Got a gripe with the Town of Fort Frances? A pothole on your street that seems to keep getting bigger and bigger? Would you know how to complain to the town if you did? With the town’s new computer system up and running since the new year, Information Technology manager Darryl Allan and other Civic Centre staff have been working to ensure efficiency in handling how the town deals with complaints through the use of its computer network—and to promote use of this service.
“We’ve always been willing to take customer complaints, it’s just that different departments did things differently,” Allan noted.
“What we wanted was a centralized system of recording the complaints.
“We wanted to know when it was filed, who it was reported to, and what happened with any follow- up—to find that nothing falls through the cracks.
“With a proper network, it’s easier for us to get the information,” Allan added. “It’s a better way of communicating internally.”^The purpose of the system is to ensure customer complaints receive proper and prompt responses.
As such, a complaint must be differentiated from a request for service.
By definition, complaints are matters or situations the town can take action to rectify involving:
•situations involving a hazard to health and safety;
•situations reflecting badly on the Town of Fort Frances;
•situations that cause an unnecessary inconvenience; and
•the manner in which a situation has been handled.
Town staff—as well as the mayor and council—are encouraged to direct customers to call the Civic Centre to register their complaints, which may be done by phone during the normal business hours to the reception desk (274-5323).
After-hours messages may be left by dialing 274-5323. When the auto-attendant picks up, dial 1258, which will connect you to the after-hours trouble call service answered in the fire department.
All customer complaints then are recorded on a form by customer service staff at the Civic Centre, who then notify by fax, e-mail, or phone the staff person and division manager responsible for responding to the complaint.
This person then will contact the customer as soon as possible, but in no case later than the next business day, to receive and/or provide further information.
The staff member will follow this up by forwarding the particulars of the resolution of the complaint to the customer service co-ordinator no later than the next business day following the resolution.
Division managers will review customer complaint listings on a weekly basis to ensure the necessary follow-up is being provided for complaints within their jurisdiction.
They also will review with other managers—on a bi-weekly basis at their regular meetings—all complaints to ensure they are being dealt with in a timely manner and determine if changes to complaint processing and/or general town practices are necessary.
“One of the best superintendents is the eyes and ears of the community,” remarked Allan.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
