Putting quality standards atthe heart of customer service
Whether it’s in relation to housing, amenities, parking or emergencies, consulting with the public everyday means one thing for Dublin City Council Customer Services – quality customer service is a priority. Siobhan Brazil speaks about how The Q Mark supp
When Dublin City Council Customer Services wanted independent advice on their performance, Siobhan says they felt The Q Mark was the right fit. “We applied for certification in 2009. In our first year we got the highest ever score for a first-time participant and became the first organisation to win a main award in their first year. We’ve won four awards throughout the years and have been nominated for an award every year since.
“We wanted to be benchmarked against different types of business in both the public and private sectors which would enable improvements to be made to the services we offer to customers. Customer Services wanted to use a readily identifiable organisation to assess their performance and one which would instil confidence in our customers and be easily recognisable. The best option available was The Q Mark!
“The fact that The Q Mark is known for quality, shows that the organisation takes its customers and its duties seriously, and continuously strives for improvements in services and their experience.”
Brazil says The Q Mark process is embedded in the everyday tasks they perform in Customer Services.
“One such example would be with docu- mentation controls. We have introduced a new version of a process register and we need to ensure that this information is up-to-date and valid, a critical factor for contingency planning within Customer Services. Since achieving The Q Mark, we’ve introduced daily audits on core tasks that need to be completed and monitored for accuracy, accountability, and transparency.
“The support of The Q Mark is a key element in the continuous improvement ethos within Customer Services,” Brazil continues. “The recommendations from the annual assessment become a key part of our new business and milestone plans for the continuous improvements that we introduce. It allows us to make decisions that are better informed using more up-to-date data and best practice from our peers in the industry.”