Freedom of Information Request – Council Customer Service Enquiries
Case reference FOI2026/01074
Received 22 September 2026
Published 16 October 2026
Request
For the purpose of this request, please define an “enquiry” as any inbound request for information, support, or service received and managed through the council’s central Customer Services, Customer Contact Centre, Contact Centre, webchat service, online customer contact channels, or equivalent first point of contact function. This request does not extend to enquiries sent directly to individual departments, service areas, officers, or councillors where these interactions are not centrally recorded. Please provide the following information for the most recent 12-month period for which complete data is available, and specify the exact dates covered. Q1. Total enquiries. Please provide the total number of enquiries received by the council’s Customer Services/Contact Centre function during the reporting period. Q2. Channel breakdown. Where recorded, please provide the total number of enquiries received through each of the following channels: * Telephone * Email * Online form or customer portal * Webchat * Virtual assistant or chatbot * Social media * SMS, WhatsApp, or another messaging service * Other (please specify) If the council records some of these channels together, please provide the information using the categories held. Q3. Telephone performance. If held, please provide: * Average speed to answer telephone calls * Total number of abandoned calls * Average call-handling time Q4. Service hours. Please provide the standard operating hours of the central Customer Services/Contact Centre function, including whether staffed customer service support is routinely available during evenings or weekends. Q5. Complaints. If held, please provide the total number of complaints specifically relating to performance, responsiveness, or accessibility of the central Customer Services/Contact Centre function. Q6. Customer satisfaction. If held, please provide the average customer satisfaction score (CSAT) or equivalent customer service satisfaction measure for the reporting period. Q7. First contact resolution. If first contact resolution is measured, please provide: * The first contact resolution rate * The number of enquiries resolved at the first point of contact, if recorded Please also provide the council’s definition of first contact resolution. Q8. Use of artificial intelligence. Does the council currently use any AI-powered technology within its central Customer Services/Contact Centre function? If yes, please briefly describe the technology and its purpose. This could include, but is not limited to, chatbots or virtual assistants, automated email handling, call summarisation, knowledge tools, or technology that assists customer service staff. Q9. Customer service workforce. Please provide the average number of full-time equivalent staff working within the central Customer Services/Contact Centre function during the reporting period. If an average is not held, please provide the number recorded at the nearest available data and specify that date. Q10. Most common reasons for contact. If enquiries are categorised by reason for contact, please provide: * The five most common recorded enquiry categories during the reporting period * The number of enquiries recorded in each category, if held If any requested information is not held, please state this. Where possible, please provide any closely related information that is readily available.
Response
The reporting period is 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026, unless otherwise specified.
Q1. Total enquiries
The Council received 195,411 enquiries during the reporting period. This figure excludes online form usage.
Q2. Channel breakdown
|
Channel |
Number of enquiries |
|
Telephone |
190,297 |
|
|
4,093 |
|
Online form or customer portal |
48,633 hits |
|
Webchat |
1,021 |
|
Virtual assistant or chatbot |
Not applicable |
|
Social media |
Not recorded |
|
SMS, WhatsApp or other messaging services |
Not recorded |
|
Other |
Not applicable |
Please note that the online form/customer portal figure relates to 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, rather than the main reporting period.
Q3. Telephone performance
|
Measure |
Performance |
|
Average speed to answer |
4 minutes 47 seconds |
|
Total abandoned calls |
25,144 |
|
Average call-handling time |
11 minutes 15 seconds, including wrap-up time |
Q4. Service hours
The Council's central Customer Services/Contact Centre operates from 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.
An out-of-hours service is available for emergencies outside these hours, including weekends and bank holidays.
Q5. Complaints
The Council recorded 14 complaints relating to the Customer Services/Contact Centre between 1 April and 31 August 2026.
Historical data for the remainder of the requested reporting period is not available.
Q6. Customer satisfaction
The Council recorded the following telephony customer satisfaction ratings between 1 April and 31 August 2026:
|
Rating |
Number |
|
Good |
904 |
|
Average |
126 |
|
Poor |
183 |
Q7. First contact resolution
The Council does not currently measure first contact resolution. Consequently, a first contact resolution rate and the number of enquiries resolved at first contact are not available.
Q8. Use of artificial intelligence
No. The Council does not currently use AI-powered technology within its central Customer Services/Contact Centre function.
Q9. Customer service workforce
The Council's Customer Services/Contact Centre workforce comprises:
|
Role |
Full-time equivalent (FTE) |
|
Customer Service Agents |
36 |
|
Managers |
4 |
|
Assistant Team Managers |
4 |
|
Resource Co-ordinators |
2 |
|
Total |
46 |
Q10. Most common reasons for contact
The five most common recorded enquiry categories during the reporting period were:
|
Enquiry category |
Number |
|
Repairs |
45,857 |
|
Council Tax |
37,432 |
|
Housing |
16,634 |
|
Benefits |
14,924 |
|
Waste and Recycling |
14,827 |
Documents
This is Oxford City Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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