Council earns national praise for customer satisfaction

departments at Sunderland City Council have been honoured for their commitment to customer satisfaction.

Both the Building Control and Development Control teams have again been awarded Customer Service Excellence (CSE) certifaction following a rigorous assessment process.

Organisations are assessed on customer insight, culture, information, delivery and quality, but the council departments were also seen to demonstrate four areas of ‘Compliance Plus’.

They were able to show a corporate commitment to being a listening council, the response to the COVID-19 crisis training for staff, Code of Conduct and exceptional feedback from customers.

Mark Jackson, the council’s assistant director of infrastructure, planning and transportation, said: “It is fantastic to see our officers’ hard work and commitment in these vital services recognised and rewarded.

“Customer service is always a top priority for us and I am delighted to see the teams recognised for their constant hard work as well as the response to the COVID-19 panTwo demic.”

Cllr Rebecca Atkinson, Cabinet Member for Dynamic City at the council, said: “I am delighted that the council has been recognised for its continued focus on what is important to the customer rather than what the Council wants to measure.

"Our Building Control service has held the award since 1999 with Development Control receiving the award from 2008 and it is encouraging to see that we continue to go above and beyond the necessary criteria and put customer needs at the heart of our services.”