Corporate customer standards

At the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, we aim to provide a first class service for customers.

When you contact us we will:

• liaise with you in a polite, professional and courteous manner.
• inform you about what will happen next, by when and by whom.
• respond quickly and efficiently in a clear manner to all enquiries.
• provide clear, helpful and up to date information about our services through accessible channels.
• encourage feedback and take account of comments made in order to improve service delivery.
• treat all customers fairly and appropriately, ensuring that we take into account any specific needs arising from a person’s race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation or disability and ensure services are accessible through preferred options e.g. website, telephone and face to face.
• let you know if we are unable to deliver a service and offer alternatives/signpost to other service providers.
• ask for permission to collect and share your information within the Council, and keep information about you as accurate and up to date as possible - with your help.

When you telephone us we will:

• aim to answer most calls within 5 rings (80% within 20 seconds).
• attempt to resolve the majority of enquires at first point contact.
• pass your enquiry on to another department if necessary, and aim to pass on your details and the nature of your query so that you do not have to repeat it to another person.

When you write to /email us we will:

• acknowledge and respond to your letter/email within 7 working days. If we need longer to give you a full reply, we will send you an acknowledgement and let you know why and how much time we will take.
• write to you in a way which is accessible for all and easy to understand. As part of this we will provide information in other formats, where requested, in order to meet a specific need, for example, in Braille, large print and audio.
• arrange for an interpreter to explain information to you, in order to meet a specific need, in a language other than English or BSL. We will also provide translations of letters, where requested, in order to meet a demonstrable need.

When you visit us we will:

• aim to attend to you within 10 minutes of your arrival, but if we don’t, we will let you know when you can be seen and explain the reason for the delay. If you prefer not to wait, we will offer you an appointment at a time to suit you (where possible).
• aim to see you at the appointed time if you have an appointment with us we. If we are delayed, we will explain why, tell you how long you may have to wait and give you the option of making an appointment for another day and time.
• provide a private area for confidential enquiries should you wish.
• ensure that our reception areas are clearly signposted, accessible, clean and welcoming at all times.
• provide loop hearing systems, and access to lip speakers and signers on request.
• provide interpreters, on request, in order to meet specific language needs (either through face to face interpreters or through use of a telephone interpreting service).

When you make an online enquiry, we will:

• have an accessible and useable website and make it easy for you to find what you want
• enable you to make payments, fill in forms and get information on high volume Council services where possible

When we make a home visit, we will:

• provide a clear explanation of the nature of a visit made without a prior appointment
• inform you when we are running late for an appointment or if an appointment has to be cancelled.
• advise of the actions resulting from the visit and timescales.

If we can't meet these targets

Occasionally, a service may not be able to meet the targets set out above, for example when there is a seasonal peak of requests for information. We will tell you if this is the case.

If you're not happy with our service

Find out how we deal with complaints.