One set of standards across the Council
Bournemouth Borough Council is committed to ensuring that consistent customer service excellence and accessibility is integral to the planning, resourcing and delivery of all our services.
Our aim is for standards to be applied across all services, front or back office, and for us to be accountable to this commitment. 

Why is customer service important?
• For our customers, in obtaining services from us
• For our staff, in improving their working environment and increasing motivation
• For upholding the Council’s values, meeting Best Value criteria and delivering Government objectives aimed at improving and modernising public services.

Our staff’s role in excellent customer service
We are looking to develop a Right-first-time approach. Our customer commitment is that our staff will be customer-focused, courteous, trained, competent and committed to resolving enquiries as quickly as possible. Staff refers to all officers who deliver services for Bournemouth Borough Council, whether direct employees, volunteers or contracted workers.

Our specific customer service guidelines:

Reception Points
All reception areas will be well-signed, clean, tidy, welcoming, attended during opening times and will display opening times. All reception points comply with all appropriate current legislation. 

Face to Face contact
Staff will:
• Greet customers courteously and professionally;
• Give customers individual attention and endeavour to approach enquiries from the customer’s point of view;
• Aim to resolve the majority of enquiries there and then.
• Explain matters in plain English and provide arrangements for those customers who need hearing, visual or interpretation assistance

Waiting times
Customers should not have to wait in any reception area longer than 20 minutes before their enquiry is dealt with.

Telephone enquiries
• Staff will answer all telephone calls, in normal circumstances, within 5 rings.
• Staff answering a call will answer politely and state their service and their name where appropriate
• Staff will be helpful and aim wherever possible to resolve the enquiry there and then. Where a call does need to be passed on, the original member of staff will establish that they have put you through to the right person before leaving the call.
• Where the right member of staff is not available, where possible, they or another appropriate officer will get back to you within the next working day.
• All telephones will be attended where possible during full opening hours; in circumstances where officers are not available, calls will be diverted to another operator or to voicemail but ONLY when there is no one else to take calls

E-Mail
• We will acknowledge receipt of all emails within 1 working day.
• A full response will be supplied within 10 working days of receipt, where possible.
• If it is not possible in that time, we will contact you within 10 working days & every tenth working day until a full answer can be given.
• The exclusions to this time scale are:
If a specific piece of legislation dictates how we must respond to the letter.  For example: The Freedom of Information Act 2000 entitles the customer to access to information that the council holds (subject to some exemptions).  If a customer makes a request under this Act we are obliged to provide that information within 20 working days.

Letters / Faxes
• We will provide a full response within 10 working days of receipt
• If it is not possible in that time, we will contact you within 10 working days & advise when we expect to be able to fully reply to your communication.
• Exclusions as above.

Comments and complaints data
We take all comments and complaints about our services very seriously and have a commitment to learn from any errors. Complaints will be actioned in line with the timescales defined within the Corporate Complaints Policy. The policy is also available in leaflet form from any council reception point.

Continuous improvement
Bournemouth Borough Council welcomes feedback about our services and will respond positively where areas of improvement are identified. The standards set out are the minimum that our customers can expect and all are specific and measurable.

A commitment to mutual respect
You have the right to expect the best service from us and we will endeavour to provide that service with respect and dignity. In return we ask the same from you.
Where a member of the public has been abusive either on the telephone or face to face, staff will politely but firmly close the conversation and inform their line manager.
The council cannot solve every problem all of the time, but will strive to ensure that the customer is comfortable with the service they have received and with the ‘next action’.

Meeting the diverse needs of our customers
We will treat all people fairly, whatever their age, sexual orientation, religious belief, disability, gender or race. Everyone will have equal access to our services.
Where specific assistance is needed, e.g. hearing loops, assistance with reading or translation requirements, we will endeavour to provide the required assistance.