Orkney Islands Council has launched a new online platform which will make it easier to get in touch, make online payments and to report and track issues and requests.
Called MyOrkney, the platform can be accessed from the Council website at www.orkney.gov.uk, where you will find a full list of the services currently available. This will be added to over the coming months.
During the current situation with COVID-19, which leaves many people unable or wanting to lessen face to face contact, the platform provides access to many Council services.
We are encouraging people to contact the Council using this new system, but people can still contact us by email or phone. There is still the option to call in to see our customer services team in person if this is your only option, however we are considering whether to reduce opening hours next week. Barriers are currently in place to ensure staff and visitors are kept two metres apart.
The online forms are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so you can use it at a time that best suits you. You can also sign-up for a MyOrkney account which will allow you to track current requests and view a history of older one.
OIC’s Head of Executive Support, Karen Greaves, highlighted the importance of the new platform and ensuring we provide a good experience for the public.
She said: “We’re launching MyOrkney at a time when we’re encouraging people not to visit the council offices if at all possible – as part of our efforts to minimise the spread of Covid-19.
“With more and more people choosing to do a wide variety of business online, this modern communication system will also enhance the service we provide for the public. People can use MyOrkney to contact us, make online payments and report issues.”
Even if you don’t choose to use MyOrkney, our customer service team will ask if you want to receive email updates on any requests you log. You can also call and find out the status of a request as all details are held in your own central customer record
Karen added: “The system will keep the records of all correspondence with our customers in one place and enable us to provide a much better service both within and out of office hours for those who choose to interact digitally. The system should reduce the need to phone as requests, queries and information on services will be available to the customer online. The frustrations of customers having to tell us more than once about their query will be greatly reduced. Internally, the system will make communication between teams much more efficient, helping to better progress and track requests or queries however, we must also recognise that, even with this new system, as a result of staff shortages due to the impact of Covid-19, our capacity to deal with requests promptly will be limited and we ask that customers only request services where they are essential and thank customers in advance for their patience during these challenging times.”
To find out more about MyOrkney or how to register take a look at our video page found here.
