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Contents

1.	Staff Commitment
	1.1	Meeting Customers in Person
	1.2	Talking to Customers on the Phone
	1.3	Writing to Customers
2.	The Council’s Commitment
	2.1	Making Services Accessible to Customers
	2.2	Finding out What Customers Want
	2.3	Measuring our Effectiveness
	2.4	Dealing With Complaints
3.	Support for Employees and Elected Members

1. Staff Commitment

1.1 Meeting Customers in Person

To many of our visitors, the Children Young People and Families Directorate may seem strange and unwelcoming.  If customers come to see you, it is your job to make them feel at ease.

Who our Customers are:

Our customers are the people we come into contact with in our everyday work.  They are people who live, work in or visit Oxfordshire, and people making enquiries by telephone, letter or in person.  Other customers include colleagues, employees of the Directorate and other Departments of the Council and employees who work for other organisations. 

Councillors are our customers. They too have their own customers – their electorate, other councillors and us – their employees.

First Impressions Count

• Try to make your work area welcoming, friendly and clearly signposted.  Provide chairs for customers who may have to wait.  Provide posters and leaflets for them to read.
• Let reception know if customers are coming and make sure you see them on time
• Try to see unexpected customers straight away or arrange for someone else to see them if possible.  Let customers know how long they will have to wait.
• If you see customers who look lost, direct them to where they want to go.  If they are still confused, take them there.
• Welcome customers.  Use a greeting such as “Good morning, how can I help you?”
• If you use a person’s name, make sure you get it right
• Find out the customer’s name early on and use it to show you value him or her and are taking their enquiry seriously
• Let your appearance show you are competent.  Watch your body language. Don’t stand or sit in an officious or aggressive way.  Give customers your full attention.
• If no-one is available to answer the telephone and you are dealing with a customer, you may wish to excuse yourself and answer the telephone, letting the caller know you will return the call.

Respect the Other Person

Remember that everyone you deal with is a customer.

• Treat each person you meet as a new customer
• Don’t make assumptions about customers
• Treat everyone fairly and without prejudice
• Be sensitive, discreet and respect confidentiality
• Provide confidential space for interviews

Communicate Clearly

• Be polite and patient.  Always listen carefully and avoid interrupting unnecessarily.
• Use open questions (who, what, how, where, why) to get the information you need.
• Stay clear of jargon.  Use words that customers will understand.
• Make sure you understand what the customer is saying and that the customer knows you understand.
• Make sure that the customer understands any information you have given.  Offer to write it down if you feel this would be helpful. 
• Keep calm.  If customers are angry, remember they are angry at the situation, not at you personally.  Try to defuse the situation.

Dealing with Enquiries

• Try to find the answer to the customer’s enquiry.  If you cannot help, put them in touch with someone who can.  The onus is on us to identify a suitable person who can deal with the customer’s enquiry.
• If you cannot deal with the enquiry immediately, let the customer know when you or someone else will be contacting them. Ensure that they have a contact name and number.
• Always do what you tell the customer you are going to do.  Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
• Keep customers informed, even if nothing is happening immediately. 
• Use customers’ comments (good and bad) as an opportunity to improve the quality of the service given.

Meeting Customers in Their own Homes or Premises

When you are required to visit customers in their own homes, the same general principles apply.  However, there is a need to take extra care.

• Where appropriate, let the customer know that a visit will be made and keep that appointment
• Treat everyone with respect.
• Identify yourself before entering the premises
• Explain the reason for the visit.
• Tell the customer when you are leaving.  Inform the customer of any further action which needs to be taken, or future involvement.
• If a further visit is required, explain the reason for it.  Where possible, make an appointment or give some general guidance as to when the visit is likely to take place.
• When you visit a customer, remember to check the Violence Policy and Procedure concerning working away from your home.
• Be aware and assess the risk of any potential danger.  Don’t put yourself at risk of false accusations.

1.2 Talking to Customers on the Phone

Most people contact the Directorate by phone.  This means that your telephone manner is particularly important to create a good impression.

Create the Right Impression

• Make sure someone is always there to answer the phone, even at lunchtimes, during normal office hours.  An answer-phone message should be available at the main office number outside office hours providing the emergency duty arrangements.  Answer-phones should not be used at any other time.
• Answer all calls promptly.  Remember that if the call has come from the switchboard, the caller is already paying.
• Make sure you understand the telephone system and how it can be used to make sure calls are answered (hunt groups, call diversions etc.).
• Always answer an initial call with a greeting first, followed by your Directorate and/or team and your name if appropriate: “Good morning/afternoon, Children Young People and Families – how may I help you?”
• Establish the name and title of the caller as soon as possible and use this to make them feel more comfortable.
• If you need to take a message, write down all the details – date and time of the call, the name of the caller and the telephone number, any message from the caller and your own name.  Make sure that the message is written on something that is readily identifiable as a message.  Message pads are recommended.
• Repeat the message back to the caller to ensure you have taken the details correctly.
• If the call is not for you or your service area, transfer the call to the right extension.  If uncertain, take the caller’s details and ensure that the relevant person gets back to them.  We must aim to ensure that calls are always made only once.

Communicate Clearly

• Be polite and patient.  Always listen carefully and avoid interrupting unnecessarily.
• Use open questions (who, what, how, where, why) to get the information you need.
• Stay clear of jargon.  Use words that customers will understand.
• Make sure you understand what the customer is saying and that the customer knows you understand.
• Make sure that the customer understands any information you have given.  Offer to confirm it in writing down if you feel this would be helpful. 
• Keep calm.  If customers are angry, remember they are angry at the situation, not at you personally.  Try to defuse the situation.

