Coverage

This policy applies to all local resident management organisations working with United Residents Housing (URH) and to all customers of URH and its partner resident management organisations (RMOs). However, variations of this policy may exist locally in each of the RMO managed offices.

Other related policies:

• Customer services
• Service Standard Complaints Policy
• Procedure and Service Standard
• Resident Involvement Service Standard
• Resident Involvement Policy
• Compensation Policy

Linked TSA Standards
Tenant involvement and empowerment

• Customer services, choice and complaints
• Involvement and empowerment
• Understanding and responding to the diverse needs of tenants

Related Legislation
Equality Act 2010 Data Protection Act 1998, Right to Manage 1996 (as amended), Health and Safety at work 1974 (as amended) and management of health and safety at work regulations (1999)

Equality Impact Assessment

Date of next review is June 2013. Responsible officer is the support and monitoring manager.

Contents

1. Executive summary
2. Introduction
3. Policy outline
4. Equality and diversity
5. Monitoring, Review and Performance Information

1. Executive summary

1.1 URH is committed to meeting the needs of all customers by providing accessible and high quality services. This policy sets out how customers will be treated when dealing with URH:

• In person
• At home
• By telephone
• By writing
• By E-mail

1.2 URH aims to shape the organisation and service delivery around customers' needs and expectations. It is the aim of URH that customers are offered access to services using the method of their choice at a time and place that suits them.

2. Introduction

2.1 This policy sets out URH's commitment to providing excellent access and customer care. It provides a clear framework for what we wish to achieve, how we intend to achieve it and the mechanisms we will use to measure our success.

2.2 We recognise that having the highest standards of access and customer care is the key to providing excellent services and ensuring continuous improvement.

3. Policy outline

3.1 URH supports diverse, vibrant and successful communities by supporting each resident managed estate to make its own decisions and deliver services that focus on the real needs and aspirations of their residents. We recognise that in order for this to be possible, services need to be accessible and meet the diverse needs of our customers. Our approach sets out how we will:

• Deliver excellent customer care, as defined by residents and other customers, to all customers
• Better understand and meet residents' needs
• Increase choices and information for customers accessing our services so that services are easy to use, delivered in ways that suit residents and provide better value for money.

3.2 We aim to ensure the following outcomes that customers:

• Can easily access our services in the ways that best suit them.
• Receive information that is accessible, current, clear, easy to understand and jargon free.
• Receive excellent customer care and that this is reflected in improved levels of satisfaction.
• Receive regular reports detailing how we are performing against agreed service standards.
• Influence services to help drive continuous improvement.

that staff overall:

• Demonstrate a "can do" solution orientated service. This means being welcoming, friendly, treating residents with respect and providing an
• efficient and professional service at all times.
• Resolve the majority of enquiries received at the first point of contact.
• Are highly trained in Customer Care, Equality and Diversity and Data Protection.

at the office:

• Will wear authorised identity badges at all times.
• Treat information given by customers in confidence.
• Will respect customers' privacy and confidentiality.
• Will make initial contact with customers within five minutes of their arrival within an office.
• Will notify customers how long they are likely to have to wait if they attend the office without an appointment.

when visiting customers at home:

• Officers will make home visits where required and appropriate, and where ever possible, by appointment.
• Officers will respond to emergencies - normally within one working day for matters involving domestic disputes and harassment etc.
• Officers and contractors will identify themselves on arrival and produce their name badges in all instances to residents.
• Officers and representatives of URH will leave "no access cards" if the customer is not at home at an agreed appointment time or at a visit that was made without an agreed appointment.

that reception areas:

• Will clearly display opening times and the out of hours emergency telephone number(s).
• Will be clean, tidy, well lit, warm and well ventilated.
• Will display URH's full range of service standards.

that when contacting URH:

by telephone:

• URH will ensure that services can be easily accessed by telephone.
• URH and its partner organisations will all have dedicated telephone numbers through which customers can access the range of services available. Calls will be answered between the hours which an office is open.
• URH is committed to answering all calls within 20 seconds.
• Officers will answer calls politely, giving their name and organisation and ask the caller how they can help the customer, apologising if there has been a delay in answering the call.
• Officers will take accurate messages and pass to the appropriate person if they are unable to deal with the customer's enquiry. Wherever possible a response will be given within one working day.
• Customers are able to communicate to officers by text messaging.
• URH will only use voice mail or answer phones where telephone calls are not answered due to capacity on the system or out of opening hours.

in writing:

• All written correspondence requiring a response will be responded to in full within 10 working days.
• All email correspondence will be responded to within two working days.
• All correspondence will be in plain English and jargon free.

via the Internet:

• URH and its partner organisations each have a dedicated linked website.
• The website address is www.urh.org.uk. A range of services and information is provided via the Internet.
• Customers can contact URH via a dedicated enquiries email address which is enquiries@urh.org.uk
• Customers can also pay their rent via the email, view their rent account and report repairs and complaints via the Internet.

that United Residents Housing:

• Better understands our customer profile and uses this information to improve services to residents.
• Welcomes and responds to all customer feedback through surveys, complaints, compliments residents meetings and focus groups etc.
• Demonstrates that we have learnt from our mistakes and have acted on feedback.
• Ensures that all service standards and performance are effectively monitored, publicised and used to drive improvements.
• Involve residents in regular reviews of the services they receive and in mystery shopping exercises.

