MINSTHORPE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CUSTOMER CHARTER

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1 MINSTHORPE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CUSTOMER CHARTER

2 Our vision is to deliver high quality, customer focused services. One of our core principles is that customers should be treated with respect, dignity and understanding. Having a clear set of customer care standards will underpin the delivery of this core principle. In order to deliver customer excellence, it is important that expected behaviours and standards when dealing with customers are clear, communicated and adopted. This handbook has been developed to assist every employee and manager in going beyond customer excellence. It shows a refreshed set of customer care standards that will guide you in how you deal with customers and provide simple hints and tips to improve the customer experience. We hope you will all use this information as your tool kit for dealing with customers and making sure our reputation for good customer service is kept alive. Complaints When a customer feels strongly enough to raise an issue with us, we must take it seriously whether it is a complaint about whole college delivery or an individual member of staff. It is essential that we act on the feedback we receive and take action to improve our services. We have specific standards in place for dealing with complaints and these must be explained to the customer and more importantly must be delivered. Standards We will acknowledge your on-line complaint with 24 hours. We will acknowledge your written complaint with 3 working days. We will respond to Stage 1 complaints within 10 working days. If this is not possible due to the complexity of the complaint we will keep you informed of progress. We will respond in writing to Stage 2 complaints within 10 working days. If this is not possible due to the complexity of the complaint we will keep you informed of progress.

3 Written enquiries People continue to contact us by letter. Customers measure the effectiveness of an organisation by the speed, quality and appropriateness of response. Standards We will acknowledge all letters within 5 working days. We will give a full response within 10 working days. If we cannot give a full response with 10 working days we will offer an explanation as to why a reply may take longer, further updates will be sent every 10 working days to maintain correspondence until a full response can be given and the issue closed. Written enquiries best practice attitudes, actions and behaviours Incoming correspondence should be prioritised according to importance and urgency. If you receive a letter that has been misdirected, you should pass it on quickly to the appropriate service or member of staff. On outgoing correspondence a minimum of size 12 Arial font should be used or size 16 Arial font should be used if it s known that the reader has sight impairment or prefers large print. On all correspondence to customers: Use headed paper in line with corporate image Use plain English Keep as simple as possible Use short sentences approx. 15 to 20 words Use size 12 Arial font Don t use jargon or abbreviations Don t over use capitals or bold type as it can appear threatening Ensure that you deal with the enquiry Provide timescales if possible Ensure you provide, your name, title, Minsthorpe Community college, your address, telephone number and web site address.

4 Online and The College s corporate website and are key access channels for customers, citizens and businesses as well as partners to access Minsthorpe Community College information and services. Customers measure the effectiveness of an organisation by the speed, efficiency, quality and appropriateness of response. Expectations continue to grow with the development of the technological age and needs to be reflected in the standards we set for website access. Standards We will let customers know immediately by an automated response that we have received their online or enquiry. We will give a full response to the enquiry within 10 working days If we cannot give a full response within 10 working days we will explain why. Further updates will be sent every 10 working days to maintain correspondence until a full response can be given and the issue closed. Our standard automated response should read: Thank you for contacting Minsthorpe Community College We check this inbox daily and will deal with your enquiry as soon as we can. We will not use Personal addresses when publicising a Minsthorpe Community College service. On personal s (not automated responses) for absences of 24 hours or more an out of office response message should be set providing details of when you will return and who to contact with urgent enquiries in the meantime. Ensure at the bottom of your you have: Your name Title Minsthorpe Community College Tel:

