Member Benefits

So what does The Network really do and why would I wish to join?

Belonging to the Customer Service Network provides real benefits for members, it gives you the opportunity to talk to people who share the same experiences and can provide you with ideas and support. The Network’s program has expanded over the years and some examples of our activities are outlined below.

Conference and Meetings

The Network conducts a number of seminars and workshops (typically 3) per year covering a broad range of issues related to customer service.

The Network also organises an annual conference which concentrates on trends, product demonstrations, training opportunities and strengthens networking opportunities for members.

So far, the conferences in Kangaroo Valley, Bowral, Hunter Valley, Sydney (UTS), Canberra, Penrith (Panthers) and Kingscliff (Mantra Tweed Coast)  have been very well attended with fantastic reviews received from participants. Feedback indicates that these events have been the best customer focused conferences they have ever attended! If you have ideas about Conference 2014 – please let the Executive know.

Customer Service Information

As a member you will access to a library of information submitted by other members. This library is constantly updated and as a member you have the ability to share your knowledge with other Network members. Click here for more information

Training

The Network organises training courses to provide members with cost effective training which also minimizes the disruption to customer service areas, by allowing members to send one or two participants at a time. A good example of this is Armed Hold Up Awareness Training, which we run regularly to help member councils comply with their WHS responsibilities.

Some other examples of the training we have provided include Planning and Development, Privacy Legislation, Conflict Resolution and Customer Service Essentials. The only prerequisite for training is that we require a minimum of 15 participants per course.

Benchmarking Survey and Mystery Shopper

We have conducted a number of these surveys over the last few years. The idea behind them was to provide member Councils with some comparative data which they could use to monitor performance. The Executive, in conjunction with members and contractors, set up specific criteria for the surveys which would provide us with meaningful results.

Apart from providing a performance indicator, some Council’s were successful in using the results to document a case for increased resources.

Network Benchmarking Report 2012

Website Input

We would like to see the webpage reach its full potential and we are hoping that we can encourage contributions from a number of different councils. We are hoping to build up a database which is a useful resource for members. For example, if we had 20 different position descriptions for customer service officers, members could use the information to improve their existing documentation without having to contact individual councils.

To contribute, go to: http://www.csnetwork.com.au/members/html/content_feedback.htm

Constitution

The current Network Constitution is available  here At the 2012 AGM, the membership unanimously agreed with the updated revision. This is now available for members to read and note all responsibilities.