3.3 URH makes services accessible by:

• Ensuring that the URH main offices are open from 9am to 5pm for at least four days per week and late evening openings for the other day.
• Providing a loop system for people with hearing aids in all of our main offices and people within their homes when homes visits are made.
• Providing aids for the visually impaired in all of our main offices.
• Providing offices with a comfortable and accessible reception area with private interview rooms, a range of play equipment for children, a fully wheelchair accessible public toilet and interview room in all our main offices.
• Providing current and up-to-date reading materials on services provided within all our main offices.
• Making drinking water available for visitors in all of our main offices where possible.
• Ensuring waiting times are monitored in order to avoid unnecessary delays in responding to customers.
• Subscribing to an interpreting and translation service for a range of languages to which telephone and personal callers are given access upon request.
• Providing ongoing training for staff dealing with customers with a variety of accessibility issues and customer care training.
• Providing customers with access to home visits where this is more appropriate to their needs and to the issues being discussed.
• Maintaining data on tenants' current needs to establish accessibility difficulties by constantly updating our resident profiling information.
• Providing an accessible website that is RNIB compliant.
• Ensuring its main offices are compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act.
• Ensuring details on residents are up to date and that these are held securely on the computer to provide contractors and staff of issues relating to the resident to protect staff, contractors and residents

3.4 Clear and comprehensive information. URH has a wide range of documents detailing services provided, which can be made available in a range of formats including large print and languages other than English, upon request. All service documents are written in plain language.

3.5 In order to ensure consistent levels of service for all service users, URH has developed and published a range of service standards which include time taken to respond to telephone calls, correspondence (including email) resident involvement and complaints. Performance against these standards is monitored, published and fed back to residents and all Boards within the URH partnership.

3.6 Customer satisfaction and feedback. We believe that customer involvement and influence should be at the centre of our business and we aim to develop a culture of involvement that underpins everything that we do. This enables us to support communities, individuals and strive for excellence.

3.7 URH is committed to obtaining feedback, through a range of methods from customers on service delivery, giving them a greater voice in shaping future policies, and in using acquired knowledge to challenge the services we provide.

3.8 We compare our performance with the recognised leaders in our field and improve the operation of service procedures, in line with the principles of continuous improvement.

3.9 We undertake a number of periodic surveys and customer questionnaires to gather the satisfaction of customers on a range of services and improvements carried out.

4. Equality and diversity

We have set specific targets to identify the diversity of our customer base and identify gaps where the service is not being accessed this includes resident that do not access our repairs service over a period of time for example or have not had any contact with the estate office. Where barriers to our service exists, these will be removed.

By using this information intelligently we will shape services to meet existing and potential customer needs and expectations. For example,
providing information in different languages or formats automatically, without the need for customers to make specific requests.

4.1 Removing barriers to access

URH aims to ensure equality of access to all services:

• URH's offices are accessible to people with physical disabilities.
• We will provide interpreting through either a member of staff or through Language Line.
• All URH staff will have access to the Language Line.
• We will provide the services of intermediaries if someone has hearing or speech difficulties or other specific needs.
• We will work with other partner organisations to ensure services are provided to them to meet their specific needs.
• URH will carry out an annual audit to identify staff who can communicate in a second language other English and maintain a register that is
  accessible by all staff.
• We will undertake regular checks with residents who are known to have a physical difficulty or residents over 60 years old to ensure they are safe.

4.2 To ensure we meet the needs of our diverse customer base, we will:

• Ensure that customers receive equal access to services irrespective of age, race, sex, disability, faith or sexual orientation.
• Ensure all staff are trained on equalities and diversity issues and ensure they are equipped to deal with our customers' special needs.
• Offer interpreting and translation services to all our customers who have difficulty communicating in English and promote access to English classes.
• Make available leaflets and information in large print, on audio tape, in Braille or in different languages as required.
• Make more use of electronic communication so customers can access e-services easily in line with individual preferences.

5. Monitoring, review and performance information

5.1 All staff must take responsibility for ensuring concerns about accessibility are reported to the relevant manager as soon as possible. Each resident management organisation will ensure compliance with this policy and for sharing concerns and issues with the Board of Management. Accessibility issues will be reported to the Board of Management annually to ensure the policy is operating fairly.

5.2 We will know that this policy has been successful when:

• Resident, leaseholder and service surveys show improved satisfaction.
• Monitoring shows access to service is representative and
• The Audit Commission inspection assess this as an area of strength

5.3 This policy will be reviewed every two years or in response to relevant changes in legislation, organisation structural change or development of good practice.

(updated 28/01/2012)

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