Customer Service Standards Guidance Notes

1. The Purpose of the Guidance

This guidance document aims to provide a framework to help staff successfully deliver on the Customer Service Standards and to continuously improve service to the public.

Service delivery must ensure that everyone who makes contact with the Council feels that they have been dealt with in a fair and professional manner by staff that listen and understand the customer’s point of view.

It is therefore not just a matter of what we do or say but the way in which it is done is of equal significance. It is also important to gauge and educate public expectations if we intend to meet them.

The guidance also outlines the mechanisms within the Council that will be used for monitoring and reporting our performance against the set of corporate standards.

Staff will also need to consider any service specific Standards and Guidelines issued by their own service.

2. Customer Service Standards

We are committed to delivering a high quality customer service without unfair discrimination

We will

• Treat you fairly and respectfully
• Provide clear and easy to understand information
• Offer a range of ways for you to contact us so that you can choose the one that is most convenient
• Offer opportunities for you to become involved in improving our services and checking how well we do

When you call us, we will

• Answer your telephone call within 6 rings (20 seconds)
• Offer to help you, take a message or arrange for the person you are trying to contact to call you back if they are not available when you call
• Return your call (or answer phone message) by the following day
• Offer an out of hours service for you to report emergencies to us

When you write to us, we will

• Respond to your letter within 10 working days
• Respond to your email within 10 working days
• If we are unable to respond in full in this timescale, we will write and tell you the reasons for this Respond to all the points you raise using plain language When you visit us, we will
• Make sure that our offices are welcoming and accessible
• Acknowledge your arrival at our reception desks within 5 minutes
• Respect your right to privacy and confidentiality within our reception areas

If we visit you, we will

• Arrange to visit you on a date and time that suits you, where this is appropriate, and keep to this appointment
• Show you identification that confirms our identity as an employee of the council
• Leave a card with our details on if you are not at home

If you make a comment, complaint or suggestion, we will

• Use your feedback to improve our services
• Investigate all complaints in line with our Complaints Procedure

What do we ask of you?

• That you treat our staff and premises with respect and consideration – we will not tolerate abuse or violence towards our staff
• That you give us as much information as you can so that we can help you more efficiently

3. Data Protection

The requirements of the Data Protection Act must be adhered to at all times and special care must be taken in the following areas to ensure that you don’t breach the Act or make unauthorised disclosures. Please be aware that some individuals may try to obtain information unlawfully. If in doubt, DO NOT DISCLOSE.

Telephone Calls

You must identify the person to whom you are talking if you intend to give out personal information. This can be done by: -

• asking the caller to confirm a piece of information which you hold about him/her e.g. date of birth, postcode etc.
• or ring back after checking the callers telephone number by an independent source
• ensure you only disclose information that the caller is entitled to receive

Written Correspondence

Ensure that you

• send letters to the correct person at the correct address and
• only reveal and include information pertinent to them and no one else and that they are entitled to receive
• information identifying or relating to any third party may only be given out with prior explicit written consent of the person concerned

Face to Face

If you intend to give out personal information, you must identify the person to whom you are talking

by

• asking them to confirm a piece of information, which you hold about them e.g., date of birth, postcode etc.
• or asking them to produce some form of identification e.g. driving licence etc.
• only disclose information that the individual is entitled to receive

Do not let them accidentally see information contained in your files or on screen, which refer or

relate to anyone else.

E-Mail

Transmission of e-mail to external parties cannot be regarded as secure. It is therefore recommended that you do not include any personal or sensitive data in e-mails without the consent of the owner of that data.

4. Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Regulations

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) give people the right to access recorded information held by public authorities. The purpose of the legislation is to promote a culture of openness and accountability amongst public sector bodies and therefore facilitate a better understanding of how public authorities carry out their duties, why they make the decisions they do, and how they spend public money.

EIR‍

Requests for information can be made in any format, including verbally. When a person makes a verbal request, efforts should be made to get the request in writing to ensure that the question is clear and that the information that is supplied is correct. However, should the requestor not wish to do this, they cannot be compelled. In these circumstances the EIR Verbal Request Form should be completed as soon as practicable to ensure the necessary details are recorded.

FOI

All requests for information must be made in writing. This can be in any written form, such as a letter, fax or e-mail. If somebody asks for information in person or by phone, you should tell them they need to ask for it in writing and give them any help and advice that you can.

The Council must respond to a request for information within 20 working days of receiving it. In certain instances there may be a need to extend the period taken to respond, however, EIR’s allow an extension of no more than a further 20 days but only if the request is both complex and voluminous. FOI allows us further time to consider the public interest.

You should always give advice and help to people who want to ask for information. This may include:

• Explaining what is available in the Council’s Publication Scheme
• Explaining procedures for asking for information, and helping people if needed to put their request in writing; When an oral question is asked (EIR only), it should be encouraged to get this in writing, both for clarity and understanding of the request, but it cannot be compelled
• Explaining that depending upon the complexity of the request, a fee may be payable
• Answering questions, for example, about how long will it take to provide the information asked for
• Providing contact details to help people track their request
• Helping people identify the exact information they need
• Making people aware of their rights under the Act/Regulations

Each service has an Access to Information Representative to collate and manage such requests. Should you have any questions or queries regarding either FOI or EIR requests, they should initially be directed to your service representative, or if they are not available to the Corporate Information Manager.

5. General Principles

Corporate Standard

The guidance contained in this document seeks to underpin the above behaviours by setting down practicable actions which all staff should take. There may, however, be circumstances which are not covered by this document or situations in which other actions may be more appropriate. If these situations occur, the above must be considered when deciding the appropriate action.

6. Receiving Telephone Calls

Corporate Standard

Good Practice

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