5 Notice Boards Notice boards play an important part in our reception areas. They provide key information about us, our initiatives and objectives for the future. They need to be kept neat, tidy and up to date. Standards Notice boards: Will promote College run events. Will display notices from voluntary organisations, community groups or other non-profit making organisations serving the needs of the community and the surrounding area. Will be kept clean and tidy at all times and display current and appropriate information. Notices should be pinned neatly at each corner and not overlap each other. Reception enquiries The first person a visitor will meet is the one sitting at the reception desk. How that person looks, acts and talks projects an image that visitors will use to form an opinion of the college as a whole. First impressions count, you never get a second chance to make a first impression! It is essential to get it right first time. Reception Standards We undertake to acknowledge your presence in reception immediately and deal with your request as quickly as possible.. We will wear an identity badge and Minsthorpe Community College work shirt uniform so that customers can identify us easily and will look clean and smart at all times, unless the work carried out prevents this. We will keep reception areas clear, clean and tidy. Reception enquiries best practice attitudes, actions and behaviour. When a customer enters a reception point, stop what you are doing, smile, say hello, tell them your name and ask how you can help.

6 Reception staff will deal with all customers to the best of their ability and attempt to resolve enquiries fully at the first point of contact. If an answer cannot be given, reception staff will take responsibility for the enquiry and endeavour to identify an appropriate individual or service that can help. If a customer is visiting a member of staff, the receptionist will sign the person in, give them a visitor badge and then contact the individual to inform them their visitor has arrived and ask them to come and collect them. If the person is delayed an apology for the delay will be given to the customer, they will be asked to take a seat and wait. Reception staff will continue to keep customers informed of any developments or delays by going out to the reception area and liaising with the customer, wherever possible. Reception staff are responsible for the reception area, this includes: Greeting and dealing with customers Updating any visual displays Maintaining the reception booking system if available Cleanliness and environment Notice boards and leaflet displays Obstructions The safety and security of yourself, your customer, our colleagues and the building Reception areas will: Provide the customer charter Provide relevant and up to date information, such as leaflets and forms wherever possible Be clear of any employee information Telephone We receive many telephone calls each day and all employees need to be aware of our telephone standards and behaviours. Telephone standards Answer the phone within 5 rings or 15 seconds Answer all external calls courteously and professionally with: Good morning/afternoon/evening, Minsthorpe Community College, how can I help? Close all external calls courteously and professionally with: Thank you, customer s name, is there anything else I can help you with Answer all internal calls courteously and professionally.

7 Good morning/afternoon/evening, name of person speaking Answering calls best practice attitudes, actions and behaviours Stop what you are doing and smile the customer can t see you but they will hear a pleasant, happy voice. Pick up any telephone that is ringing, even if it s unattended, and deal with the enquiry. Be helpful and courteous at all times; take responsibility for helping the customer resolve their enquiry If you cannot immediately provide the customer with the information they require, take their contact details, tell them you will get the information and ring them back within 24 hours. Always ring the customer back if you have said you will If you need to transfer a call, speak to the person you are transferring to first, give them all the information so the customer doesn t need to repeat themselves, explain you are going to transfer the call and then take action. Use the secrecy button on the telephone if you need to speak to a colleague, tell the customer you are going to do this, it is more professional. Listen to the customer carefully, repeat back to the customer the information you have taken down to ensure it s correct, ask if you can be of more assistance before you say goodbye. Always thank the caller for ringing.

8 Customer Charter The charter below sets out the actions, behaviours and skills that every employee of the College should display and commit to when dealing with every customer and/or colleague. Customer Charter Our Pledge To put our customers at the heart of everything we do, to be consistent in our approach and give a first class service at all times. Customer service and commitment to our customers is the driving force behind everything we do. We strive to get it right, first time, every time. We believe you have the right to know what level of service you can expect from us. Whatever way you choose to contact us: We will: Put our customers first Keep our promises Deal with you in a respectful and professional way Listen to you, and help all we can Use your feedback to help us to improve our service Provide well trained staff to deal with your enquiry Be fair and objective with everyone Treat all information we receive with the strictest confidence Try our best to resolve your enquiry straight away You can help us by Giving us all the information we need to help you Asking us to explain anything you are not sure of Letting us know if you have any special needs Telling us how we can improve our service