Customer Service standards

At Richmond upon Thames Council we aim to provide a first class service for customers – putting the Customer First.  To enable you to monitor our performance, we have a Code of Practice and have set standards for our service.

When you telephone us:

• Our switchboard will answer your call within 5 rings.
• Our Contact Centre will answer 80% of calls within 20 seconds.

When you visit us:

• We will attend to at least 90% of customers within 10 minutes of their arrival.
• We will ensure that our reception areas are clearly signposted, accessible, clean and welcoming at all times.
• We will provide child friendly play areas or toys where possible.
• We will provide loop hearing systems, and access to lip speakers and signers on request.
• We will provide interpreters, on request, for customers for whom English is their second language, and/or a telephone interpreting service.

When you write to us:

• We will respond to all correspondence within 7 working days of receipt.
• We will acknowledge emails within two working days of receipt and, if we are not able to answer your enquiry immediately, we will send a full response within 7 working days.

We will continue to be assessed against the Chartermark national standard in customer care to ensure that we continue to improve the level of service we give you.

We will use all feedback to help identify areas where we need to improve our service and the steps we need to take to realise those improvements.

We will provide information in alternative formats on request.

We will arrange to visit you in your home if you cannot visit our offices.