City staff win customer service gong

THE staff that have been managing the city council's £90 million funding gap have been given an award.

Six areas of the council's finance department have received accreditation for customer service excellence (CSE) - the government standard for customer service.

Areas praised include staff training and the use of journey mapping, a tool which details customers' experiences in specific transactions.

Council leader Jenny Dawe said: "I would like to thank all our hard-working and dedicated staff for their commitment to customer service and congratulate them on their success.

"Improving customer service is key to enabling the council to continue to provide quality services.

"It is particularly pleasing to see that the department was also recognised for its prudent financial approach to 'managing costs'."

The accreditation for the finance department means approximately 40 per cent of council services have now been accredited under CSE.