1.3 Writing to Customers

Every day the Directorate sends out letters, forms, notices and other documents.  The image our customers have of the Directorate is influenced by how clearly these are written.  If the person you write to doesn’t understand, it takes valuable time to explain things again.

Before you start to write, think about:

• What you want to say.  Collect all the information.
• Whether a telephone call or visit might be more appropriate.
• Who you are writing to.  This will influence the format and style you use.
• The purpose in writing.  What are you trying to achieve?

When you write

• Reply promptly.
• Make sure that everything you write is clear, accurate and well expressed.
• Use friendly and appropriate language.
• Don’t use jargon unnecessarily – it might not be understood.
• Never assume.  Explain.
• Do not use passive words.  For example, use “I received your letter”, rather than “A letter was received.”
• Use names, both yours and the customer’s, wherever you can.
• Wherever possible, letters should be signed personally by the writer with his or her job title.

After you have written:

• Check that you have answered the question or supplied the information.
• Check that the person getting the information knows who to contact.

2. The Council's Commitment

2.1 Making Services Accessible to Customers

If our customers are to make full use of the Directorate’s services, they need to know which services are provided, where they are available, who to contact and how to use them.

The services we provide should be:

• Well publicised.  Customers need up-to-date information about all services.  Information should be written in clear English and translated into other languages where appropriate.  The Directorate will use interpreting and translating services (including Braille and sign language) where necessary.
• Aware of customers with special needs.  These may include children or family members who are housebound, have disabilities, or those whose first language is not English
• Easily reached by public and private transport.  Customers should be informed of the nearest car park facility.

Children, Young People and Families’ Services’ buildings should:

• Have their names clearly displayed.  They should be clearly signposted.  Other languages should be used where appropriate.
• Have easy access.  In particular, the provision for people with disabilities should receive special attention.
• In the case of assessment offices, have obvious and efficient reception areas, comfortable waiting areas and private interviewing rooms.  Clear signposting should be used inside the building.  Signs in other languages should be used wherever appropriate.
• In the case of all other offices, be open to callers who must be assisted to be put in touch with the appropriate office if their enquiry cannot be dealt with at that location.  If appropriate, calls should be made to the relevant assessment team on behalf of the customer.
• Provide facilities in the waiting areas, for example a public telephone, toilets, drinks machine and toys for children
• Be designed with security in mind for both staff and customers

2.2 Finding out What Customers Want

The Directorate aims to provide a high standard of services that will satisfy all customers.

As an essential element of customer care, we need to examine whether the services we provide are appropriate and to analyse whether they meet the customer’s needs.

Promoting the Council’s services

The Council will work to promote the use of its services by identifying those customers who do not or cannot use them by means of:

• Sample surveys, by means of questionnaires which are attached to the information leaflet available in all Children, Young People and Families’ offices
• Information made available through displays, packs or leaflets which encourage feedback
• Public consultation through public meetings or exhibitions
• Standard letters inviting response on the completion of the piece of work undertaken or service provided

Improving the Directorate’s services

The Directorate will work to improve its services by:

• Making comment forms available to the public
• Conducting sample surveys, by means of questionnaires to customers (included in information leaflet)
• Analysing complaints to identify potential improvements and obtain feedback on the effect of improvements
• Encouraging staff to obtain feedback directly from customers and analysing the information provided
• Seeking the views of representative agencies or bodies

Managing the Directorate’s services

It is important that, in providing and managing services, we are:

• Receptive to change and new ideas
• Responsive to criticism and feedback
• Positive in making improvements
• Willing to recognise the importance of research and monitoring
• Prepared to provide appropriate training
• Prepared to encourage employees to be receptive to customer comments

2.3 Measuring our Effectiveness

As part of our commitment to customer care we need to measure how effective we are in providing services.

We will do this by:

• Setting standards of service and measuring actual performance against them
• Exploring wherever possible why some people do not find our services appropriate
• Asking our customers what they think about the services we provide by using questionnaires and standard letters
• Analysing complaints to identify problems and gaps in the services we provide
• Adopting quality management procedures. This means that standards of service will be clear, effectiveness will be monitored and the organisation will learn from its mistakes.  There are nationally recognised standards to help us.
• Reviewing at every level the effectiveness of our services

2.4 Dealing With Complaints

Dealing with complaints is an essential part of good customer care.  Complaints are any expression of dissatisfaction by a customer about the services we provide.  They will range from an informal comment to a formal written complaint.

Handling Complaints Positively

• We welcome comments and complaints and will respond to each one in an appropriate way.
• We will inform our customers of how to complaint by publicising our Complaints Procedure.
• We will deal with complaints as quickly as possible and keep the customer informed of progress.
• We will train staff to receive complaints positively.
• We will record, monitor and analyse complaints to help us improve our services.

Helping Customers to Complain

• Ensure that customers know how to complain and help them to do so
• Develop a positive approach to receiving complaints.
• Acknowledge the complaint and make sure the customer knows when it will be dealt with
• Make sure the customer is told the outcome of the complaint.
• Customers with special needs, such as those with disabilities or whose first language is not English, may need extra help to use the Complaints Procedure.

See the Complaints Procedure for further information.

3. Support for Employees and Elected Members

If we are to provide a high standard of service to our customers, everyone involved will need to be supported.  This support should come from elected members, managers and colleagues across all departments.

• There will be a need for training in customer care skills.
• There are situations where dealing with customers may be stressful.  These situations should be identified and support provided.
• Dealing with complaints can be stressful and consideration should be given to supporting those involved.
• Special consideration should be given to those dealing with situations where there is a high risk of violence and aggression.
• We should recognise that colleagues in stressful situations may need help and offer support.

For more information, please contact the Customer Service Unit.

End