Calderdale Council has received national recognition for its work leading the way in using digital technology, as the Council’s Live Chat service has been awarded the Oracle Customer Excellence Award.
Calderdale Council’s launched its Live Chat instant messaging software in 2014 and recently expanded the service to allow residents to contact the Council’s customer care advisers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This has been done at no extra cost to the Council, as it is staffed by those already providing out of hours phone support.
Live Chat uses innovative technology to support customers to get the best out of our website www.calderdale.gov.uk. Oracle was particularly impressed by how quickly Calderdale were able to launch this tool. They also recognised Customer Insight Lead, Toni Kershaw, who works at Customer First in Halifax, for her work in improving the experience of Calderdale customers.
As part of the award the Council will now receive £5000 to donate to its charity of choice. This money will be donated to one of the Mayor’s charities, Together for Looked After Children (TLC) -enhancing the life chances of young people in care.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Business Change and Customer Service, Cllr Lisa Lambert, said:
“It’s great that the hard work of our Customer First Team in developing the Live Chat service has been recognised by an international company. The award is not only a great accolade for the Council, but will also benefit one of the Mayor’s charities with a £5000 donation.
“This is just one of the ways that the Council is leading the way in digital technology. The Council website has also recently been awarded top marks in an independent review from the Society of Information Technology Management (SOCITM). This puts us in the top 50 local authority websites in the UK for usability, accessibility and mobile access.”
To chat online now with one of the Council’s dedicated customer care advisers visit http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/siteinfo/contacts/live-chat.html