Our Customer Service Standards
These set out the standards of service which we aim to provide to our customers. These have been developed in association with our customers. They are reviewed by customer groups and staff as part of our ongoing continuous assessment programme. Customer groups include our tenant panel, tenant inspectors and customer service working group.
General Service standards
When you telephone ….
We will try to answer within six rings (15 seconds) …
…and within twelve rings (30 seconds) for the repairs call centre
We will always greet you, introduce ourselves and ask how we can help
We will ask for your consent to be put on hold or called back. We will aim to call you back, if required, by the end of the next working day.
When you write to us ...
We will respond to your letter within four working days and tell you what we are going to do with your query or request.
We will acknowledge your email*/fax* by the end of the next working day
(* This standard applies to service area email/fax addresses only.)
When you have face to face dealings with our staff….
We will always identify ourselves
We will always be approachable, courteous and respectful
We will listen to you and respect your needs
When we make an appointment……
We will keep it or let you know in good time if we cannot do so
When you come to the office…..
If you have an appointment, we will try not to keep you waiting for longer than five minutes
If you do not have an appointment, we will try to see you as soon as possible and tell you how long you are likely to have to wait
We will provide private interview rooms in all our offices
When we visit your home…….
We will always show our ID badge and encourage you to check that it is valid if you are unsure
We will respect your home and leave it as we find it
When you complain….
We will log and acknowledge complaints within four working days
We will try to resolve them within ten working days. If we are unable to do so we will advise on the actions we are taking
We will treat your complaint positively and learn from the outcome
We will welcome your views and comments about improving our service
Access to our services…..
We will provide disabled access and hearing loops in public reception areas and interview rooms
We have translation services available to assist you if English is not your first language
We will provide our magazines, publications, and leaflets on request in different formats for those with special needs
What we ask of you in return…
That you will speak to front line staff in the first instance
That you will be courteous to our staff allowing them to respond. Unreasonable behaviour and threats will not be tolerated
That you will be at home at the agreed time when we have arranged to visit you, or else let us know in good time if you cannot be there to allow us to help other customers
That you will tell us when we fail to meet these Customer Care Standards as this will help us to monitor our performance and improve our service.
Service specific standards
Resident Involvement
Send all residents a quarterly newsletter ‘Housing Matters’
Use our website to tell residents about what we are doing
Ensure that residents are provided with all the information that they require in a clear and easily understood way
Monitor regularly, with the input of our residents, all services we provide
Provide feedback and information on the outcomes of the consultation
Provide start-up and annual grants to recognised Tenant and Resident Associations
Provide financial assistance to towards the cost of child care and travelling expenses to make it easier to become involved
Back
Dealing with anti-social behaviour
We will offer a variety of ways in which to make a complaint about nuisance. You can make a complaint by speaking to your neighbourhood office, in writing, by telephone, by email. We will also accept a complaint on your behalf from another person.
When we receive a nuisance complaint we will contact you within three working days of receiving it to discuss how we can work together to resolve the problem. At each point in the process we will tell you how long we think that step will take, and keep you informed of progress. If you are suffering from domestic violence or there is a threat of violence, we will contact you within 24 hours.
If it is decided that legal action is the best way to proceed, we will ensure that all the necessary papers are provided to our legal representatives within fourteen days of that decision.
At the end of each complaint we will contact you to request a feedback on how we performed. We will use the results of this survey to review and improve our service on a regular basis. We will operate a system that allows us to detect where anti-social behaviour is on the increase, and target our resources to those areas.
Supported Housing
We will complete and agree a support plan within 35 days of your service starting
We will review residents' support plans with them at least once per year, or when your circumstances change.
Lettings
Once all proofs are received from the applicant, the form will be processed and the applicant will be notified of the outcome of their application, in writing, within 5 working days.
All applications will be reviewed every 12 months from the date of registration
An applicant has 21 calendar days from the date they are notified of a decision to request a review.
The applicant will be advised in writing of the result of the review within 14 calendar days of the decision.
Home Ownership
Right to Buy/ Acquire
We will process 100% of Right To Buy applications within the Governments set target of 60 days
Sale of leasehold flats
We will answer pre sale enquiries on the sale of leasehold flats within the government target of 7 working days.
Response Repairs
We aim to answer calls to a repairs call centre within 40 seconds.
Where a pre-inspection is necessary we aim to inspect the defect within 7days of the defect being reported to the repairs service.
Where access is required we will make an appointment at first point of contact and if we have to alter this appointment we will let the customer know at the earliest opportunity.
Repair work will be prioritised in line with our published timescales of 24 hours, 7 calendar days and 31 calendar days.
We will ensure that all NHH-owned gas and solid-fuel heating appliances are checked and serviced on an annual basis in strict accordance with manufacturer’s instructions and our legal obligations.
We aim to quality check 500 repair jobs per month
We will collect and analyse customer feedback on a monthly basis.
Cyclical Maintenance
Every five years your home will be inspected externally and any repairs and redecoration required will be carried out.
Internal Decoration Scheme for Elderly and Disabled Tenants
We will offer a scheme to decorate one room every four years or provide tenants a decoration voucher to purchase materials for elderly or disabled tenants. If you are over 70 years old or receive a disability living allowance or attendance allowance, you are eligible to join the scheme.
Adaptations
Once North Hertfordshire Homes has received a referral from Social Services, we will write to you within five working days, confirming receipt of the referral and giving you an indication as to how long you will have to wait for the works to be carried out.
