“TWEET US!” SALFORD CITY COUNCIL SAYS, TO GET QUICK AND EASY HELP

At the moment Salford City Council customer services receive thousands of phone calls from residents each week, and its new Twitter account @SalfordCChelp will mean they get help more quickly.

People ring in with a wide range of queries from bins, council tax, parking, traffic, and travel to cycle lanes. Many of these people wait to get through to the team due to the large number of people calling.

The new Twitter account will mean there won’t be any need to wait in a queue on the phone. Named, friendly and approachable team members will respond to questions and problems with a helpful reply.

They can send a message to the customer services team, Monday to Friday, from 9 to 4.30pm, and it will be replied to quickly with a reference number so people can track what’s happening. If the team is unable to help immediately, they will clearly explain the next steps and pass on the query to a relevant team.

Complex issues or private customer details can be sent through a direct message, so people don’t need to worry about sharing this information on Twitter.

Councillor Bill Hinds, Lead Member for Finance and Support Services, said:

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“We want to make it easy for Salford residents to have their questions answered and if this can’t be done via Twitter, we’ll make sure it’s dealt with by passing them on to the right people who have the information needed. It’s important to us to build stronger relationships with local people. We want to go the extra mile and offer the support people need.”

The new Twitter account is part of Salford City Council’s work to help people get the support they need in a variety of different ways. They can use the council’s live webchat service on its website at www.salford.go.uk, post messages on the council’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/salfordcouncil and there are online forms they can also fill in.

Any queries between 4.30pm and 9am and on weekends will be dealt with the following working day. People will be made aware each day what time the customer services team will be available the next working day.

The council recently won Digital Council of the Year 2018 in the Digital Leaders awards. It has an ongoing scheme called Digital You to help local people learn basic computer and internet skills across the city so they can have a better future and fully take part in today’s society.