Customer service policy by Lancaster City Council

Customer Service Policy for Staff

Contents Introduction, Mark Cullinan, Chief Executive Lancaster City Council Customer Service Charter Telephone Protocol Telephone Answering Standard If the call is for someone else Transferring Calls Warm Transfer Protocol Handling Difficult Calls Face to Face Protocol Visiting Protocol Letter and E Mail Protocol Letters Email Dealing with Difficult People Data Protection Act and Further Support Equal Access to Information Appendix

Customer Service Policy for Staff

Introduction Mark Cullinan, Chief Executive As customers we all expect to receive a good standard of service and care from the companies we pay our money to. When our expectations are not met, we can choose to go elsewhere. Here at Lancaster City Council, our customers have every right to expect good customer care from us. However, unlike most situations, they have no choice but to pay Council Tax. So it is even more important that we strive to provide them with a professional service because, as we all know, people form their views of a company, including our council, from their personal experience of how they are served. This policy outlines the standards we should work to, what our customers can expect and, in turn, the standards we expect from them. I know the customer feedback that many of our customers already recognise the dedication and commitment of our staff. Together let us build on that strong foundation and, by delivering the standards set out in this policy, ensure that all our customers benefit from our service of our first class service. Mark Cullinan

Customer Service Policy for Staff

Telephone Protocol Telephone Answering Standard You Should •

Take Personal responsibility for the call and ensure that any follow up actions are taken

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Deal with all callers politely and courteously, this applies to all internal and external calls

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Always check that the customer understands what you have said

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Do not keep the caller waiting once you have answered the telephone – they are paying for the delay

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Answer calls as soon as possible, within 5 rings if possible

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Greet all callers with: “Good Morning”/”Good Afternoon” Service Name Your Name “How can I help you?”

Responsibility for answering telephones rests with the whole team. If a member of staff is unavailable, another team member should answer their telephone – teams should agree this as a shared responsibility. Voicemail If the voicemail / answer phone facility is activated on your telephone you should only use it when you are on leave or are likely to be away from the office for a long time – voicemail / answer phone should be used at the last resort. Customers prefer to speak to people if possible. •

Voicemail / answer phone messages must have a response within 1 working day – This standard applies whether the call is from an internal or an external customer.

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The corporate standard for voicemail messages is: Your name Job Title When you will call back Where appropriate, give another number you can be contacted on Who they can contact if you are away from the office for an extended period

Customer Service Policy for Staff

Telephone Protocol - Warm Transfer Protocol The purpose of a Warm Transfer is to ensure that customers who call the switchboard at Lancaster City Council are transferred to the required extension efficiently, whilst ensuring they are transferred to the correct extension. The following guidelines should be followed when performing a warm transfer. •

Before attempting the transfer, ask for the caller’s name so this can be provided to the officer you’re transferring to.

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Also ask what the query is regarding; our aim is only to gather a brief outline of the nature of the caller’s query so we can ascertain the correct transfer recipient and then relay the query details to that officer

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When transferring wait until someone picks up or the call goes to voicemail

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If the call goes to voicemail, go back to the caller and offer them the option of being transferred through to leave a message or provide them with the direct dial number (do not provide direct numbers for the Chief Executive or Deputy Chief Executive)

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If someone picks up, introduce the call in this manner; “Hello it’s Michael from Customer Services, I have a call from a Mr Smith regarding (include query details) to transfer through to you.”

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Please avoid spending too long in conversation with the officer you have connected to. If it becomes immediately apparent that officer is not the correct person for that query, take the call back and continue to ascertain the correct person for that caller to be transferred to.

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Cold transfers are still appropriate for Macfarlane call queues and certain hunt groups. These are Council Housing (6899), Council Tax (2900), and Benefits (2965), Planning Advice (2950), Licensing (2033), Environmental Health (2935, 2936) and of course transfers to Customer Services queues (2222, 2905, and 2257).

Telephone Protocol – Handling Difficult Calls If a caller is distressed or aggressive, be patient, keep calm and listen. Make sure you have understood exactly what the caller is calling about. Explain the action you intend to take and why. If the caller becomes very abusive, you may terminate the call. Always tell the caller what you are going to do and why you are going to do it. Make a file note of these calls and report any calls you have terminated, including the caller’s name, contact number and address if possible, to your line manager/supervisor.

Customer Service Policy for Staff

Face to Face Protocol You may be the first and only contact some customers have with the Council. How you serve them will affect their opinion of the whole of the organisation. When meeting customers face to face we must: Always maintain a ‘Customer First’ attitude giving the customer your undivided attention, listen to the customer and be aware of your body language.

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Show the customer that you are interested - ask questions if you are unsure and restate things to check you fully understand what they want.

