Customer Service Improvements Coming to City Permit Center
Salinas, CA -- The City of Salinas Permit Center will start the new year with expanded hours, web-based "Open Counter" software, more Spanish language access and a raft of other customer service improvements.
Starting January 5, the Center, located at 65 West Alisal St., will open two hours earlier, from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, Monday through Thursday. There will also be more availability for inspections and consultations.
Open Counter, which has been successfully adopted in Santa Cruz, simplifies development requirements and speeds the formation of small businesses. (More information is available at https://opencounter.us.)
Many other improvements will be phased in throughout January and beyond. A summary follows:
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Improvement
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Date
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1.
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Open Permit Center 8 - 5, Monday - Thursday.
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Jan 5
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2.
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Add Friday building and Public Works inspections.
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Jan 5
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3.
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Expand availability of Contract Building Official to 4 days/week.
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Jan 5
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4.
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Launch Open Counter web software for permit and planning info. Place kiosk or desktop computer for use in lobby.
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Jan 15
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5.
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Implement phone answering improvements.
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Jan 15
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6.
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Offer coffee, tea and snacks in lobby.
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Jan 15
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7.
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Implement customer feedback survey with Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce (SVCC) Building Development Committee (BDC).
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Jan 24
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8.
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Review/modify Permit Application Checklist including processing time estimates.
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Jan 31
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9.
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Create monthly activity/performance report linked to performance metrics, distribute to Council, SVCC BDC, public.
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Jan 31
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10.
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Deliver customer service staff training.
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Jan 31
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11.
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Review Spanish language capabilities/capacity.
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Jan 31
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12.
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Start customer appreciation program.
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Jan 31
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13.
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Streamline processes for back checks and plan review meetings.
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Jan 31
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14.
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Hold English and Spanish language community workshops on how to get a permit/open a business.
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Jan 31
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15.
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Add service counter staff, fluent in Spanish.
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Jan 31
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