More than just service
Published on 19 April 2024
Mount Alexander Shire Council is asking the community to share its customer stories, as it embarks on its first ever “Customer-First Strategy.”
The strategy will be a long-term guide for Council as it aims to keep improving the experience of community members when they access Council’s various services.
“We know from our annual Community Satisfaction Survey that our community is very pleased with the standard of customer service they receive when they contact us,” said Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Darren Fuzzard.
“This strategy is about us taking the next step, and thinking about the whole customer experience. We want our services to be as easy to access and effective as possible, from end to end,” said Darren.
Anne* is a customer of the Council’s Community Wellbeing team, and the ease with which she accessed services, and the quality of those services, makes a marked difference in her daily life.
“I needed a little bit of help, and got a referral to the Council. They got in touch really swiftly, and they were just so empathetic and helpful,” said Anne.
“I’m also a carer for my husband, and they understood what that meant straight away. Now I get wonderful care each week, and the help makes my role as a carer that much easier, it’s really wonderful,” said Anne.
To kick off, Council is asking community members to share their stories of what happened when they needed Council services, good, bad and otherwise. Those stories – and an accompanying survey – will help identify areas of strength and weakness to build upon and improve.
Shire residents can visit www.shape.mountalexander.vic.gov.au/customer-first to offer their stories.
There will also be in-person consultations around the shire in coming weeks, with in-depth focus groups to follow.
Anyone who would like to offer their thoughts in person or in writing can contact the Council’s Customer Service team on 5471 1700 or by visiting the Civic Centre in Castlemaine.
“This is an exciting piece of work for us, a great step in our continuing efforts to put our community’s needs first,” said Darren.
*name has been changed.