1. Welcoming a customer
If a customer contacts you directly – either by phone or email – first welcome them.
• Give an appropriate greeting (introduce your service, then introduce yourself). Use te reo Māori
if you are able and it is appropriate .
• Build rapport through your tone - warm, welcoming and respectful.
• Listen with empathy.
Eliminate barriers to effective communication
There can be many barriers to effective communication, from language to environmental factors.
Do whatever is possible to eliminate, or minimise the effect of, any barriers to effective
communication so the customer can focus and participate fully in your shared interaction.
For example, if a customer has language or literacy issues, you could:
• offer them the opportunity to have a support person or family member with them when they
come to meet you
• use simple or plain language
• use Ezispeak to interpret telephone calls.
2. Determining a customer's need
Actively listen to the customer. This means listening to understand rather than listening with an
intent to reply.
• Listen with an open mind, free from preconceptions or assumptions about people, situations or
possible outcomes.
• Look at the situation from the customer's perspective.
• Be engaged and pay attention.
• Don't interrupt unnecessarily.
• Listen without judging.
Ask yourself: "Do I have all of the relevant information I need to make a decision?" If not, ways of
getting the information and making sure you have understood correctly are:
• paraphrasing (express the meaning using different words)
• summarising
• repeating the details of the situation.
Make sure you clearly acknowledge the customer's request for information or for a tangible thing
(e.g. dog tag, licence, official document). Our aim is to exchange information simply, easily and
quickly.
Make sure you provide an invoice or receipt for any money.
© Auckland Council / Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, al rights reserved.
Business Owner: Customer Experience
Date published: 29/05/2018 (v. 27/03/2020)
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3. Deciding how best to help a customer
Aim to resolve things at the first point of contact. This is the best possible experience for a
customer.
Digital first
We know that many of our customers prefer to use digital and self-service solutions so they can
pursue their goals at a time that suits them, 24/7. Make sure you make customers aware of digital
and self-service solutions available to them.
Do your research
i-Know
Dedicated customer service people can use our knowledgebase tool, i-Know. For most tasks or
types of enquiry, i-Know lists the process to follow and the team or person to contact for further
information or help.
Use i-Know to:
• ensure we are consistent
• prevent duplication
• inform your decision making.
Kotahi and www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Everyone who works at the council can use Kotahi and the Auckland Council website to do their
research before deciding how best to help a customer.
When you finish researching, make sure you have all the relevant information and disregard
anything that's not relevant.
Mana whenua and mataawaka
Remember that mana whenua and mataawaka are unique customers because of our statutory
obligations to them. Ask your people leader or Te Waka Anga Mua ki Uta if you need help to meet
a mana whenua or mataawaka need.
Mana whenua are Māori whose ancestral relationships are in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland, where
they exercise customary authority.
Mataawaka are Māori living in the Auckland Council region who are not in a mana whenua group.
If you're not sure how to help or respond to the customer
Ask for:
• peer review - advice or oversight from a colleague
• subject matter expert advice
• input, supervision or support from your people leader.
Locate the best person to answer their question - ask colleagues or search Kotahi.
Ask whether the customer has talked to other people from the council.
Focus on the customer's issue at hand. Help them keep their focus on the issue.
© Auckland Council / Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, al rights reserved.
Business Owner: Customer Experience
Date published: 29/05/2018 (v. 27/03/2020)
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Make good decisions
Be fair and independent: don't allow yourself to be unreasonably influenced by something or
someone else. Make decisions free of conflicts of interest; if there is a perceived, actual or potential
conflict, declare it.
When you are deciding how to prioritise your time and budgetary resources in resolving an issue,
consider:
• the issue's merit
• its complexity
• the degree of risk
• the degree of urgency.
Inform the customer
Tell the customer from the start what they can realistically expect. Provide clear information about
how their specific issue will be dealt with:
• what can and cannot be done
• what our processes are
• what role you will play
• the customer's level of involvement
• likely and unlikely outcomes
• what priority the request will be given
• how long things are going to take
• next steps.
Keep the customer informed of progress, particularly if there is a delay and the outcome is likely to
take longer than first expected. Every customer needs to know where they are in relation to your
service, at every point, and at any time.
4. Meeting a customer's needs
Make sure the customer understands what you are providing and when by, and understands any next
steps in the process to its completion.
Make sure they have a contact name and number for any follow-up required, or if they are not
happy with the time taken or the quality of the result.
Do everything you reasonably can to make sure information you give to customers is accurate.
Check that the information you enter into our systems in handling their request is accurate.
Responding to a customer
• Deliver answers clearly and make sure they understand.
• Explain the reasons behind the way we do things - why you can or cannot do something.
• Act in a timely way. If you can do it today, do it today!
© Auckland Council / Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, al rights reserved.
Business Owner: Customer Experience
Date published: 29/05/2018 (v. 27/03/2020)
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• If you have made a mistake or made a problem worse, identify this, apologise and make it right.
• Respond in the way which best suits the customer - this could include:
o in writing
o by telephone
o by text message
o via social media.
• Record the reasons for decisions and outcomes, and keep or record the relevant
correspondence.
Adding value to a customer interaction
Try to identify your customer's unstated needs. Answer their question, or resolve their issue, but
don't just leave it there: give them additional relevant assistance, for example:
• Someone calls to ask what the rubbish collection day is in their area. You tell them, and you let
them know that there will soon be a change to the kind of bin they should use in their area and
what they can do about that.
• Someone calls to ask for a licence to have tables on the footpath outside their cafe. You tell
them how, and you make sure they know that they will also need to extend their liquor license.
Serving Aucklanders and keeping safe
Our goal is to give the customer the best possible experience. In the rare times when customers are
having difficulties interacting with you, or when you feel uncomfortable with their behaviour, make
sure you ask for help:
• If you feel physically threatened, remove yourself from the situation and call Security Services
immediately on S 7(2)(a) Privacy In an emergency dial 111.
• If you experience or see a near miss, an unsafe act or an incident, your need to report it in Risk
Manager.
• If you are unsure about how best to serve the person:
o ask your people leader
o use one of our Speak up channels.
• If you feel there is an issue to resolve with the customer, contact the Complaints and Issues
Resolution Team on (S 7(2)(a) Privacy or [email address].
• If you can see a way of preventing this happening again through a better service, submit your
ideas to The Big Brainstorm.
Customers may be upset or angry about an issue. Read our tips for dealing with difficult customers.
© Auckland Council / Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, al rights reserved.
Business Owner: Customer Experience
Date published: 29/05/2018 (v. 27/03/2020)
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5. Ending an interaction with a customer
Make sure the customer has received everything your service promises to deliver them.
• Confirm that the customer understands the outcome. Tell them the next steps, if appropriate.
• Ask them for feedback. Share it with your team members and people leader. If your department
or unit has a continuous improvement programme, contribute the feedback.
• Record the customer interaction and feedback in keeping with your department's systems.
• To avoid duplication and ensure consistency, make sure you inform affected colleagues within
the council and CCOs when resolving a customer's issues.
If you need help or more information
• Email the Customer Services Team: [email address]
• Phone the Customer Services Team on S 7(2)(a) Privacy
• Contact a Councillor Support Advisor
You may also be interested in
• Serving Aucklanders guide
• 'Who do we serve?' graphic / poster (PDF 1.1MB)
• Māori language guide
• Cash handling, receipting and banking guide
• Social media guide
• Our Voice
Our Charter feedback
Tell us what you think.
© Auckland Council / Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, al rights reserved.
Business Owner: Customer Experience
Date published: 29/05/2018 (v. 27/03/2020)
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