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TOWNSHIP OF MONTAGUE
Customer Service Policy
Approval Date: August 18th, 2015
Purpose
This policy is intended to enable the Township to promptly and effectively
address program and service delivery concerns raised by members of the public.
The policy will assist the Township in providing excellent service to the public,
and contribute to continuous improvement of operations. The Township strives to
reduce customer dissatisfaction by:
-
Providing timely and accurate response to complaints;
-
Using complaints as an opportunity to improve program and service
delivery reviews.
Definitions
For the purposes of this policy, a complaint must be differentiated from a request
for service or a request for information. This policy is meant to address only the
process for complaints.
On a daily basis, citizens and customers contact staff for a variety of reasons.
Generally, there are three categories these interactions can fall into.
1. Request for information
Citizens contact the Township to request information for a wide variety of
information, including municipal policies, services and many other items.
These enquiries are routine in nature.
2. Reports/Requests for Service
Often citizens will call or approach staff members to report a specific issue
or request service. These issues are typically minor in nature and can be
addressed using a "Frontline Resolution" approach in accordance with
existing Township Policies. An example of a request for service could be a
report of a loose dog on a municipal highway, or a pothole on a road.
3. Complaints
Complaints can be typically defined as an issue or concern raised with a
municipal program, service or operation that is not resolved at the time of
the incident and for which the complainant submits their concerns in
accordance with this policy. Complaints can include but are not limited to:
a. Failure of an issue to be addressed
b. Employee conduct issue
c. Property standards
Application
1. Role of Council
The role of council is to develop general policies and directives on how to enforce
issues of the municipality. The policies are typically set by Bylaw. Council
operates in an environment of respect and professional behavior and would
expect the same in return.
It shall be understood that a complainant cannot seek a remedy by
contacting Council member(s).
Operational Inquiries/Complaints
a. Members of Council who are approached by the public with
inquiries/complaints regarding operational matters should inform
the party to contact the Township office and file an official
inquiry/complaint which will then be forwarded to the appropriate
department for review/resolution.
b. Where the member of the public is reluctant to contact the
Township office directly, the member of Council should take the
person's name, phone number and details of the inquiry/complaint
and advise them that the matter will be referred to the C.A.O. for
review/resolution.
Policy Inquiries/Complaints
a. If a member of the public approaches a member of Council with an
enquiry concerning policy issues decided by the Council, they
should be requested to put the issue in writing to Council and
forward it to the Clerk so that it can be considered by Council at
their next meeting.
b. Where the member of the public is reluctant to put their concern in
writing, the members of Council may request the issue be placed on
a Council agenda for consideration.
2. Role of Staff
Staff members are responsible for interacting with in a professional, courteous
and objective manner in all interactions.
The Township's employees are the ambassadors of the Township. Thus, each
employee must be conscious of the Township's public duty and their part in the
discharge of that duty. They are expected to conduct themselves with the
highest degree of ethical behaviour and integrity.
Staff are encouraged to resolve all issues as timely as possible using either the
written complaint form or the frontline resolution process as laid out in this policy.
Procedure
Frontline Resolution
It is the responsibility of the complainant to attempt to resolve concerns by
dealing with employees directly involved with the issue where appropriate.
It is the responsibility of all employees to attempt to resolve issues or concerns
before they become complaints, and identify opportunities to improve municipal
services.
Complaint
Where a frontline resolution cannot be achieved, complaints should be submitted
to staff on the attached Customer Complaint Form forming Schedule A. All
complaints should include:
- Name and contact information of the person submitting the complaint
- Nature of the complaint including:
o Background leading to the issue
o Date/time and location of issue/incident
- Any action being requested of the municipality
Staff shall forward the written complaint to the appropriate staff member or
manager, by department. Any complaints concerning individual employees shall
be forwarded directly to the CAO.
The responsible staff member, upon receipt of a complaint form shall:
- Review or consult any appropriate policy or procedure
- Follow-up with the complainant within a reasonable time period being no
more than 5 business days
- Identify actions that may be taken to address the complaint or to improve
operations, or;
- Take other actions deemed expedient to resolving the matter
The resolved complaint form shall be filed with the front desk when resolved to
the complainant and staff's satisfaction.
At the discretion of staff, Council may be notified of an open complaint
investigation for information only. In the cases that a complaint has indicated a
deficiency or improvement in a municipal policy, staff may recommend policy
changes to be approved by Council.
Exclusions
This policy is not meant to address:
a. Complaints about non-municipal services;
b. Issues already addressed by legislation, existing municipal bylaw,
policy or procedure;
c. A decisions of Council or Committees of Council; or
d. Internal employee complaints.
It is important to note that Council should not comment on or provide information
about any specific staff member to members of the public. Issues related to the
conduct of employees should immediately be forwarded to the CAO to be
addressed internally. The CAO and staff have no obligation to disclose the
results or conclusion of any complaint regarding an employee including any
disciplinary action taken against any employee.
Reference & Related Policies
Council Code of Conduct
Employee Code of Conduct
Accessibility - Customer Service Standards Policy
Review Cycle
Yearly