Service Point Network Retains Charter Mark Status

The Highland Council has retained its Charter Mark Standard for excellence in customer service delivery at its network of 37 Service Points and its new Service Centre at Alness.

The Council first achieved a Charter Mark in 1999 and this is the fourth time that it has held this status from the Cabinet Office. Each year, the Council deals with an increasing number of face-to-face enquiries at Service Points. In 2006, staff dealt with more than one million customers, an increase of 200,000 on the previous year.

Convener of The Highland Council, Councillor Alison Magee said: "We are delighted at retaining the Charter Mark Standard. The investment and commitment we devote to our Service Point Network demonstrates the importance we attach to putting the customer first."

The Council’s Service Points provides face to face access to a wide range of services for customers, which include payment of rent, council tax and other council bills; arrangement of special uplift collections; applications for local authority housing; housing repairs and fault reporting; applications for a range of council benefits, free school meals, school clothing grants and travel cards.

As part of the Council’s commitment to improving access to services, the Service Point Network has been extended to include a new Service Centre at Osprey House, Alness. The Service Centre provides a consolidated Service Point Network telephony service as well as a Council wide switchboard service, a Special Uplift booking service and the processing and issue of Blue Badges.  By consolidating the telephony service, Service Point staff are able to concentrate on dealing with their face to face customers.

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