Wokingham

Wokingham District Council is good to visit, according to 88 per cent of the people who came to the civic offices between June 5 and June 9. For one week all visitors to Wokingham District Council’s Shute End offices were asked for their views on how well the council meets their expectations.

Around 420 Wokingham visitors were asked to rate their visit in terms of the efficiency of staff, how well their enquiry was dealt with and their overall impressions of customer service at the council. In addition visitors were asked to comment on wider areas of improvement that they thought the council should be focusing on.

Almost all visitors welcomed the opportunity to pass on their views and talk about issues that mattered to them. The surveys were carried out by staff from different service areas and, as well as getting answers to important questions, it was a good opportunity for members of staff to interact with residents.

More than 88 per cent of visitors rated their overall experience of visiting Wokingham Council as either very good or good. Only 1.5 per cent said that it was poor or very poor. And more than 90 per cent of visitors were happy with the length of time it took to be seen and with the service they received from staff.

Every comment, service improvement suggestion, complaint and compliment has been recorded and will form part of a report on customer service improvements for the council’s corporate management team and elected members to consider. It is hoped that this feedback will inform the decision makers and help ensure that the council continually improves its service to customers.

Sarah Barrow, Wokingham council’s corporate complaints and customer care manager, said: “The survey was an excellent opportunity to find out what our customers really think of us. We were able to resolve some residents’ concerns straight away and give advice on other issues. Some of the suggestions for improvement were very sensible and we will be looking at how these ideas can be implemented.”

Anyone with a view on how the council can improve its customer service is invited to email sarah.barrow@wokingham.gov.uk or call (0118) 974 6026.

Executive member for corporate services Wokingham Cllr Rob Stanton said: “We are always trying to find ways to improve our service and I am delighted that we have this opportunity to learn about what the public really wants to see from us. It is also encouraging to see that most people are already very happy with the service. Clearly we are moving in the right direction. And now with this feedback we can make even more improvements.”

Wokingham District Council