Customer Charter

Customer Charter

The Customer Charter sets out our commitments to our residents and the customer service you can expect from us. We will put our customers at the heart of everything we do and provide appropriate support and assistance to those who need it, whilst ensuring customer experiences are easy, convenient, and effective. We are committed to treating every person equally and fairly, valuing diversity and ensuring our services are accessible to all, especially for those vulnerable or in crisis.

We will

• Make it as easy as possible to access our services, at a time and in a way that is most convenient to you, ensuring we are consistent in the service we offer.
• Take responsibility for your enquiry, and ensure we effectively communicate internally to resolve your issue. 
• Respond to you quickly and courteously, regardless of how you contact us, and ensure we are communicating clearly without jargon.
• Make services digital by default which are available 24/7, whilst making sure those who do not use digital services can still interact with us through traditional methods
• Find somebody that can resolve your query if the first person you speak to is unable to, or put you in contact with the right people if it is not a Council matter
• Continue to develop online services and provide up-to-date information about our services. You can access many of our services online 24 hours a day, 7 days per week when you self –serve. Visit the East Herts website to find out more.  
• Aim to acknowledge online applications and tell you what happens next
• Keep your information secure as safeguarding your personal data and protecting your privacy is important to us
• Assist customers visiting the office with an appointment within 15 minutes
• Respond to direct enquiries posted on our Facebook and Twitter accounts directly within 3 working days and if we know this is no
• If we promise to call you back, we will aim to do this within 1 working day unless we advise you of a different timescale
• If we arrange to visit you, we will aim to be punctual wherever possible and always carry identification cards
• When you contact us by email or letter we will aim to respond within 10 working days. If we are unable to do this we will tell you when you can expect a response
• You can access many of our services online 24 hours a day, 7 days per week when you self –serve.  Visit the East Herts website to find out more.
   

In return, we need you to

• Access services online where available, including making a payment for Council Tax or other services, reporting or requesting a service etc
• be familiar with the performance targets detailed above and the service specific targets detailed below
• give us the correct, detailed information at the right time
• Tell us when something changes
• Be on time for any appointments, and tell us if you can’t keep one
• Treat our staff with respect, whether in person, digitally or on the telephone. 
   

Give us feedback

We want you to have confidence in the way we handle your contact with us.  
By giving us feedback you can help us to improve the way the council provides services. If you think we have done something really well, tell us that too so we can continue doing it.

However, we know that no-one gets everything right all the time, and if you want to tell us what went wrong please tell us so that we can look into it for you.  

Feedback can be submitted via our Comments, Compliments and Complaints forms.

Please note our policy for dealing with unreasonable customer contact

Service commitments to you 

Please use the drop down arrows below for individual service commitments.