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If there are other customers waiting, acknowledge them through eye contact

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Avoid council jargon or acronyms

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Try to meet customers away from your telephone or divert it so that you are not disturbed

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If possible, offer the customer the option of a private office if dealing with a sensitive matter.

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Use their name, if you know it, and always give your and your job title.

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Always ensure that you wear your Lancaster City Council ID badge and name badge, if supplied.

Visiting Protocol The impression you create when visiting customers in their home or away from the office is very important. Name badges and other appropriate identity cards must be worn at all times. Before visiting anyone, you should make sure that a risk assessment has been done for your visit and you are familiar with the actions within it. Lancaster City Council has signed up, in principle, to the Local authorities “cold calling” protocol designed by the Trading Standards Institute which has been endorsed by the Local Government Association. It is accepted that the application of the protocol would not be appropriate on occasions when, for example, enforcement officers or other officials are exercising entry powers or, when Council Housing estate managers are visiting a particular patch and feel it would be beneficial to call on tenants whilst there.

Customer Service Policy for Staff

When visiting customers: •

Try to make appointments

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Always make sure a colleague knows where you are going and approximately how long you will be gone

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Explain who you are and the purpose of your visit. If possible, telephone the customer before you set off to confirm that they know you are coming

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Always physically hand proof of identity to the customer to reassure them. Ask them to compare your face with that on the identification badge. Explain that you will not enter the house until you do.

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If you are carrying out work at, or outside, a property, explain what the work will involve and how long it will take. Try to carry out the work with the minimum of disruption and always clean up after you have finished.

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Always behave as you would like someone to behave if they were visiting your home.

Letter and Email Protocol Standards Letters It is Council policy to respond to letters within 5 working days. If, for some reason, you cannot respond within 5 working days, always make contact with the customers to explain the delay and indicate when a more detailed response can be expected. •

Important points to be taken into consideration when writing to our customers:

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When writing to customers via letter of e mail, remember:

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Make it clear and accurate

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Avoid Council jargon, technical language or acronyms

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Never assume things, explain them

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Limit the use of abbreviations and icons which convey expression e.g. J (known as emoticons) they are not appropriate in letter and e mails

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Where possible, avoid sending standard letters, where they are required, review them regularly.

Customer Service Policy for Staff

As an organisation it is important that we communicate with our customers, be they residents, businesses or organisations, in a clear and consistent way which benefits both them and us as an organisation. This is not about ‘dumbing down’ but about presenting information in a way that can be easily understood by all our audiences. Any written communications should be consistent with the council's plain English guide, which is available on the intranet. The guide is not intended to teach anyone how to write all over again, but sets down what will become an agreed style for Lancaster City Council, together with advice and guidelines on how to use the guide. In developing it, consideration has been given to a range of best practice including guides produced by other councils and advice provided by the Plain English Campaign and the Improvement and Development Agency. Guidance from the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) and the Adult Literacy Basic Skills Unit (ALBSU) has also been considered. E-mails It is council policy that emails should be read and responded to within 1 working day – even if that response is just an acknowledgment. A full response should be given within 5 working days. If, for some reason you cannot respond within 5 working days, always make contact with the customer to explain the delay and indicate when a more detailed response can be expected. In addition, if you expect to be away from the office for a prolonged period of time, you should always put an “out of office” message on, giving a return date to the office and the full contact details of who should be contacted in your absence. •

Although email is informal like the telephone, unlike the telephone, emails are easily forwarded, intercepted, misunderstood, saved, circulated etc.

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Choose words carefully to avoid misunderstandings.

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Do not customise your email background, this can impede accessibility for visually impaired customers.

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Use an easily readable font with a font size no smaller than 11, font colour is optional, but should be easily readable.

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Ensure that you have your email address, telephone number and your name clearly in email signatures, below is an example of how the signature should look. Name Job Title Service Lancaster City Council Telephone number/fax/mobile www.lancaster.gov.uk

Instructions on how to set up the above can be obtained from Customer Services. It is important to note that this section should be read in conjunction with the council’s Email and Internet Policy. Every member of staff who has a council email address should have a copy of this policy and should have signed a form to acknowledge that they have received a copy.

Customer Service Policy for Staff

Data Protection Act All staff should be mindful of the Data Protection Act. We have all signed a contract of employment in which we agree to abide by the principles of the Act. In essence, when writing/handling any information about someone which includes personal details, we should treat it in the same way as we would wish our own details to be handled i.e. using an appropriate level of security and confidentiality. For further information refer to the Councils Data protection Policy or contact the Information Management Officer on Extension 2192.

Further Support As part of the Councils Corporate Induction, all new staff take part in a Customer Service Workshop based on the guidance in this document. For existing staff a range of customer service training options are available. For more information contact the Learning and Development Officer on Extension 2007.

