Our standards of service

Transcription

1 Our standards of service

2 Contents Foreword...3 Who We Are...4 Our Mission, Values and Key Functions...4 Customer Service Commitment...5 Our Standards of Service...6 If Things Go Wrong...7 Feedback and Suggestions...8 Consultation...8 How to Contact Us...9 ANNEX A Customer Feedback Form

3 Customer Service Standards Foreword The work of the Agency involves regular interaction with a wide variety of external contacts. We are committed to providing a high standard of service to all of our customers and stakeholders. We have strengthened our relationship and communication with stakeholders through a series of regular national meetings and regional events. This increased dialogue with our stakeholders reflects the value that we place on customer feedback. In seeking to achieve excellence we will endeavour to deliver a modern service that meets the needs of all our customers, recognising diversity in the community and treating everyone we come into contact with in the course of our daily business with dignity and respect. We strive to continually develop and provide best value in the delivery of our services. We will monitor our performance against various standards in order to identify areas for further improvement. The following Standards of Service set out the standards which the Agency aims to provide and is intended to ensure consistency in how we deal with our customers. If you feel that we are doing well or falling short of the standards set out in this leaflet, please let us know. Contact details and a customer feedback form are available at the end of this publication. Rosemary Winter-Scott The Accountant in Bankruptcy and Agency Chief Executive 3

4 Who We Are Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. The Agency operates independently and impartially whilst remaining directly accountable to Scottish Ministers. We are responsible for supervising the process of personal bankruptcy and Protected Trust Deeds (PTDs) as well as the recording of corporate insolvency in Scotland. We have responsibility for policy issues regarding bankruptcy, corporate insolvency and the Scottish law of diligence. Further information on the Agency can be found on our website: We also administer the Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS). You can find out more about DAS at the website: Our Mission, Values and Key Functions Mission To ensure access to fair and just processes of debt relief and debt management for the people of Scotland, which takes account of the rights and interests of those involved. Values We will ensure that our activities are: independent responsive accountable transparent fair open Key functions We will achieve our mission through the following key functions, whilst recognising our unique statutory role: Supporting Ministers to develop and refine policy Supervising the bankruptcy process Delivering, with stakeholders, a range of options for individuals seeking debt relief and debt management Ensuring best value services to our customers 4

5 Customer Service Commitment The Agency is committed to providing a quality service to all customers in every aspect of its operations. We aim to ensure that our services are available to all. As an Agency of the Scottish Government (SG), we adhere to the SG Equality principles and guidelines, which can be found on the Scottish Government website; We are aware of the importance of public scrutiny. We have therefore made a variety of information available on the AiB website, including: Case statistics Statutory and corporate publications Debt and bankruptcy information leaflets Our Standards of Service Office hours Our office is open to the public Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) from 9.00am to 4.30pm. We operate a 24-hour telephone answering service for anyone requiring information about the bankruptcy process and the Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS). If you call outwith office hours or our lines are busy, you can leave a message. We will respond within 24 hours (excluding weekends and public holidays). Telephone calls If you contact us by phone during office hours we aim to: answer all calls promptly (normally within five rings) answer your call using our standard greeting: Good morning/afternoon, Accountant in Bankruptcy, (name) speaking, how can I help you? if the person you want to speak to is unavailable, another member of staff will deal with your enquiry or take a message. Your call will be returned within one working day (excluding weekends and public holidays) should it be necessary to transfer your call we will tell you who you are being redirected to and the reason for the transfer if you make a call to our switchboard we will aim to transfer your call to the correct business area on the first attempt 5

