Customer Service Operating Standards

• When you telephone us
• When you contact us in writing
• When you visit us
• When we visit you
• Your commitment to us
• Internal arrangements

When you telephone us 

• We will aim to answer all telephone calls politely within 4 rings. If the person you need to speak to is not available, you can choose to speak to someone else who can help.  If you leave a message we will get back to you within one working day.

• We will offer an appropriate greeting, provide our service name and tell you which individual you are speaking to.

When you contact us in writing (by e-mail, letters and faxes)

• We will give you an initial acknowledgement to all enquiries as a minimum within 5 working days.

• We will let you know when a full response can be provided if we cannot respond fully within 28 days.

• For longer projects we will agree and monitor milestones within the project and report progress at each appropriate milestone.

• When you contact us with a complaint we will aim to respond in full within 28 days of receipt. If this is not possible within 28 days, we will let you know what we have done with your complaint, and when you can expect a full reply.

• We will take into account any special needs or requirements.

• We welcome and value your comments, complaints and suggestions about how we run our services and all feedback will be acknowledged within 7 days of receipt (or within 3 days for e-mail contacts).

When you visit us

• We will be welcoming and provide our name and contact details.

• We will see you on time and come prepared when you have an appointment.

• If you contact us and you don’t have an appointment, we will try to see you promptly.  We will apologise if we have to keep you waiting.

• We will arrange a private interview room and a safe and comfortable environment.

• All our reception areas will have clearly displayed opening times, which we will adhere to, and will provide accessible services for all our customers.

When we visit you

• We will make an appointment with you where appropriate and will always show you an up to date identity card.

• We will give you as much notice as possible if the appointment is cancelled/altered.

Your Commitment to Us

• Keep us informed of any changes in your personal circumstances that may affect any services that we provide to you.

• Attend any appointment on time, or let us know if you cannot do so.

• Behave in a considerate and polite way so we can give you and other customers the standard of service you would expect.

Internal Arrangements

• At times we may need to refer your enquiry on to another member of staff who can provide you with the help or information that you need. When we do this we will make sure that we choose the right person, and pass all the relevant information on to them.

• We will respond to Councillor enquiries within 5 working days.

• We will consult our staff about Customer Service.  Six-monthly appraisals allow managers and individual staff to look at personal developmental and service delivery targets, reflecting upon the Service Charter and our core values.  Staff are encouraged to comment on the resource impact of upholding the Customer Service Charter.