Council offers range of contact channels for customers

If there’s something wrong, in the neighbourhood, who you gonna call? Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC).

During January alone, Council’s customer service officers received almost 9000 phone calls and more than 3300 online enquiries.

TRC Finance and Business Strategy Committee Portfolio Leader Councillor Kerry Shine said that while phone remained the most popular way to contact Council, staff also managed a large volume of enquiries via webchat, email, social media, face-to-face and through a range of online self-service options.

“Since 2011, we’ve expanded our contact channels to give customers more choice in how they wish to contact Council,” Cr Shine said.

“Online enquiries are increasing in popularity and we’ve adapted well to this community need by resourcing digital channels such as web chat and continuing to explore other ways to connect with customers online.

“Despite receiving nearly 9000 calls during January, the average wait time for customers was 54 seconds, with 80% of all calls being answered in less than 30 seconds which is a great achievement considering the volume of enquiries received.

“Our team does a fantastic job in forecasting call volumes and scheduling staff to make sure wait times are short and succinct to make it the best experience possible for our customers.”

Outside of business hours, Council also has teams on standby to respond to emergencies should they arise.

“Calls to 131 872 outside of usual business hours are managed by a specialist provider, trained to triage requests for urgent situations,” Cr Shine said.

“Before calling Council after hours, it’s important to consider whether the matter requires immediate attention or whether it can wait until the next business day.”

Types of enquiries that are handled after hours include burst water mains, dog attacks, fallen trees on roads and other urgent matters.

“If it’s not an emergency and customers prefer to get in touch after hours, there is information and a range of services available online via the Council website such as lodging a request, registering a dog, lodging a development application, paying a bill, retrieving rate information and much more,” Cr Shine said.

“I’ve spent time in our contact centre to see the team in action and am incredibly proud of the work our staff does every day.

“Our goal is to be able to connect with customers via the channel of their choice, for a quick and effective resolution to their query.

“As technology continues to evolve, we’ll adapt our service channels to suit the needs of our community.”

For more information, visit www.tr.qld.gov.au/contactus to explore all options for getting in touch with Council.