Customer Service Training

CSC and CSP staff are required to complete the following courses on LEON when their employment starts.

1. Employee Induction – standard induction course for all new employees
2. Equality and Diversity – This course will provide employees with an understanding of the council’s Equality and Diversity policy, the law in relation to equality and ensure each employee is aware of their responsibilities under both the policy and the law.
3. Data Protection – This course will provide employees with an overview of the Data Protection Act 2018 and with an understanding of the Council’s responsibilities when processing personal data.
4. Freedom of Information (FOI) – The purpose of this course is to provide all employees, at all levels, with an introductory knowledge of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
5. Fire Safety Awareness – This course covers how fires start and spread, types of fires and causes, UK legislation, how to spot hazards and prevent fires, and what to do in the event of a fire
6. Complaints Handling Procedure – This course will ensure that all employees are aware of their responsibilities in relation to dealing with complaint and the need for all complaints to be logged on the corporate complaints database.
7. Taking Card Payments from Customers – Practical guidance for staff processing card payments from customers either face-to-face or over the phone

This video resource on Positive Customer Service was commissioned by the council’s Strategic Management Team as part of the council’s effort to continually improve standards of customer care and the application of those standards consistently across the whole council.

The videos included in this module explain the three basic concept on which positive customer service is founded:

1. Get it right first time
2. The positive no, for when we cannot deliver exactly what the customer wants
3. The fundamental GLAD technique for engaging with customer no matter what medium they use to contact us 

The training video was filmed on location in Campbeltown Customer Service Point and Customer Service Centre. All the actors were volunteer council employees at the time of filming. The module was recently reviewed with various Pause and Reflect slides updated.

Introduction to digital accessibility provides a basic understanding of digital accessibility, where we make our documents and web content accessible to everyone (including those with physical and learning difficulties). There is a legal requirement for us to do so and we show you how to make your content accessible.

Need help making your online content accessible?
The Web Team is here to guide staff on how to create accessible documents and digital content that meet accessibility standards. Whether you’re working on PDFs, webpages, or other online materials, we can help ensure your content is inclusive and user-friendly for everyone. Guidance on digital accessibility is also available here – Accessibility guidance

Managing Customer Relationships was initially part of the wider Argyll and Bute Manger course, but is now a standalone module.  The module will show you as a manager how to achieve high standards of customer service by building it into the design, performance management and ongoing improvement of your service.  

Liberty Spark is an easy-to-use online tool that helps everyone in the Council work together to create and improve processes. It lets you quickly document, analyse, and find ways to make processes better and more cost-effective. Unlike older tools like Visio, Liberty Spark makes sure that all processes are clear and easy for everyone in the Council to understand.

The Customer Service Excellence Standard is designed to help teams and services deliver high quality, consistent customer care and satisfaction. A new version of the standard was released in  May 2026 and can be downloaded from the Customer Service Excellence – Version 2 official website, but essentially it measures achievement against 5 key criteria:

1. Customer Insight
2. The Culture of the Organisation
3. Information and Access
4. Delivery
5. Connecting with Customers

And there are 39 elements underpinning those criteria.

If you are interested in progressing with the standard, contact Robert.Miller@argyll-bute.gov.uk