Many councils operate call centre facilities

Watchdog Audit Scotland said there was much work to be done when it came to dealing with requests for services and information from customers.

It also urged councils to set specific targets for customer satisfaction.

The 32 local authorities deal with 35 to 40 million customer inquiries each year, spending about �40m. The majority of inquiries are received by telephone.

Customer satisfaction

Audit Scotland carried out so-called "mystery shopper research" into customer service quality levels at seven councils.

"The results suggest that customers often get what they are looking for, but not consistently, with much depending on the individual member of staff contacted," it reported in its key findings.

Maximum customer satisfaction levels ranged from 59% to 92% across 17 different councils.

The report acknowledged that the figures must be treated with caution due to the variation in survey methods.

However, it said: "The results do not give assurance that councils are consistently performing to high standards."

It found there was "still a question about whether councils are doing enough to improve responsiveness, consistency and quality of service for customers".

'Modernisation agenda'

The watchdog questioned whether the introduction of more facilities was the sole answer to the problem.

But the report acknowledged that 16 councils had opened call or contact centres and 19 operated "first-stop shops".

Audit Scotland recommended that councils should improve performance measurement and how they research customers' opinions on service.

Finance and Public Services Minister Tom McCabe said councils must continue to focus on their customers.