Customer Services provides a first point of contact for the entire Ashburton District Council in a manner that ensures that any person wanting to do business with it will, if possible, be able to have the reasons for his/her call/visit satisfied at the time of the initial contact.  If this is not possible then it will be ensured that the reason for the contact is dealt with promptly by some other person within the organisation – all to the total satisfaction of the person initiating the contact.

The functions provided by Customer Services support all other council activities and delivers critical tasks for the Ashburton District Council:

·         To act as the first point of contact.

·         To handle customer requests for information and service.

·         To receive and process payments.

Customers have 6 channels to choose from when accessing Customer Services:

·         Face to Face

·         Telephone

·         Fax

·         Email

·         Letter

·         Website

The service handles about 60,000 telephone calls, 4,100 emails, 3,600 faxes and serves about 35,000 walk-in customers annually. Over 70% of all customer inquiries are handled by Customer Services staff.

Customer Services refers requests for services to Council contractors or Council staff for action. Requests for minor issues such as pot holes, water leaks, rubbish and animal issues are referred directly to contractors for action.

The contact centre and face to face service is available from 8.30 am to 5.00 pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 9.00 am to 5.00 pm on Thursday.