BEAT aims to provide high-quality services and information for all our customers. This charter sets out the standards we are working towards. We are constantly looking for new ways to improve our service and we welcome any comments you want to make.
We aim to do the following:
Dealing with customers
- Treat you politely and not discriminate against you because of your race, religion, age, sex, sexuality or disability
- Make sure that the staff who serve you are trained to give you the help and advice you need
Answering phone calls
- Greet you politely and clearly – employees will give you their name
- Put calls through to the right place first time
- Transfer calls directly to the right place if necessary or, where it is not possible to transfer, to either take a message or give you the correct number to phone
- Return phone messages within two working days
- Avoid the use of answer phones during office hours, except in the case of simple requests for information, or when there are in house training programmes
Answering letters, faxes and e-mails
- Answer letters, faxes and e-mails within 5 working days.
- For complicated enquiries and for services, which receive large numbers of letters, we will acknowledge your request by return and then provide an answer within 10 working days.
- Give you details of who is dealing with your enquiry so that you know whom to get back to and how
- Use plain language and avoid using jargon
Seeing you in person
- Provide clear signs in reception areas so that you know where to go
- Make sure reception areas are clean, tidy and safe
- Make sure visitors are seen by a receptionist within 5 minutes of arriving
- Be on time for pre-arranged appointments and let you know beforehand if we need to cancel a pre-arranged appointment
- Make sure that staff wear official identification at all times to that you know whom you are dealing with
- Make sure that the first person you deal with either answers your enquiry or passes you on to the right person
- Arrange a time and place for you to discuss issues in private if you like
- Arrange for an interpreter or language signer if you need one
- Make other arrangements to see you if you cannot visit our office because of a long-term illness or disability
Dealing with complaints, comments and compliments
- Record complaints, comments and compliments and use them to review and improve our services
- Acknowledge complaints by return and respond within 10 working days
- Contact you if we do not deal with your complaint within these targets, giving you an explanation and telling you when you can expect your complaint to be dealt with
- Inform you how you can take your complaint further if you are not satisfied with our response
- Treat complaints confidentially, while making sure we are fair to everyone concerned
- Apologise where we are at fault and do our best to put things right
Keeping customers informed and involved
- Produce information about us and our services that is accurate, useful and up to date
- Tell you how to get information provided in other languages or formats, such as in large print or audiotape
- Review the customer charter every year
- Provide information about how to contact us and report a complaint, comment or compliment at our office and on our website at www.beat.org.uk
- Understand the views and priorities of our customers
- Use customer feedback to help us make decisions
How you can help us to help you
- Treat our employees politely
- Give us all the appropriate information so that we can deal with your enquiry quickly and effectively
- Let us know beforehand if you need to cancel or rearrange a pre-arranged appointment
- Let us know if you need an interpreter or language signer
- Tell us immediately if you are unhappy with the service you have received
- Tell us if you are pleased with the service you have received so that we can encourage good practice across the organisation
Do you need to contact us?
By phone: 01274 718420
Email: admin@beat.org.uk