Complaints Procedure - Dublin City Council

Contents
Introduction
3
Dublin City Council and our Customers
4
What do we mean by quality customer service?
5
How will we deliver quality customer service to you?
6
What if you are not satisfied with the quality of our service?
8
Some improvements already made
9
Some improvements we plan to make
10
1
Introduction
Providing you with a quality customer service is a priority for Dublin City Council.
This booklet explains what we mean by quality customer service and how we will
provide that to you. It includes:
•
a Customer Care Charter;
•
a Code of Conduct for customers and staff;
•
our complaints and appeals procedure;
•
improvements we have already made in customer service; and
•
improvements we plan to make.
We have set high standards for ourselves and we will monitor our activities closely to
make sure we reach those standards. We will also consult regularly with our
customers to make sure we are meeting your needs. We will report on progress in our
annual reports.
2
Dublin City Council and our Customers
What is the aim of Dublin City Council?
What are the main services provided by Dublin
City Council?
To foster a vibrant, attractive, safe and
environmentally sustainable capital city with a
strong human focus and to advance and promote
the physical, social, cultural and economic
environment of the city, through effective civic
leadership and through the active democratic
participation of our citizens.
Our main services include:
Engineering - providing and maintaining
the city’s water, drainage, waste
management and other environmental
services;
Fire and emergency - fire fighting and fire
prevention and emergency ambulance
services;
Housing - providing housing and related
services;
Planning - managing the orderly
development of a living, sustainable city;
Recreation and amenity - operating and
maintaining libraries, parks, open spaces,
playing pitches, community centres, pitch
and putt and golf courses;
Roads - providing and maintaining our
roads, bridges and public lighting;
Traffic management - achieving more
efficient use of the road network through
traffic and parking control and increased
priority for public transport.
What are our strategic objectives?
The strategic objectives of Dublin City Council are set
out in our Corporate Plan 2005-2009. These
objectives have been grouped under nine general
themes. They are:
Leadership role of the elected Council
Dublin city - the heart of the region
A safe city
A clean and green city
Building communities
Mobility in the city
Arts, culture and leisure
The customer at the centre of what we do
Developing the potential of staff.
Our annual reports will outline the progress we have
made in achieving the goals and targets set out in the
plan.
How will we develop these services?
We will develop these services by:
Who are our customers?
Our external customers are the residents, tenants,
ratepayers, visitors, businesses or communities to
whom we provide a service. Other external
customers include the Department of the
Environment, Heritage and Local Government,
statutory bodies, voluntary bodies and other groups
with whom we interact.
prioritising need on a ‘life cycle basis’;
involving users in the shaping of services;
providing greater choice and improving
accessibility; and
focusing on customer delivery.
We will make our services better by:
developing new ways to deliver services;
making greater use of technology;
training, developing and listening to our
staff;
operating effective complaints and appeal
procedures; and
responding to feedback from customers
and employees.
Our internal customers are individual staff,
departments and elected members of the City
Council.
What is the aim of this Customer Action Plan?
To deliver the highest level of customer service and
to take account of customers’ needs when making
decisions about the delivery of services.
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What do we mean by quality customer service?
Quality service standards
We will publish a statement that describes the kind of
service you can expect from us and display it
prominently at the point of service.
Complaints
We know there will be times when our systems will
not work as well as we would wish. For this reason,
we will maintain a clear, simple and easy-to-access
system to handle complaints. You’ll find more
information about our complaints and appeals system
on page 6.
Equality and diversity
We are committed to delivering a quality service to all
of our customers. We will, therefore, make sure that:
Appeals
We will maintain a formal, transparent and easy-touse system so that you can appeal a decision or
request a review.
no one is discriminated against because of
their gender, family status, marital status,
religion, age, race, membership of the
Traveller community, sexual orientation or
disability, as laid down in the Employment
Equality Act 1998 and the Equal Status Act
2000;
Consultation and evaluation
We will consult with customers about the
development, delivery and evaluation of services.
