Port Macquarie-Hastings named 'Most Customer Focused' region in Australia
Friday, 23 October 2009
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council's Customer Care Program has received national recognition with the Hastings being named the 'Most Customer Focused' region in Australia at last night's prestigious Australian Service Excellence Awards held in Sydney.
National Award winners in the Customer Service Institute of Australia Awards (CSIA) must demonstrate high standards of management, training and commitment to excellence.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council's General Manager, Andrew Roach believes the award will provide a significant springboard for further success.
"This national award indicates our businesses are outstanding in serving their customers. The Customer Care Program has more than 300 active members, all of whom are committed to high quality service. I would like to pay tribute to each of the accredited businesses who have invested in service excellence through the Customer Care Program," said Mr Roach.
Council's Manager of Economic Development, Trevor Sargeant reiterated these thoughts saying, "Council's Customer Care Program is unlike any other in Australia. It aims to raise and maintain a high level of service and create a Local Government Area synonymous with service excellence.
"Not only has the program been nationally recognised with this award but also all of the endorsed businesses. We will now build upon this recognition to further improve the spread and reach of the program by encouraging more businesses to become accredited. I'd like to personally thank our Customer Care Co-ordinator Rachel Ross for her outstanding work in helping to make the program the success it is today.
"Customer service is an essential factor in maintaining a businesses competitive edge in the marketplace. Many businesses are making it a strategic priority to place greater emphasis on developing a customer service culture.
"We have recently prepared a strategic rolling works program with the input of accredited members, which means the future of the Customer Care Program looks exciting with even more benefits to its valued members," Mr Sargeant said.
A detailed award submission was initially prepared and judged against strict criteria and progressed to NSW finalist and the subsequent national honour. Following on from that the program underwent a formal site visit by of ICSS Licensed Assessors performing their role as CSIA judges.
