Customer Service Excellence for Lisburn Council Leisure Services

Lisburn Council’s Sports Unit receive Customer Service Excellence Award

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s Sports Services Unit has been recognised for its excellent standard of customer service after achieving the Cabinet Office’s prestigious, Customer Service Excellence Award.

The award was presented in recognition of the Unit’s customer focused service and commitment to continuous improvement, following a formal three day assessment against extensive pre-set criteria.  This included customer insights, organisation culture, information & access, delivery of service and timeliness & quality of service.

The accolade was obtained for Sport Service’s nine service areas, making it the largest Local Authority Unit in Northern Ireland to achieve the award.  Facilities and services encompassed within the Unit include Lagan Valley LeisurePlex, Dundonald International Ice Bowl, Lough Moss Leisure Centre, Castlereagh Hills Golf Course, Aberdelghy Golf Course, Glenmore Activity Centre, Grove Activity Centre, Kilmakee Activity Centre and Sports Development.

Putting the customer at the heart of service provision

Speaking about the success, Chairman of the Council’s Leisure & Community Development Committee, Alderman Paul Porter said, “The Sports Services Unit takes great pride in putting the customer at the heart of their service provision therefore I am delighted that the hard work of the staff has been formally recognised through the achievement of the Customer Service Excellence Award.

“It is also a great honour to be the largest Local Authority Unit in Northern Ireland to achieve this award, which is testimony to the Council’s commitment to drive customer focused change and ensure our service is efficient, effective, equitable and empowering for all.

“The fact our Sports Service Unit attracts just under 1.7 million visitors per year and offers a diverse range of programmes and activities for all ages makes this achievement even more significant, particularly as it highlights to customers that they can be assured of the same excellent standard of service no matter what Sports Services facility they visit.

Lisburn Council Staff CSE Award

Polite and friendly staff

“The assessor’s report was also extremely complementary and gave particular praise to the staff across the Unit, commenting that staff were polite and friendly and went the extra mile to deliver an exceptional personalised customer experience, which is an excellent endorsement.

“I would like to congratulate all the staff who played a vital role in the achievement of this fantastic accomplishment and thank them for their level of commitment to serving our customers. I have no doubt that these high standards will develop year on year as everyone continues to work together to improve the service and meet the changing needs of our customers.”

Prestigious customer service award

Gary Swarbrooke, Director of Assessment Services added: “Lisburn & Castlereagh Sports Services has achieved this prestigious award and for an organisation of this complexity to obtain the accreditation is a significant achievement.

“This result is a reflection of the time, effort and commitment that has been put into providing excellent customer service. The assessor praised the entire team and commented on the scale of the commitment to delivering an excellent customer experience.”

Common aim to deliver excellence in customer service

CSE Assessor Lynda Willis also commented, “Even though the Council merged three years ago, there was strong evidence of staff working well together with a common aim to deliver excellence in customer service, creating a customer focused culture within the Unit.

To find out more about Customer Service Excellence, please contact: lynda@customersensetraining.co.uk or call 07773 423675.