Customer Service Standards

The Township of Springwater strives to provide a high standard of service to all customers, including residents, business owners, staff, visitors and other stakeholders. It is our commitment to:

Provide exceptional, equitable and accessible customer service
Act with integrity and treat customers with dignity and respect
Be courteous, helpful and professional
Respond and acknowledge receipt of customer contact within a reasonable time frame
Provide accurate information and/or the avenue for the customer to receive it
Provide a response and ensure the completeness of a service or request
Be accountable to all customers and use feedback to improve our performance and service to our customers

Our Core Values

Accountability

We believe in achieving the greatest value for our taxpayers and stakeholders by effectively, transparently, and ethically utilizing public resources.

Continuous Improvement

We believe in leading change through innovation, improved efficiencies and introducing best practices to better serve our Township.

Ethics & Integrity

We believe in open and honest communication, strong ethics and undertaking all our transactions with integrity and respect.

Recognition

We believe in creating and sustaining a strong culture of engagement and fulfillment through recognizing, encouraging, and appreciating all contributors to the Township of Springwater.

Teamwork

We believe in embracing the true spirit of teamwork by working collaboratively, developing productive relationships, and building trust based on mutual respect.

Response Times

We strive to meet the following standards with each and every customer and appreciate your feedback.

Telephone

Customer calls are returned as soon as possible when they are received. As a general rule, voicemail messages that require a response are to be returned within two (2) business days.

Staff’s response, within two business days, may not provide a complete resolution, but will be an acknowledgement that the message has been received. Staff should also provide an indication of any further action that will be taken to resolve the issue.

Email correspondence that requires a response is to be acknowledged within two (2) business days of receipt. If more information is required, a full response is to be submitted within five (5) business days unless the full response is required sooner due to other municipal by-laws, policies, or other legislation. If more than five (5) business days is required for a full response, an explanation should be delivered to the original author within the initial response email.

If an employee is out of the office for more than one (1) business day, the ‘out of office’ notification is to be activated. The message within the ‘out of office’ notice will identify the anticipated return and an alternate contact if the matter is urgent.

Written Correspondence

Written correspondence that requires a response is to be acknowledged, through a method at the discretion of the recipient, within five (5) business days unless otherwise stated in other municipal by-laws, policies, or other legislation.

If an employee is out of the office for more than one (1) week, an alternate person will be designated to respond to articles of correspondence that require immediate attention or that need to be placed on the next Council agenda.

Social Media

The Corporate Communications Officer is responsible for monitoring and responding to social media on behalf of the Township of Springwater. Responses will be dealt with during normal working hours.

Complaints/Compliments

When customer service standards have not been met, such as phone calls or emails not returned within two business days, please report a Customer Service Issue through our online form.

Where staff have excelled in providing customer service, it is important that we be made aware. This will assist us in properly recognizing our staff. Our online form can also be used to report excellent customer service.