals, as are citizens, and they deserve to be treated as such.

Every resident and business person has the right to courteous, prompt, competent service. They also have a responsibility to treat others in the manner which they themselves expect to be treated. That, I think is key to better customer service: mutual respect.

Brenda