Service Spotlight: Putting customers first for more than a decade

For around 15 years, Carolyn Darrington has been a knowledgeable voice over the phone, and a friendly face at the front counter for Surf Coast Shire Council.

As a member of our customer service team, she’s the first point of contact for many community members getting in touch about Council’s services.

It's a job she loves and takes enormous pride in.

“I’ve always been in customer service,” Carolyn said. “I get along with everyone; I just really like customers – I like people.”

Our customer service phone line received about 36,000 calls last financial year, while just under 10,000 people dropped in to the front desk at our Torquay office.

Many calls relate to what Carolyn describes as the ‘big three’ Council topics – roads, waste and rates.

But her job is to provide answers or know the right place to direct every query, regardless of which service area it relates to.

“We have more than 100 different services, and we need to have a basic knowledge of them all,” Carolyn said.

“There’s a lot of knowledge that you don’t realise you gain over the years, but you do.”

While Carolyn estimates 95 per cent of interactions are positive, she acknowledges the role also involves handling the occasional unhappy customer.

Her years of experience – including a previous job in the complaints division for a telecommunications company – have equipped her with strategies to deal with challenging situations.

“We do get angry people, and that is about calming them down to get to a point where we can at least tackle the problem,” Carolyn said.

“I always feel I can manage to get a suitable outcome. I try to see things from the customer’s point of view.

“They may not always like the answer they’re being given, but the aim is to handle those conversations well and still provide really good service.”

Carolyn feels fortunate to work in a closeknit customer service team, alongside others who are equally passionate about putting the customer first.

The results are evident in the Victorian Government’s annual Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey, which consistently ranks Surf Coast Shire Council’s customer service well above the averages for councils statewide, and compared to similar large rural councils.

“You’ve got to keep a positive attitude and an open mind,” Carolyn said.

“It really is customer first, that’s why local government exists and it should always be the number one thing.”

You can contact Council online at any time to make a request or by calling 5261 0600 between 8:30am to 5pm weekdays.  

Council’s frontline staff are here to help. We ask that you please always treat our team with kindness and respect. We don’t accept threatening or aggressive behaviour.