Choice
Where we can, we will provide choice in service
delivery including payment methods, location of
contact points, opening hours and delivery times,
using existing and new technologies.
the service we deliver is accessible to
customers within the nine grounds of the
Equality legislation;
our staff receive training on equality and
diversity issues;
Official languages equality
We will provide services to you through Irish or
English in line with the provisions of our Irish
Language Scheme 2006-2009. You have the right to
choose which of the official languages you would like
to use to communicate with us.
our buildings are accessible to people with
disabilities.
Physical access
We will provide clean, accessible public offices that
meet occupational and safety standards and allow
you to conduct your business with us in private.
Better co-ordination
We will foster a more co-ordinated and integrated
approach to the delivery of public services.
Information
We will provide clear, timely and accurate information
which will be available at various points of contact
and will meet the requirements of people with specific
needs.
Internal customers
We view staff as internal customers and will support
and consult with them through the partnership model
and internal communication channels.
We will use a variety of channels to deliver
information to our customers. We will make sure that
information on our websites follows the guidelines for
web publication.
Help us to help you
To enable staff to deliver on the commitments in this
document, it would be helpful if you would:
complete all applications carefully;
quote reference numbers where available;
give accurate and full information so that
we can deal with your request promptly;
respond quickly to requests for further or
supporting information;
tell relevant staff if you are unable to keep
an appointment.
We will continue to simplify rules, regulations, forms,
information leaflets and procedures.
Timeliness and courtesy
We will deliver our services with courtesy, sensitivity
and as little delay as possible.
We will give you the name of the person dealing with
your request so that you can communicate easily with
us.
4
How will we deliver quality customer service to you?
Access to Services
Our Customer Service Centre, located in the Civic
Offices, Wood Quay, is open Monday to Friday
between 9.00am and 5.00pm. Our Call Centre,
located in Smithfield, is open between 8.00am and
6.00pm Monday to Friday. If there is a high demand
from customers, we may extend our opening hours or
days.
Forms and leaflets
We will use simple and clear language.
We will explain precisely what you need to
do.
We will not ask unnecessary questions.
We will make forms and leaflets widely
available.
Applications and claims
We will make a decision on your
application or claim as quickly as possible.
We will deal with all applications
consistently and fairly.
We will give reasons for our decisions.
We will tell you of your right to appeal and
how to appeal our decision.
Other principal public offices are generally open
between 9.00am and 5.00pm each weekday.
Most of our public offices have been designed or
modified to be fully accessible to people with
disabilities.
Standards of Service
We are committed to providing excellent service as
described under the following headings:
Information and openness
We will give you all the information you ask
for or need.
We will give clear, timely, accurate and
relevant information.
We will use clear, easy to understand
language.
We will try to help as best we can if another
state agency is involved.
Telephone service
We will answer phones quickly and
courteously.
We will give the information you ask for in a
helpful way.
As far as possible, we will deal with your
query at your first phone call.
If we cannot give you an answer
immediately, we will take your details and
either write or phone back.
We will tell you when you can expect to
hear from us or arrange to call at a time
which is convenient for you.
We will give you the name of the person
dealing with your query in case you need to
phone again.
Courtesy and consideration
You are entitled to be served promptly and
courteously by friendly and helpful staff who respect
your privacy and confidentiality.
Complaints Procedure.
As far as possible, we will try to resolve complaints at
local level, provided you agree.
If you make a formal complaint, we will deal with that
in accordance with our published complaints
procedure. Please see page 6 for more information
about our complaints procedure.
Visitors to our public offices
We will be courteous and fair in our
dealings with you.
We will deal with enquiries as quickly as
possible.
We will respect your privacy and provide
private interview rooms where possible.
We will make sure that queues are kept to
a minimum.
We will keep our offices safe, clean and
accessible, particularly for people with
disabilities.
As far as practicable, we will have hours of
service delivery standardized. .
Customer charter
We will display our Customer Charter in a prominent
place in all our public facilities and make sure that
copies are available.
Services in Irish
You have the right to do business with us through
Irish or English in accordance with the Official
Languages Act 2003. We will meet our commitments
set out in our Irish Language Scheme 2006-2009.
