Council Allocates $300,000 to Improve Customer Services

Following up on one politician’s vow to make Los Angeles “the Nordstrom of city governments,” the City Council agreed Wednesday to spend $300,000 to improve government employees’ service to customers.

No, they can’t charge it.

Councilman Joel Wachs, who spearheaded the move, originally asked that $500,000 be earmarked for employee training and customer-satisfaction surveys, but the Budget and Finance Committee suggested finding a sale price, and the council settled on $300,000.

That money will pay for friendliness classes for 3,000 workers and for an 800 phone line for complaints. In addition, the council voted to provide comment cards at various public counters, improve the city’s employee suggestion awards program, give lapel pins to outstanding staff members and design a set of golden rules on customer service.

“For too long, the hard-working city employees have been painted with the same brush as those who cause the public’s negative opinions,” Wachs said in a statement. “Changing those images, however, will take more than words from elected officials, general managers and union leaders. In order to be believable, the words will have to be backed by action, and promises will have to be followed by visible changes in the way city employees conduct themselves.”