Local Courts Judged Best in Customer Service in ’96

Credited with doing a better job of taking care of the public than most businesses, the Ventura County court system has won a major award for good business practices traditionally reserved only for private companies and large corporations.

In winning the Arthur Andersen Enterprise Award for customer service for 1996, the county’s court system beat out about 200 companies and large corporations from around Southern California.

To the surprise of judges and award sponsors, Ventura County Clerk Sheila Gonzalez entered Ventura County’s Superior and Municipal courts in the customer service category of this year’s awards race--and won.

“It really is kind of crazy, but I heard it on the radio,” Gonzalez said of the awards competition. “I heard they were going to be acknowledging best business practices.

“I was looking for a reinforcement for the judges and staff,” said Gonzalez, who is also the county’s jury commissioner. “I think it is important for the public who we serve to see that we are different and we are making an effort so they can have faith in the courts system.”

Her application boasting the court’s customer service practices was the first by a government entity, and the award is the only one bestowed by Andersen to a public agency in the two years the honors have been given.

“The idea is that we are trying to promote ideas between companies focusing on best business practices,” said Dan Roth, director of marketing for Arthur Andersen LLP.

“We couldn’t imagine that a government agency could care about customer satisfaction,” he said.

But the county’s customer-driven approach to courts administration impressed--and in some cases shocked--judges who traveled to Ventura County to evaluate the courts, Roth said.

But instead of finding an unwieldy public bureaucracy, Roth said the judges reported that Ventura County courts followed a unique mission statement for a government agency: “Our courts are here for the people we serve.”

The judges liked the fact that the courts had customer surveys in both English and Spanish, had no long lines of people waiting for assistance and offered a children’s waiting room to parents.

“They liked the fact that their vision statement drives day-to-day operations,” Roth said of the administration’s motto of “dignity, respect, excellence and pride.”

“The judges thought that vision came through loud and clear in the way they did business, which is a funny statement in that a government agency is not a business,” Roth said.

The award is scheduled to be presented today in Los Angeles as part of a symposium on best business practices.

Four regional awards will be given out in the categories of customer service, motivating employees, sharing knowledge within an organization and fostering innovation in the workplace.

Gonzalez is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion with business leaders from around Southern California and is also scheduled to give a customer service presentation at the symposium.

“We are excited,” she said. “We think it is very special to be acknowledged, especially being a government entity.”

“We don’t have to do it,” she continued. But “what we really want is [people] to walk away feeling like they were treated fairly, that justice was served.”