Our Aonad Forbartha Gaeilge (Irish Development
Unit) provides advice and support to all departments
within Dublin City Council.
Letters
We will reply to letters as soon as possible.
If we cannot reply to your letter within 10
days, we will send an acknowledgement
and tell you when we will reply.
We will write as clearly as possible.
We will only use technical terms where it is
absolutely necessary. If we use technical
terms, we will explain them.
We will give a contact name, telephone
number and reference number in all letters.
Publications
We publish a variety of booklets, periodicals and
leaflets covering all aspects of our services. In
addition, we publish regular newsletters as part of the
consultation process for major developments and for
community liaison. We also produce and distribute a
number of staff newsletters.
5
Annual report
Each year we publish an annual report, outlining our
main activities for the year and giving a summary of
our financial statements. In future, we will include
progress reports on the implementation of this
Customer Action Plan
Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information Act 1997 (FOI) has been
in operation for local authorities since October
1998. The Act, which was amended in 2003, is
mainly about public access to information held by a
local authority. For Dublin City Council, freedom of
information is about customer service and making
sure that our operations and procedures are
transparent and open to public scrutiny. We will
continue to meet all of our obligations under the Act.
You can get a copy of the annual report from the
Communications Unit, Corporate Services
Department or from comms@dublincity.ie. You can
also view or download the annual report at
www.dublincity.ie.
.
6
What if you are not satisfied with the quality of our
service?
We try to always deal with our customers in an
efficient, effective, prompt and courteous way.
However, sometimes you may not be satisfied with
the quality of service you receive.
If that is the case, we encourage you to try and sort
out any problem at local level. This is usually the
quickest way to resolve a problem. Simply contact
the staff member or section concerned, explain the
situation to them and ask them to deal with it.
If this approach fails to solve the problem, you may
lodge a formal complaint. You can make a formal
complaint in person, by telephone, by fax, by email or
by letter. You can also use the official complaint form
that is available from Council offices, libraries or our
website, www.dublincity.ie.
If you are making a formal complaint, you should
make it to the Customer Services Manager,
Customer Services Centre, Civic Offices, Wood
Quay, Dublin 8.
We will place your complaint on the complaints
register and send a formal acknowledgement to you
within three days.
Your complaint will then go to the relevant Head of
Department who will investigate it and respond to you
within one month.
If you are not satisfied with the response, you may
appeal the decision to the Executive Manager,
Corporate Services Department.
The Executive Manager will examine the complaint
and the response you received and make a decision
on the appeal.
If you are still not satisfied, you may appeal the
decision to the Office of the Ombudsman. This office
is completely independent of Dublin City Council.
7
Some improvements already made
Since the publication of our first Customer Action
Plan in 2001, we have made many changes and
improvements to the way we deliver services to our
customers.
Area offices
The administrative area of Dublin City Council is
divided into five areas. Each area has its own
committee on Dublin City Council made up of the
elected members for the area. In addition, each area
has a manager who co-ordinates the delivery of
services to the area.
For instance, you can now access services or
information by email, text or SMS as well as by
telephone, letter, fax or in person. We plan to use
emerging channels of communication as well as
existing channels so that you have a wide choice in
terms of how you interact with us.
Area managers and their staff are based in the local
area and have offices open to customers. The five
areas and their head offices are listed below.
Some of the other changes we have made are
described below.
1. Central Area, covering North Inner City, Cabra
and Glasnevin electoral areas
Reception areas
We have redesigned most of our reception areas to
better meet the needs of customers visiting our
various offices.
Head office: 51- 53 Seán MacDermott Street,
Dublin 1
Opening hours: 9.30am to 4.00pm
2. North Central Area, covering Artane, Clontarf
and Donaghmede electoral areas
Customer Service Centre
We opened a dedicated Customer Service Centre in
2004. This consists of two elements: a call centre in
Smithfield and a face-to-face contact centre in the
Civic Offices.
