24th June 2005

Council encourages after hours callers

Dog owners and rate payers in Manukau will know that this is the time of year to expect those unwelcome bill reminders from the City Council.

Over 34,000 letters have been distributed across Manukau in the past two weeks, all encouraging residents to call the Council on 262 5104 with any enquiries, making it the call centre's busiest time of the year.

Staff are working extra hard to maintain the high standards that are expected, but, given the current volume of calls, the Council is concerned that some callers are not experiencing the usual quality of service. Waiting times, for example, have been particularly affected.

Next year, the Council will stagger the distribution of letters more effectively to prevent a repeat of the situation. Meanwhile, residents are reminded that they don't need to call during office hours to get their questions answered.

Wayne Goodley, Director of City Services, who is responsible for the smooth running of the call centre, says:

"We are here for people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so residents can wait until they get home from work, the gym or even after the Lions match at the pub, before they pick up the phone. Those off-peak hours are a good time to call and, if you are calling from Manukau on a land-line, it will cost you nothing to get your questions answered."

Manukau City Council can also confirm that, despite technical problems caused by a printing error on registration forms, dog owners paying for their dog registration at New Zealand Post will receive their early payment discount if paying before the 31st July 2005.

ENDS

© Scoop Media