Tenants Handbook - Customer service
CHAPTER 2 - CUSTOMER SERVICE
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Winchester City Council is committed to providing excellent customer care to all its customers.
We pledge to:
· Treat you with care and respect
· Listen to what you say
· Give you value for money
· Ask for your views
· Provide good quality services
We promise to:
· Be honest and open
· Be responsive to your needs
· Use your money carefully
· Deal with your enquiries quickly, sympathetically and effectively
· Take a pride in our work and in the district we serve
· Treat everyone fairly
When you contact us, we will:
- Be welcoming, polite and helpful
- Answer your specific enquiry
- Give clear information about our services
- Check that what we have said has been understood by you
- Only ask for relevant information and explain why it is needed
- Say when we can or cannot help and why and what action you can expect
- If we do not know, we will try to find out
- Respect the right to confidentiality, privacy and safety
- Not discriminate against anyone because of race or ethnic origin, gender, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion
- Arrange interpretation, translation and/or signing, when requested
- Invite suggestions, comments and complaints from tenants
Equal Opportunities
Winchester City Council is committed to equal opportunities and to developing positive policies to eliminate discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin, gender, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.
We will:
- Treat all tenants fairly and with respect
- Tailor our services to meet individual needs
- Ensure all staff put into practice our commitment to equal opportunities
- Ensure our services are available to all tenants
- Listen to your views and encourage under-represented groups to become involved in consultation and involvement
What should you do if you feel you have been discriminated against?
If you think that you have been discriminated against, you can make a complaint. See page 7 for our complaints policy.
If you have any particular needs which affect how you are able to use or be involved in our services or how you would like to receive information, for example, translation, interpreters, Braille, audio tape, large print, sign language, please contact the Customer Service Centre.
Our Service Standards
We aim to meet the following standards:
- Letters, faxes, SMS text messages and e-mails
We aim to respond to letters, faxes, SMS texts messages and e-mails within 10 working days. If there is a delay we will explain why and let you know when you will hear from us. We will use plain English, explain any complex or technical terms and give you a named contact and telephone number.
- Telephones
We aim to answer 80% of telephone calls within seven rings and will tell you the name of the service and our name. We will tell you the name of the department or person to whom you are being transferred and will check that someone is there before putting you through.
We will respond to answer-phone messages by the end of the next working day.
- Reception facilities
Our reception areas will be well sign-posted, clean, tidy, comfortable and child-friendly. Our staff will be welcoming and approachable and will deal with enquiries as soon as possible. Private interview facilities are available.
Our offices are wheelchair accessible.
You are also able to access the internet in the reception area in the Customer Service Centre.
- Visits to your home or property
We will make an appointment and contact you if we are delayed. However, sometimes this is not practical or appropriate. We will clearly explain our reasons for visiting. On arrival, we will show you our identification card. Wherever possible, we will let you know what follow-up action you can expect.
- Putting things right
We recognise that things can go wrong and we have procedures to deal with any complaints. See page 7 for details of how to make a complaint.
- Method of contact
From time to time we will ask you for information about how you would prefer to be contacted by us and whether you have any particular needs that we should take into account when you receive a service from Landlord Services. We will respect your individual needs and aim to meet your preferences regarding contact from us as far as possible.
However, we will always contact you by letter if:
- We write to all tenants at the same time
- We serve a legal notice on you
- We have a statutory obligation to write to you
- Our expectations of customers
We expect our staff to be treated with courtesy and respect by our customers, their colleagues or others to whom they provide services. We will support staff who experience discrimination, abuse or threats.
COMPLAINTS
We operate a pro-active and positive approach to complaints, using them as valuable customer feedback and as a means of identifying areas in need of review or improvement. In all cases, we are committed to resolving complaints effectively and within our defined targets.
Our 'How to Complain' leaflet is available from the Customer Service Centre or on our website.
What should I do if I want to complain?
If you are unhappy with something we have done or have not done, you should write or speak to the relevant service manager in the first instance and inform them of your complaint. The manager will attempt to respond to your complaint within 10 working days.
If you are unhappy with the service manager's reply, you should write to the head of the relevant team, who will review your complaint and the initial response. You will receive a written reply within 10 working days, advising you of the outcome.
If you are unhappy with the response from the head of service, you can ask for your complaint to be looked at by the Chief Executive , who will write to you with a final response within 10 working days.
You can of course contact your MP or local councillor for their advice and support at any stage in the complaints procedure. Contact the Customer Service Centre or our website to find details of your councillors.
Local Government Ombudsman
The Ombudsman acts as an independent referee in disputes between individuals and their local councils. The Ombudsman investigates complaints of maladministration, which means we:
- Took too long to do something
- Did not follow our own rules or the law
- Broke our promises
- Treated you unfairly
- Gave you wrong information
- Did not make a decision in the correct way
- Did something that we should not have done
- Failed to do something that we should have done
The Ombudsman will not investigate a complaint from someone who simply does not like a particular council decision. The Ombudsman will, however, look into the matter if it seems the council did not follow fair and proper procedures in reaching a decision.
We will comply with any findings or recommendations made by the Ombudsman.
A booklet on how to complain to the Ombudsman is available from the Customer Service Centre. You can also find further details about the Local Government Ombudsman website at www.lgo.org.uk or call their advice team on 0845 602 1983.
Your complaint will be dealt with confidentially at all stages.
DATA PROTECTION
We keep details of our customers on computer and this information is held under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Examples of the information Landlord Services holds are:
- Your name, address and contact details, such as your telephone number
- Details that identify you and your household, for example, family names and dates of birth
- Details of your rent account and other accounts you may have with us, your payment history and any financial information you disclose to us
- Details of the type of accommodation you occupy
- Details of any issues arising that affect your tenancy, for example, repair requests, neighbour disputes and any requests you make
- If you live in older people's supported housing or are a supported tenant, we will also hold your medical details and contact details for family, friends or doctor
Who can this information be given to?
We may disclose this information to official bodies, such as the courts, the Police, other social landlords and the National Health Service. These organisations are also governed by the Data Protection Act and will therefore not generally disclose this information to anyone else.
We will not disclose your information to anyone else for the purpose of direct marketing or for any other similar purpose.
We respect your right to privacy of information and will only access it when necessary.
Can I get access to my files?
Under the Data Protection Act, you have the right to access the information we hold about you. There is a formal procedure, which allows you to have copies of this information for a small fee. In addition to your rights under the Act, we will allow you to inspect your tenancy file free of charge and check the information recorded there. You must give your Area Housing Manager at least one week's notice to look at your file.
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is one of the key elements of the 'Modernising Government' agenda and aims to provide a more open way of government.
Under the Act, anyone can request information held by Winchester City Council and other public authorities. Some information will not be available to the public, for example, where it is confidential information about another person. In most cases, we will not withhold information. If you are not happy with our decision to withhold information, you have the right to complain, firstly through the Council's complaints procedure (see page 7) and if you are still dissatisfied, to the Information Commissioner at:
FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
The Council's Access to Information Policy is available from the Customer Service Centre or on our website.
