OUR CUSTOMER COMMITMENT TO YOU

We respect our customers. We believe they are entitled to the best possible service.
We will actively seek your views about the services we provide and respond to complaints.
We have developed a set of commitments to our customers. We always try to ensure equality of opportunity and treatment for all customers and potential customers, job applicants and employees.

1. We promise:
2. What we expect from you:
3. Our Customer Care Charter
4. Service Development Plans
5. The Personal Service
6. Equal Opportunities
7. Comments, Compliments and Complaints

We promise:

1. to respond promptly to all communications
2. to consult with groups and individual tenants and leaseholders on key issues and encourage regular comment on our service
3. to provide information on our policies and performance, and to ensure it is clear and helpful
4. to publish a regular newsletter updating you on our activities and informing you about relevant issues
5. that our staff will be polite, honest and courteous at all times, will always identify themselves by name and will show identification when meeting you in person.

What we expect from you:

• to let us know if you cannot keep an appointment
• to give us access to your property to discuss matters with you, inspect the property, or carry out repairs or servicing
• not to abuse, threaten or harass our staff or contractors and to prevent members of your household or visitors from doing so.

Our Customer Care Charter

The Council has produced a Charter which sets the standards of service we will give to all our customers, including tenants. If you would like to have a copy of the Charter please contact your Area Housing Office and we will send one to you.
Some of the targets set out in the Charter are:

• we will answer all phone calls within 8 rings
• if you make an enquiry, we will send you a reply within 10 days. If we are not able to give you a full answer within that time we will send a letter to tell you why it will take longer and when you can expect us to get back to you.
• if you make a formal complaint, we will respond within 7 days or we will send you a letter in 7 days letting you know when you can expect a full response. You will get a full response within 28 days at the latest.

Working days do not include Saturdays, Sundays or bank holidays.

Service Development Plans

Each year we produce a Service Development Plan. This sets out the standards we set for our service to you and how well we are doing in your area against those standards. The Plan also describes what changes or improvements we have planned for your area.

The Personal Service

1. Our staff are always happy to discuss any query, problem or worry you may have about your tenancy.
2. We will always treat you with respect, be quick to take action where necessary and will give you as much help and advice as we can.
3. We will treat anything you say to us with discretion. We will make sure that discussions can be held in private, and we will keep you informed at every stage.
4. Some information you give us will be confidential. However, we need to share some essential details you give us with other Council departments. We will make you aware of what information is likely to be passed on.
5. We are happy to help you complete any application forms or to write letters where this is necessary.
6. We will try to provide interpreters and translation of documents when this is needed.
7. We will provide you with information about our services including who to contact. We will do this in clear understandable English.
8. We aim to make our services and offices accessible to everyone. We are working towards providing wheelchair access and disabled toilet facilities at all of our offices.
9. If you are unable to get to our offices for an interview we can arrange for someone to visit you at home.

Equal Opportunities

1. We have clear commitment to ensure equality of opportunity for all and respect for the needs of our diverse communities in providing services, employing staff, and participating in the community.
2. We do not discriminate against any person on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religious beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, age or any other unjustifiable reason.
3. We will act swiftly and firmly against any form of discrimination.

Comments, Compliments and Complaints

1. We try hard to give a fair and efficient service.
2. We recognise that customer feedback is invaluable in identifying strengths, weaknesses and making improvements. We welcome such feedback and have established effective ways of responding to it.
3. We recognise that there may be times when our customers want to complain about our service. When making a complaint we ask you to follow a step by step procedure to ensure that we deal with it correctly and fairly. See COMPLAINTS.
4. We also have established ways of seeking your opinions. See RESIDENT INVOLVEMENT.

We promise:  | What we expect from you: | Our Customer Care Charter | Service Development Plans | The Personal Service | Equal Opportunities | Comments, Compliments and Complaints

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