I want to take a moment to express gratitude for our dedicated workforce at Porirua City Council. Their work behind the scenes often goes unrecognised – but not always.
The Association of Local Government Information Management (ALGIM) recently acknowledged PCC with an award for excellence in customer service. It is such a fitting testament to the commitment of our tireless frontline staff who field your calls and emails and arrive at work every day wanting to help as many people as they can. The number and diversity of incoming queries, not to mention the occasional complaint, demand a lot from our staff, but they handle them all with a degree of empathy and professionalism some of us may struggle to emulate.
The assessment leading to this award was meticulous. A mystery shopper made three phone calls and sent three emails at different times of the day and on different days, evaluating our staff’s performance in assisting residents. The winning score for Porirua came after this thorough evaluation, focusing on problem-solving and communication skills.
The community spirit and competence of the customer service team radiates throughout every other part of the organisation. While they may not have won a prize this time, they also deserve our recognition and thanks for their dedicated service to Porirua.
We want residents to know we’re always ready to help them access the information, advice and services they need, whether by phone, email or in person. Anecdotally, I hear feedback from residents all the time about positive interactions they have with PCC staff, but the ALGIM award offers further proof we’re mostly getting it right.
I know my colleagues across the Council join me in congratulating the kind and capable individuals who make up the customer service team, while also giving a shout out to the rest of the PCC workforce who also do us proud.
5 Dec 2023
