By Charlene Tebbutt

Hello?

City councillors ask for report into telephone etiquette

Feb 13, 2019 | 5:08 PM

The report has been on the books for several years, and now Prince Albert City Council is saying it’s time to do something more about the way phones get answered at City Hall.

Telephone etiquette was on the agenda at council’s last executive committee meeting Monday night. Not much has happened since a review was initiated in 2015, and councillors say there is still more work needed to improve the way staff deal with questions and concerns from residents.

Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards said the length of time since the initial audit started is concerning, and motioned to have a further report on the issue completed sooner rather than later, with a follow-up review every two years afterward.

Ward 1 Coun. Charlene Miller agreed with the idea, saying she’s had calls from concerned residents who have had negative experiences over the phone. She said she’s happy to see more work being done to improve customer service.

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“I understand that it is a little bit stressful,” Miller said. “People need to be respecting other people who pay taxes in our city.”

A report this week from the city’s new Director of Corporate Services Ken Leclaire, said some work has been done to improve service since the report was undertaken in 2015. About 30 staff members attended a series of four training sessions in 2016, and directors also met individually with staff in their respective departments.

The 2015 audit was the result of questions from councillors at the time wondering how city staff were performing when it came to telephone etiquette. The city hired a consultant in November 2015 review how staff were handling calls, with the exception of the Prince Albert Police Service. A summary of that audit was before local councillors in January 2016, with council asking administration to continue monitoring and enforcing proper phone etiquette.

Since then, city employees have been taking part in online webinars and the department of corporate services has recently developed a set of standardized speaking notes to guide employees in dealing with upset or agitated callers. The speaking notes are expected to be rolled out this year, Leclaire’s report said.

The city has also been in discussions with a world-renowned customer service strategist to design and deliver more training.

(Photo: File photo/ paNOW Staff)

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Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt