As part of The Barnet Group’s Customer Experience Strategy (2022-24), we committed to improve how we assist customers by introducing customer care principles in place that everyone works to, along with a Customer Behaviour Charter for how we expect customers to behave when engaging with staff. To ensure that the principles and standards are focussed on the right things we engaged with both colleagues and residents to help us shape them and get sign off and we will soon be launching them.

  • We aim to work together with customers to help them get what they need from us or others.
  • When assisting customers, we expect our staff to help in a way that is respectful, realistic and responsive – in line with our Customer Care Principles.
  • When customers are being assisted by our staff, we expect customers to engage with staff in a way that is also respectful, realistic and responsive – in line with the Customer Behaviour Charter.

We have outlined our expectations for staff and customers on the following page. The Customer Care Principles and Customer Behaviour Charter apply to all interactions between staff and customers: emails, phone calls, letters, voicemails, face to face and virtual meetings.

Customer Care Principles

We will….

Be Respectful

  1. Be approachable, respectful and considerate.
    We will treat customers as we would like to be treated and considerate of what customers may be going through.
  2. Listen to you carefully to ensure we have fully understood what you need.
    Summarise key points to check that we have understood what is needed, update systems to prevent customers having to repeat themselves.

Be Realistic and Responsive

  1. Be clear about how we can help and how we are not able to.
    If we are not able to assist you as you have asked, we will let you know this early on.
  2. Complete follow up actions and provide updates as promised.
    We will let you know of any next steps and stick to these or update you if something change
  3. Be helpful when customers experience issues or changes.
    We will let you know about changes that will affect you as early as possible and take ownership if you have an issue.

Customer Behaviour Charter

We expect that customers will…

Be Respectful

  1. Treat staff with respect.
    Abusive, racist or threatening language and behaviour will not be tolerated.
  2. Allow staff to speak so that they can explain things fully when needed.

Be Realistic and Responsive

  1. Be realistic with how we can assist you.
    We will try our best to help but this may not always be able to meet expectations
  2. Do things that we ask for to help our teams to help you.
    The quicker you are able to do this, the quicker we can assist. If you are unclear about what we have asked or need support, please let us know.
  3. Not take things out on our staff if something goes wrong.
    We are sorry that things sometimes go wrong and the impact this can have on you. Once we know you have an issue, we will help to get it addressed.