Customer service standards

Our Service Standards:

What you can expect from us...

In your dealings with West Sussex County Council, we want you to feel that:

• It is easy and convenient for you to contact us.
• We give you a friendly welcome.
• We treat you with respect, courtesy and dignity.
• We treat you fairly and without bias.
• We listen to you carefully and treat you as an individual deserving personal attention.
• We respond promptly and we try and deal with people’s enquiries straight away if we can. If we need to take a bit longer we will explain to you what will happen next and roughly how long it will take.
• We give you clear, accurate and reliable information.
• We keep our promises.
• You are able to tell us how you feel about the service you receive.

Our Service Standards explain how we will try to make sure that you have a good experience with the County Council. The Council have replaced the customer charter with Customer Service Standards

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Service Standards

Staff...

• We will always give you our name, and use yours where we can, during our conversations.
• We will not interrupt you and will listen carefully to make sure we understand your concerns properly.
• We will check that we have understood what we believe you are asking, to make sure that we have got it right.
  
  

Contact and response...

• We will provide a range of ways for you to contact us, for example, by online form, email, phone, fax, letter, or personal visit.
• We will find out what your needs are when you first contact us and make sure that you talk to a person who can best deal with your request.
• If we cannot deal with your request straight away we will let you know what will happen next before our transaction ends.
  
  

If you visit one of our reception points...

• We will make sure that our reception points are easy for anyone to get to.
• We will greet you warmly when you arrive.
• We will make sure the surroundings are clean, comfortable, well signposted, and that information is clearly displayed.
• We will meet you where you cannot be overheard if that is what you ask for and it is right to do so.
  
  

If you phone us...

So that our services are covered during emergencies, we will provide access by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• We will try to answer all calls personally and keep recorded announcements to a minimum.
• We will try to answer any questions you may have straight away. If we cannot do that we will take responsibility for making sure the right person calls you back.
• If we need to transfer your call to someone else, we will explain to you who we are transferring you to and why. We will also introduce you and the nature of your enquiry to the person we are transferring your call to.
• Where we use recorded messages on direct lines to staff, the messages will always offer another contact number, as well as an option for you to leave a message.
  
  

If you send us a letter, fax, email or an online form...

If you contact us we will try to respond fully within 10 working days. If this is impossible, for example because your query is complex or involves several service units, we will acknowledge your message within 5 working days of receipt or contact you within 10 working days to let you know who is looking after your query, what action we are taking and when a reply can be expected.

We will put our name and job title, or service name, phone number and website address on all our correspondence.

Information...

• We will provide information about our full range of services. This will include how and when you can contact us, your rights to a service, our service standards, and how you can provide feedback about our services.
• We will try to provide information in ways that meet your needs and preferences.
• The information we provide will be clear, accurate and reliable.
• We will keep jargon to an absolute minimum. Where we have to use 'council speak' we will explain to you what we are talking about.
• We will comply with the Data Protection Act, the Freedom of Information Act, and other related laws. We will also explain your rights to you if you need to know more.
• We will protect your privacy in the way we handle information about you.
  
  

Delivery...

• We will make sure any service to which you are entitled is easy to get and convenient to you.
• If you are not entitled to the service you ask for, we will clearly explain why not and indicate any rights you may have to appeal. We will also provide you with information about alternatives if possible.
• We will strive to provide effective and efficient services.
• We will aim to ensure the decisions and actions we take today guarantee a better quality of life for everyone now and for generations to come.
• We will strive to use taxpayers’ money wisely and efficiently to benefit the people of West Sussex.
• We will always try to help you, even if the service you ask us for is provided by a different organisation.
• We will welcome your comments, complaints or compliments, and make it easy for you to give them to us.
• We will respond to all feedback fully within 10 working days if you ask us to do so.
• We will use your feedback and other methods to measure and improve our customers’ experiences of the services they receive from us.