Equal Access to Information Lancaster City Council believes it is important that all our customers are able to access our information and services. This is underpinned by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which is clear that our standards should be based on a test of 'what is reasonable.' “It is the duty of the provider of that service to take such steps as it is reasonable, in all the circumstances of the case, for him to have to take in order to provide that auxiliary aid or service" All Council publications should be written in plain English and avoid jargon, making them clear and simple for our customers to understand. The following statement will be promoted via the channels listed below: “This information can be made available in large print, braille, audio and in other languages. Please contact ……….. for more details.” Website Council Tax Leaflet Your District Council Matters Housing News Electoral Registration information sent to residents’ homes All public consultations Job applications BT telephone book – Council advertisement Any other publication staff feel is appropriate For more information on how to offer equal access to information for a range of customers, please see guidance at appendix A.

Customer Service Policy for Staff

Appendix A 1. PUBLICATIONS Publications will be printed in English and will be available electronically, as well as in paper format. They can also be made available in the following formats, on request: VISUALLY IMPAIRED Audio Format – Tape & CD Production – Galloways Society for the Blind (complete service or loan of recording equipment) Contact Tony Kimpton on 01524 414846 Production Time – 3 days, (dependant on the size of the document.) Budget – Service Braille Production –The Galloways Society HQ at Preston can provide this service. Production Time – Up to 5 working days Budget – Service Contact – Kevin Lonergan at the Galloway Society on 01772 753702 Large Print Format – Text Only, minimum 16 point Production – In-House (if designed internally) or arrangement with designer to produce a large print of PDF (if designed externally) Time – On request Budget - Service Dyslexic Friendly Formats Format – As requested by customer Production – In-house, if appropriate. Production time – Dependent on request Budget – Service Translation Format – Written information Production – Language Line – 0800 169 2879 for quotation Production time – Depends upon size etc. of document – will be confirmed when ordered. Budget – Corporate

Customer Service Policy for Staff

2. FACE-TO-FACE For customers who visit Council offices, the following services are available Translation Format – Face-to-face translation Provider – Language Line, (via telephone service) 0845 310 9900, the Council’s ID code is C6894 - L43655 Production time – Usually immediate Budget – Corporate Hard of Hearing Format – Face to face interpretation service, (British Sign Language Providers,) Deafway Interpretation Service 01772 796461 or the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, (RNID,) Manchester office - 0161 276 2307, Merseyside Office - 0151 236 4497 Availability – Must be booked in advance, contact one of the above to arrange Budget – Service Some members of staff are able to communicate using sign language. For more information, contact Sue McGraw, Customer Service Project Manager X2399 Hearing loops are available at most Council Reception points. (A loop system helps deaf people who use a hearing aid or loop listener hear sounds more clearly because it reduces or cuts out background noise.) A portable loop system is available. To use the portable loop system, contact Rob Bracewell, Access Officer on X2372 3. TELEPHONE Translation Format – Face to face (via the telephone) Provider – Language Line - 0845 310 9900, the Council’s ID code is C6894 L43655 Production time – Usually immediate Budget – Corporate A minicom/text phone facility is available at Lancaster and Morecambe Town Halls. The Council’s minicom number is 01524 582175. (Unlike a standard telephone, a textphone has a keyboard and a display screen. Instead of speaking into a telephone mouthpiece, the customer will type what they want to say using the keyboard and their text appears on the display of the minicom/textphone system at Lancaster or Morecambe Town Hall.)

Customer Service Policy for Staff

4. WEBSITE The Council’s website is designed to meet WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative) Level AA (‘Double-A’). However, there are sections of all local authority websites that, despite all reasonable efforts, remain inaccessible to some users e.g. map-based information. Dedicated Accessibility page The website has a dedicated accessibility page, where users can choose the size and colour of font and the colour of background that is best suited to their needs. (Click on the “access” link at the top of the home page.) A Free Third-Party Translation Facility This is available on the website. (Click on the icon at the bottom of the home page made up of a number of flags.) This provides access to translation into Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish. If you require translation in another language, contact Language Line on 0845 310 9900. USEFUL CONTACTS Rob Bracewell, Access Officer, Lancaster City Council - 01524 582372 Deafway - 01772 796461 http://www.deafway.org.uk Royal National Institute for Deaf People – Manchester 0161 276 2307 http://www.rnid.org.uk Royal National Institute for Deaf People– Merseyside 0151 236 4497 http://www.rnid.org.uk/ Galloways Society for the Blind – Morecambe office 01524 414846 http://www.galloways.org.uk Galloways Society for the Blind – Preston office 01772 753702 http://www.galloways.org.uk Language Line - 0845 310 9900 (Telephone Interpretation Service) 0800 169 2879 (Document Translation Service) http://www.languageline.co.uk A2i Transcription Services http://www.a2i.co.uk/ Cosign BSL translation service http://www.cosign.org.uk co.sign@btinternet.com

Customer Service Policy for Staff