Council customers embrace convenient self-service

[Kintyre Forum News]

Council customers embrace convenient self-service

ARGYLL and Bute Council customers are increasingly turning to self-service channels to do their business with the local authority - with people making over 21,000 payments online last year.

A number of self service options were introduced by the council following a consultation with people across the area in 2009. These included a range of online payments, service requests and application forms; a single number text service; a 24-hour automated telephone service for payments and service disruptions; a mobile phone app for reporting issues like potholes; and the digital TV-based Looking Local service.

Recent analysis has shown that Argyll and Bute residents have embraced these convenient ways of doing business. Last year, people used the council's website to make over 21,000 payments, totalling £1.6 million and for different council services like council tax, cashless catering, planning fees or car parking fines.

The council's 24-hour automated payment line has also proved to be popular, handling over 4,000 payments last year, one quarter of which were outside normal opening hours.

Argyll and Bute Council's website is ranked among the top 20 local authority sites in Britain. It now has an easy-to-use 'Report It' feature, where people can tell the council about issues like dog fouling or fly tipping and can request services like new bins, winter gritting or setting up a direct debit to pay their council tax. There are around 20 council services which can be accessed in this way and people are given a tracking number which helps them to check progress. More features will be added soon, including requests for copies of birth and marriage certificates online. A single login page has been set up for ease of use.

Lead Councillor for Customer Services, Councillor Louise Glen-Lee, said: "We are living in a digital age where people expect information and access to services at all times of the day, wherever they are.

"The increasing use of Argyll and Bute Council's award-winning interactive website, digital TV and automated phone services shows that our residents appreciate the self-service options now available to them. These on-demand services are more convenient for customers and free up scarce resources to be used where they are most needed."

Find out more by visiting http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/report-it.

Argyll and Bute Council's single number text service is on 07624 808798.

The 24-hour automated payment line is 01546 605515.

Call our dedicated general enquiries line on 01546 605522.

Find Argyll and Bute on the Looking Local digital TV service - Sky Digital channel 539, Virgin Media channel 233, and on smartphones and tablets