Involving our customers
We will make sure we understand what our customers need, and develop our services around our customers' expectations.

We will:

• regularly ask customers for their opinions about our services.
• ensure that our customers help shape the services we deliver.
• be honest about what we can do and what we can't.

Our people
We recognise that we rely on our staff to deliver great Customer Care.

We will:

• ensure our staff are trained and competent to deliver our services.
• ensure our staff treat every user of R&L's services as we would wish to be treated ourselves with respect, courtesy and understanding.
• train every member of staff in Customer Care.

Reaching Us
We will provide different ways to help people contact us and access the services they need.

We will:

• make information about R&L and its services easily available.
• publish opening hours and describe how to access services.
• provide a welcoming, friendly environment, easily accessible to all.

How We Communicate
We want to make every contact a positive experience for our customers.

We will:

• always listen carefully to what customers and colleagues say.
• be polite and honest.
• give a contact name and details.
• let people know what will happen next.
• point people in the right direction if we can't help.
• provide a suitable environment and ensure confidentiality.
• write letters, emails and publications that are easy to read and understand.
• respond to letters and emails promptly and when that is not possible, we will send an acknowledgement with details of who is dealing with the matter.
• let people know if there will be a delay in responding.
• ensure answer-phone messages are clear and tell people when to expect a reply and offer an alternative contact.

Measuring How We Perform
We want to make sure that our commitment to Customer Care is making a difference, and we will assess our success by measuring what our customers value.

We will:

• seek regular feedback on Customer satisfaction.
• publish details of how customers can tell us about complaints, pay compliments and give us feedback.
• investigate all complaints thoroughly, as quickly as possible, and learn from mistakes.
• set specific Customer Care standards and publish the results.