Manly Council's Customer Service Charter was adopted by Council on 18 April 2005.
Manly Council has introduced this Charter as an expression of commitment to improving our service and communication in the delivery of quality services to our community.
The Purpose of our Service Charter
We believe that all customers have the right to be served in accordance with this Charter which reflects the vision, values and initiatives of the organisation, as expressed in the Management Plan.
This Charter sets out the minimum standards which you can expect from us, explains how you can obtain information, outlines how you can complain if the standards are not met and offers advice on how you can help us service you better.
Service Standards
We will provide all Council services in a friendly and professional manner by:- Treating you politely and with respect.
- Identifying ourselves when we talk with you.
- Listening carefully to what you say.
- Treating your personal information with confidentiality.
- Being helpful and sensitive to your needs.
- Being competent in providing the information and services Council has determined to provide to the community.
We will make every effort to respond quickly and effectively to your service requests by:
- Answering your phone calls within four rings.
- Acknowledging your letters within two working days.
- Acknowledging your emails within two working days.
- Welcoming you to our service desks within three minutes.
- Completing your customer action requests within fourteen working days.
- Providing appointments after hours as required.
- Providing after hours service for emergencies.
We will achieve quality customer service by:
- Having defined service standards for most commonly occurring service situations.
- Making a commitment to “when” and “how” the service will happen.
- Providing clear outlines of our obligations, policies and having transparent processes.
- Notifying you if there is a delay in the service we promised.
- Preventing unnecessary return visits or calls to Council.
- Advising promptly of the outcome of your request.
- Referring you, where appropriate, to alternate places where the service might be available if Council is not able to provide the service you seek.
Community Consultation
Council has built a strong relationship with our local community through extensive consultation and participation. Two-way communication between Council and the community is encouraged. Residents are encouraged to:
- Attend Council meetings.
- Attend your local monthly Precinct Community Forum meeting.
- Attend a public meeting or forum to discuss special issues.
- Join a local volunteer or interest group.
- Make an appointment to speak with the Mayor or Councillors.
- Make an appointment to speak with the General Manager or the Divisional Directors.
Continual Improvement
Our commitment is to embrace this Charter and we welcome your comments to help us improve our service.
- If you have a comment please:
- Discuss the matter with a member of staff who will assist you or refer you to the appropriate person.
- Write, email or telephone the General Manager.
Complaint Resolution
If we should fall short in our service in any aspect, or we make a mistake, we encourage you to bring your complaint to us directly so that the matter can be resolved.
Council has a formal Complaints Management Policy which outlines the standards for the actioning of complaints quickly and effectively. The current Complaints Management Policy is attached as a PDF file: 
Complaints Management Policy - 81 KB
Manly Council also has under consideration a revised Complaints Management Policy in draft form also attached as a PDF file: Oct 2008 Draft Complaints Management Policy - 106 KB
Assist us in Delivering better Service:
- Treat our staff courteously.
- Respect the rights of other customers.
- Be honest and accurate in your dealings with us.
- Work with us to solve problems.
- Give us feedback.
- Respect our community.
Evaluation of our Performance
This Charter commenced in April 2005. We seek to improve our customer service and will independently assess our performance on an annual basis regarding our compliance with the key elements of this Charter in accordance with the Management Plan.
Contact Information
Location:
Manly Council
1 Belgrave Street
Manly NSW 2095
Correspondence:
Mr Henry Wong
General Manager
PO Box 82
Manly NSW 1655
DX 9205 Manly
Telephone 9976 1500
Facsimile 9976 1400
Email: records@manly.nsw.gov.au