What You Can Expect From Us

Housing Customer Care Standards

The Housing service is committed to providing a high level of customer service, in accordance with the corporate Customer Charter and corporate Complaints Policy.

Over and above this, we are committed to providing a higher level of customer service through our Housing Customer Care Standards.

When you visit us in person:

We will introduce ourselves to you.
Waiting areas are clean, comfortable and welcoming.
Reasonable adjustments will be made for those with a disability.
If you are kept waiting for any length of time, we will regularly update you on progress in dealing with your matter.

Please note:

Lime Tree House is open for business Monday to Friday, 9.00 am - 5.00 pm.
The service is closed for staff training every last Tuesday of the month between 3.30 and 5.00 pm.

When you telephone the office

Your call will be answered by a member of staff within 30 seconds.
We will return your call if we say we will.

Comments and complaints

Genuine feedback is treated seriously and impartially.
Your problem will be dealt with there and then, where possible.
We will make you aware of the Council's Complaints Policy when the matter cannot be resolved to your satisfaction.

Customer feedback

Adaptations

Our Adaptations service has collated feedback from their customers during 2010. It advises how satisfied they are with a variety of aspects relating to the adaptation undertaken to their dwelling.

88% of our private sector tenants who responded rated the overall Adaptations service as very good or good.

Reality check of corporate Customer Charter standards in Housing

A reality check against the Customer Charter shows that Housing is meetings its standard for the quality of service provided to its customers. In particular, customers advised that their visit to us achieved what they wanted it to and all were satisfied with the service they received.

Reality check of corporate complaints process in Housing

We recently carried out a telephone survey with a sample of our customers who had made a formal complaint during the year 2010/11. This feedback informed us of our good practice in dealing with complaints:

Our Housing customers understand the complaints leaflet
Customers feel that Housing staff understand why customers made the complaints they did
Housing staff are polite and friendly to customers making a complaint
We advise customers who have complained when they will receive a response to their complaint, especially when it is outwith timescale.
Our responses to complaints are easy for the customer to understand.

The reality check also informed us where we need to improve our performance:

We need to increase our customers' awareness of the complaints process
We must ensure we send our customers a complaints leaflet with all complaints acknowledgement letters
We must try to ensure that the outcomes of our customers complaints better meet their expectations
We must advise our customers what improvements have been made since their complaint was made.

We are committed to building upon our good practice improving our performance in dealing effectively with customer complaints.

Please contact us at the address below or use the online contact form to tell us how you feel we respond to customer complaints effectively.

We have learned from best practice

Income Team

Early in 2010, we visited a top performing local authority to learn how they had helped tenants in rent arrears and significantly reduced levels of debt. We learned that they worked in partnership with other housing providers to share best practice. As a result, they developed a self-assessment framework for others to use to improve their services to customers and their performance results. We have used this self-assessment framework to review our approach.

Our aim is to make it easy for you to pay your rent and to get help as soon as you have a problem with paying your rent. Some of the things that we have done to improve our service to you are:

We carry out a visit to your home as soon as we know that you have a problem with paying your rent.
We have increased the number of visits we make to your home during the period that you have problems with paying your rent.
We have improved our links with others who can help you if you are having problems with paying their rent.
We are reviewing the information that we provide to all tenants about paying rent.

We understand there are many reasons why people fall behind with their rent but there are also lots of ways we can help you. We're here to help and the earlier you let us know there's a problem the better it is for you and for us. We will continue to work hard to introduce best practice we have learned from others to improve our services to you.

Help or advice about paying your rent

If you need help or advice about paying your rent please telephone the Income Team on 0845 055 7070 (option 3) or email: hsgincomecontrolteam@clacks.gov.uk.

Service Improvements

Performance Management System

The Housing Service has introducing a corporate-wide performance management system. This system will record all of Housing's performance data, our risk register and help us manage and report on business plan progress. his performance management system will make all this information available from one single location.

Our aim for 2012/13 is to have a direct link available on Clacksweb for our customers and partners to view our performance results.