Latest news with #AskTom
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'We lost hundreds when council forced sign to go'
The owners of a cafe have said they lost more than £400 after the local council forced them to take down a sign. John and Debbie Johnson, who run Heath Hill Cafe, received a letter last week threatening them with a fine if they did not remove their sign, which is on a verge outside an industrial estate in Telford. The couple have urged Telford and Wrekin Council to show "a bit of empathy" to small businesses during a cost-of-living crisis. A spokesperson for the authority said they were "reviewing the case and keen to work with the cafe to find a resolution." Heath Hill Cafe - also known as Bostin Fittle - is based on an industrial estate in Dawley, and has been running for a decade, with Mr and Mrs Johnson operating it for the past four years. Its nickname Bostin Fittle is Black Country dialect for good food. The business relies on passing trade, hoping hungry customers spot their sign, which is on a verge opposite Heath Hill roundabout. But on 10 February the couple were issued with a letter from Telford and Wrekin Council instructing them to remove the sign within 48 hours or face a fine. Without the sign drawing customers in, 60-year-old Mrs Johnson estimated that the business had lost "four or five hundred pounds." She added that it had been on the verge "for the whole time it's been a cafe", but only remaining in place during opening hours between 07:30 and 14:00. Fridays are normally the cafe's busiest day of the week, but Mrs Johnson said without the sign bringing in customers, she was "just stood there in tears." "It's our only income, it's all me and my husband have got - and we had no customers." The couple have now been told they can put their sign back up while the council decides what to do. Mr Johnson, who is 63, described the situation as going "past a joke." "The sign has been there for ten years - it's not a danger to the public, and it's not just become hazardous," he said. "If there's a motorist on [the verge], then they've already caused havoc!" Mrs Johnson said trying to ring the council to talk about the sign was nearly impossible - especially with their controversial digital customer service system, Ask Tom. "It was just so frustrating," she said, adding that she was sent "backwards and forwards to [Ask] Tom." "I don't want to talk to Tom ever again!" A spokesperson for Telford and Wrekin Council said: "We have been made aware of concerns raised following the removal of the sign." The authority added that its "primary focus is to always protect care and invest for all residents", and that it was "reviewing the case and keen to work with the cafe to find a resolution". But Mr Johnson said he believed the council needed to show more understanding for small businesses struggling through the cost-of-living crisis. He questioned: "Why send a letter, and someone wearing a camera into our caff, when they could have just popped in [and explained] in the first place?" "It's just pathetic really, because [the sign] has been there so long, it ain't a problem." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Council phone system 'universally awful' Future house building to be discussed by councils Council gets £500k funding to support homeless
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Council phone system 'universally awful'
A local authority's digital customer service system has been described as "universally awful" by a councillor. Telford and Wrekin Council introduced Ask Tom in 2021 and last July voice-recognition software was added to filter questions from callers. The council said the service had cut customer waiting times by 50%, but Peter Scott, an independent who represents Newport West, told a committee the experience of people he had spoken to was not good. In April councillors are due to discuss a new customer strategy, which will include the use of artificial intelligence. Mr Scott said he had asked members of the public on his Facebook page what they thought of the Ask Tom service. "The response was that it was universally awful," he said. He reported one person told him: "Money would have been better spent on employing real people." That person added: "Tom leaves you feeling frustrated, confused and angry." Another said it "doesn't have a clue what you're on about" and that their enquiry was sorted in a couple of minutes once they spoke to a human operator. A third said they "gave up in complete frustration". Carolyn Healy, the councillor responsible for neighbourhoods, planning and sustainability, said Tom was not designed to answer every inquiry, just the most commonly asked questions. She also said Ask Tom was handing 37% of calls, freeing up customer service staff to deal with the less common and more complex issues. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. AI phone assistant to answer some council calls Telford and Wrekin Council