6 Written correspondence (including ) If you contact us by letter, or fax we aim to: respond to all correspondence within 20 working days of receipt send an interim response in cases where, for any reason, we are unable to issue a full reply within 20 working days; detailing the reason for the delay, indicating when you can expect a full reply and answering as many points as possible provide clear, accurate and relevant responses to correspondence which makes use of plain English and is free from jargon sign all our letters with our name and job title, together with a direct line telephone number or extension and address, if appropriate Requests for information We will supply the information requested unless the material falls under specific exemptions contained in: the Freedom of Information Scotland Act (FOISA) Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) the Data Protection Act (DPA) We will issue appropriate information within 20 working days of receipt of request or, in the case of information requested under the Data Protection Act, within 40 calendar days of receipt of the request and appropriate identification. We are unlikely to charge you for providing information, however, we reserve the right to charge as set out in the FOI or DPA legislation and even more exceptionally as set out in our fees order. All of our information booklets and forms carry a privacy statement that provides information about how your personal data will be used and contact details for enquiries. Visitors to the office If you visit the office in person you can expect that: we will treat all visitors to the office in a professional and courteous manner we will see you within 10 minutes of any appointment you have made in advance if you visit our office and have not made an appointment, we will attempt to resolve your enquiry if possible or arrange a future appointment our staff will give their name and wear badges with their name shown we will offer private interview facilities the office is accessible to those with mobility requirements, including the provision of parking and suitable entry systems an induction loop system is available in all areas of the building to help those with a hearing impairment What we can expect of you when you visit the office: 6

7 we ask you to keep any appointment you have with us, or let us know as soon as possible if you can t we ask that you treat our staff with courtesy tell us if you need to communicate with us in a different way Please note that AiB cannot give you advice about which debt relief solution may be suitable for you but can direct you to an advice service currently delivered on AiB s premises through North Ayrshire Citizens Advice Services (NACAS). We can also direct you to other Money Advisors, Citizens Advice Scotland or a qualified Insolvency Practitioner. If Things Go Wrong If you are unhappy with the level of service you have received please contact us on to allow us to address your concerns as quickly as possible. If, after speaking to the person who dealt with your enquiry, you remain dissatisfied please us at: AIBOperationalPolicyandCompliance@aib.gsi.gov.uk or write to us at the following address. Please mark your letter or Complaint. Accountant in Bankruptcy 1 Pennyburn Road Kilwinning Ayrshire KA13 6SA We will investigate and reply fully within 20 working days of your complaint being received. If we cannot send you a full reply by this time we will tell you why and indicate when you can expect a full response. We will not consider a complaint about a decision we made more than 12 months before you contacted us. If we told you about the decision more than three months ago, we will only reconsider it if you have a good reason for not having asked us sooner. What to do if you are unhappy with the response If you are not happy about how we have dealt with your complaint, you can write directly to the Chief Executive at the above address. The Chief Executive will look at your complaint again and reply to you within 20 working days from the date we receive your letter. We have produced more comprehensive guidance on our complaint-handling procedure. This available on our website at: 7

8 If you are still dissatisfied with the response You also have the right to refer your complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to investigate the matter further. The SPSO can investigate complaints but will normally only act once you have explored the other avenues of complaint described above. Contact details: SPSO Freepost EH641 Edinburgh Telephone: EH3 0BR Online: Feedback and Suggestions We welcome feedback on the standard of customer service we provide. All suggestions and comments to further improve our level of service are encouraged. You can provide feedback on the service you have received by completing and submitting the customer feedback form attached to this document. You can also provide feedback by , letter, telephone or fax. Contact details are provided overleaf. Consultation We regularly consult with our users on the services we provide to enable us to further improve our standards. We provide a variety of opportunities to offer views and opinions including: Complaints monitoring Customer surveys Customer feedback form (enclosed in our Standards of Service leaflet) Consulting with representative groups (eg our Debt and Insolvency Services Stakeholder Forum - DISSF) 8

9 How to Contact Us Accountant in Bankruptcy 1 Pennyburn Road Kilwinning Ayrshire KA13 6SA Telephone: Fax: aib@aib.gsi.gov.uk Website: Aby otrzymać niniejszy dokument w innej wersji językowej, na kasecie lub w wersji z powiększonym drukiem, prosimy o kontakt: 9

10 ANNEX A Customer Feedback Form Comments and Opinions We welcome your comments and opinions in order to help us continually improve the standard of service we provide. If you wish to make a comment about the service you have received, whether good or bad, please complete and return the following form: Customer Comment Name:... Address... And/or address... Please note: you do not need to provide an address, a contact address will be appropriate. I wish to comment on the service provided by AiB: Signed... Date... 10

11 APS Group Scotland DPPAS13299 (03/13) 11

12 1 Pennyburn Road Kilwinning Ayrshire KA13 6SA T F aib@aib.gsi.gov.uk An agency of