Head office: Northside Civic Centre, Bunratty Road,
Coolock, Dublin 17
Opening hours: 9.15am to 4.00pm
The call centre takes calls for all Dublin City Council
departments. Staff are trained to deal with most
queries on the spot without the need to refer the
customer to a particular department. Our phone
numbers are easy to remember and are widely
publicized.
3. North West Area, covering Finglas, Ballymun
and Whitehall electoral areas
The contact centre is for customers who want to
conduct their business with us in person. Staff in the
contact centre are trained to deal with most queries
on the spot. Over time, we expect to deliver more of
our customer services through the contact centre.
4. South Central Area, covering South West Inner
City, Ballyfermot and Crumlin/Kimmage electoral
areas
Head office: Ballymun Civic Centre, Main Street,
Ballymun, Dublin 9
Opening hours: 9.30am to 4.00pm
Head office: Ballyfermot Area Office, Ballyfermot
Community Civic Centre, Ballyfermot Road,
Ballyfermot, Dublin 10
Opening hours: 9.30am to 4.00pm
Signage
We have improved the signage in the Civic Offices
and in our other public buildings.
5. South East Area, covering South East Inner
City, Pembroke and Rathmines electoral areas
Languages
We provide ongoing training in the Irish language to
enable staff to carry out their duties in Irish. Our Irish
Language Scheme lists the services we currently
provide through Irish and how we propose to
increase and improve these services.
Head office: Floor 2, Block 2, Civic Offices, Wood
Quay, Dublin 8.
Opening hours: 9.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to
5.00pm
Many area offices also operate other offices in their
respective areas, making them as accessible as
possible to local customers.
Many staff are also fluent in other languages and use
their abilities to deal with customers who cannot
communicate in English or Irish. We intend to
develop this resource to help customers from diverse
ethnic backgrounds. We also conduct classes in sign
language for staff.
8
Some improvements we plan to make
Although we have made many improvements in how
we deliver our services, we need to do more. Below
are some of the changes we want to achieve over the
next three years to provide a higher quality service.
Customer Services Centre
The Customer Services Centre will eventually
become a single point of contact where customers
can carry out their business with Dublin City Council
and find information about our services. Over time,
we will transfer additional services to the Customer
Services Centre. We will also continue to upgrade
our communications technology so that customers
can interact with us in a variety of ways.
Participation by staff
Our staff are central to the services we provide and
are our most valuable asset. Our present high
standard of service reflects the commitment and
wide-ranging skills and talents of staff. However, the
success of this Customer Action Plan depends on
deepening the awareness of customer care among
the staff. We will use our internal communication
system and the partnership model to consult with
staff on improvements to customer service.
Signage
We will upgrade the signage in the Civic Offices to
take account of the needs of people with disabilities.
Irish language courses
Front line staff who volunteer to provide services
through Irish will receive training to improve their Irish
language skills as set out in our Irish Language
Scheme 2006-2009.
Staff training
We will continue to provide customer care training to
staff. We will also encourage staff to study for a
professional award through the Institute of Customer
Service (of which Dublin City Council is a member).
Customer research
We will continue to use surveys and consultation to
find out what customers think of our services. We will
also benchmark our performance against that of
other local authorities and best practice.
Information
We will continue to provide up-to-date, clear and
accurate information to our customers. We have
already updated many forms, leaflets and brochures
and this process will continue.
We will publish a new, citywide newspaper, Dublin
City News, three times a year, starting in late 2007.
This will be delivered to 200,000 businesses and
homes in Dublin city. We also produce and distribute
Classmate, a quarterly newsletter for primary school
children in Dublin.
,
Access to buildings
All of our newer buildings have wheelchair access
and work is underway to make our older public
buildings accessible to customers with disabilities.
Website
We will re-launch our website (www.dublincity.ie) in
2008. The site will feature breaking news,
downloadable forms, job vacancies, press release
and all our corporate publications. Over time, the
website will provide additional ways for customers to
interact electronically with the City Council. Our
intention is to make as many services as possible
available online.
Disability awareness training
All front-line staff will undertake Disability Awareness
Training during the lifetime of this Customer Action
Plan.
9