Customer services

Customer services charter

“Dartford Borough Council is strongly committed to providing excellent standards of service for all of our customers.This charter sets out the standards which our customers can expect when dealing with the council.

I'm really keen to incorporate your views into our customer charter. If we can understand what is important to you, our residents, then we will be better placed to deliver an exceptional level of service. I would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to read our charter and completing our online survey. We plan to share the feedback we receive with you, and tell you what we are doing to change our service to meet your expectations. Thank you for your help"

Councillor Pat Coleman, Service excellence and customer champion

The standards in this charter are in addition to individual service and department standards which are published separately.

• Setting the standard
• What we expect from you
• Providing a good service
• Providing an equal service
• How we will answer your enquiries
• Complaints about our service
• Contact us
• Tell us what you think about our new Customer Service charter (online survey)

We aim to deliver excellent customer service by:

Setting the standard

• treating all of our customers as individuals and listening to what you have to say
• attempting to help you promptly at the first point of contact
• being polite, professional and positive at every point of contact,however and whenever you contact us
• taking ownership of customer enquiries and following them through to their conclusion
• telling you what you can expect from us and keeping our promises
• dealing with your requests efficiently
• encouraging you to comment on our services
• keeping any information you give us confidential *(although in exceptional circumstances we may have a legal obligation to give information to other agencies)
• telling you our names and wearing name badges
• offering choices where possible and giving information about what is available

In return we ask that you

• Treat our staff with respect and without aggression or abuse
• Do not visit us under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Provide all of the information we need to help us to deal effectively
  
  
• If you feel that we have failed to live up to any of these promises then we would welcome your feedback.

How do we ensure that we are providing a good service?

• We train all of our staff in customer services and in the services they represent
• We are committed to developing our staff, and monitor their performance through a formal appraisal scheme
• We listen to a sample of calls every month and monitor their quality to ensure that we are delivering our standards on the front line
• We listen to the feedback of our customers by recording and monitoring feedback, compliments and complaints
• We set and publish standards for all of our services
• We recognise staff who deliver good customer service, and share customer feedback with them
  

Providing an equal service

• We believe in and promote equal opportunities for all, irrespective of race, religious belief, disability, gender, age or sexual orientation
• We aim to produce all documents in plain English
• We aim to provide the means for anyone to contact us regardless of their needs
• We provide information in various formats and languages so access to and understanding of our services is available to all
• We will not discriminate nor tolerate discrimination against anyone.
• We will record and follow up on any discriminatory incident reported to us.

When you telephone us

• We aim to answer 80% of telephone calls within 20 seconds
• We aim to deal effectively with 80% of all telephone calls at the first point of contact
• If you leave us a message we aim to return your call within one working day

When you visit us at the Civic Centre

• We provide a comfortable waiting area with confidential interview rooms, which are accessible to all upon request
• If you need to speak to a Customer Service advisor or a specialist officer we aim to see you within 15 minutes of your arrival
• We provide an accessible environment

When you send us a letter, fax or e-mail

• We will respond to e-mails to customer.services@dartford.gov.uk or contact via our website within two working days
• We will respond to written correspondence within 10 working days. If we can’t fully respond within that time we will send you an acknowledgement and advise you of the date when you can expect a reply

When you visit our website

We aim to make as many of our services as possible accessible to customers via our website including:

• Up to date service information
• Individual account or contact information which can be accessed securely
• The ability to apply for a service
• The ability to download documents

When we visit your home

We aim to visit you in your home by pre-arranged appointment, although this may not be possible or suitable in every individual circumstance.

• We will show our identity card before we enter your home.Never let anyone claiming to represent Dartford Borough Council into your home unless they have shown you their Identification Card.

Complaints about our service

If you have a complaint about any of our services then it is important that you let us know. We will always take any complaint seriously and promise to investigate it fully. If you are not sure how to complain then please contact us for assistance or visit our website for further information.

You may want to:

• Apply for council housing
• View planning applications online
• Register as an e-citizen

Contact:

• Maps and directions
• Contact details