Our customer commitment
We are committed to being a customer-focused organisation that delivers excellent and effective customer experience at all levels.
By engaging with our community, providing simplified processes and exceeding expectations, we are committed to delivering a customer experience that will be:
Easy to deal with
We make it simple, easy and convenient for you to get the information and services you need.
We provide you with a range of options to contact us at a time that suits you.
Empathetic
We are friendly, patient and helpful and listen carefully so that your enquiry is understood.
We communicate next steps and expected timeframes using language that is clear and concise.
Effective
Our services are delivered by skilled and knowledgeable staff.
We respond to and resolve enquiries in a timely and efficient manner keeping you informed of our progress along the way.
Trusted
We take ownership of issues and proactively seek resolutions that are fair and transparent.
We actively seek out your feedback to ensure our service is meeting your needs.
Our customer service standards
At Bayside, we’re committed to meeting the needs of our community and providing an excellent customer experience.
We value your feedback as it helps us to improve our service and programs.
You can contact us to make a general enquiry, request a service or provide feedback and we will respond to your enquiry within the following timeframes:
Website
We will respond to you within two working days.
Our website provides comprehensive information about our services, facilities and what’s going on around Bayside. Enquiries, requests and feedback can be submitted via our contact us form. We will let you know who in our team is handling your enquiry if it requires further action, and when you can expect a resolution.
Telephone
Our Customer Service team is available on (03) 9599 4444 Monday – Friday 8.30am – 5.00pm, excluding public holidays. After 5.00pm our calls go to our after hours service (emergencies only).
Wherever possible, our team will work with you to resolve your enquiry immediately. If your enquiry requires further action from a specialist, we will transfer you or log a service request for you. We will let you know which department is handling your enquiry and when you can expect a resolution.
We will return your phone call within one working day or at an agreed time.
In person
If you attend our Customer Service counter at the Bayside Corporate Centre (76 Royal Avenue, Sandringham) in person, we will aim to resolve your enquiry at the time of your visit. If this is not possible, we will let you know who is handling your enquiry, and when you can expect a resolution.
Social media
Our social media pages are a place we share what’s happening in Bayside. Our community management team are available to respond on social media between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).
Enquiries, requests and feedback can be submitted via commenting on a public post shared by Council on one of our pages or sending a private message. If your enquiry is within our social media guidelines and requires further action, we will aim to resolve your enquiry or let you know who in our team is handling your enquiry and when you can expect a resolution. We will respond to you within 2 working days.
We will respond to your written enquiry, received through regular postage mail, within 10 working days of receipt.
If your enquiry cannot be resolved in this timeframe, we will let you know who is handling it and when you can expect a resolution.
We will respond to your email within two working days.
If your enquiry cannot be resolved in this timeframe, we will let you know who is handling it, and when you can expect a resolution.
Appointments
If you have an enquiry on a complex issue such as planning or building permits, or local infrastructure such as drainage, please make an appointment with a specialist member of our team on (03) 9599 4444. This will ensure a specialist council officer is available to assist you.
Response time
Our customer service response times apply to most general enquiries.
Other, more complex issues including planning, traffic and engineering, or infrastructure, may need more time to resolve. If more time is needed, we will keep you updated on when you can expect a resolution.
How to help us
You can help us respond to your enquiry quickly and effectively when you:
- Provide clear and concise information relating to your enquiry.
- Include your current contact details (and advise us if they have changed) including address details if relevant.
- Let us know if you want to speak with a specialist member of our team.
- Treat our staff with courtesy and respect.
How to provide feedback
In addition to our providing feedback on our services and programs outlined above, we also encourage you to tell us what you think about Council ideas, plans or proposals so you can contribute to and influence the decisions that affect you. To contribute, please visit Have Your Say.
Surveying our community
We survey our community to gain a greater understanding of how we're doing so we can improve our customer experience.
We often send surveys via email following a service request. We also conduct a community satisfaction survey each year during March and April by door-knocking residents to ask about their experiences with our broad range of our services and facilities.
We will never ask for sensitive information, such as your financial details.
To confirm if a survey is from Bayside City Council, you can Contact Us and we'll advise if we are actively surveying.
Making a complaint
We want to hear about any concerns or negative experience you have with our service, programs or facilities. We will listen and aim to resolve your enquiry fairly and efficiently. If we are unable to meet your expectations, we will clearly explain why.
To read more about how to make a complaint and the process see our complaint process page.
How we use the details of your enquiry
When you call us, we may record the conversation so that we can review it for quality and training purposes, and for use in investigations, disputes and crime prevention. You can notify our staff member at the time if you do not wish for your call to be recorded.
Your information is confidential, and it is used for Council purposes only, within the guidelines of our Privacy Policy.