The following provides a summary of information to be found in the Council's Customer Care Charter.
Customer Care Policy
Our customer care policy is based on the belief that all people who use our services have the right to be treated with respect and dignity in a two-way relationship that recognises the principles of public service.
Customers will be involved as much as possible, have the right to explanations for actions and the right to challenge/question actions without fear.
Mission Statement
"Within the resources available to it, Wigan Council commits itself to secure quality services, delivered fairly, courteously and responsively by well-informed providers who take pride in what they do."
Principles of Public Service
The Customer Care Charter refers to the main Principles of Public Service and describes how they apply to services you receive:
Standards
We are committed to developing ways of involving you in helping to establish standards and will build on existing schemes in the future. At present, specific standards are set in respect of access to buildings, replying to letters, answering telephones, complaints, reception facilities and home visits. All standards are designed to ensure you receive a prompt, confidential and courteous service.
Information and Openness
We will try to publish comprehensive and accurate information about services provided in a variety of ways according to the needs of individuals. We produce an A-Z of Services which is updated regularly, and we aim to produce all written information in plain language. Some Council information is also available on the Internet, www.wigan.gov.uk
You are encouraged to tell us if there is information you want, but cannot readily obtain.
Consultation and Involvement
We are developing ways to obtain your views and you are encouraged to complete the Comments, Compliments, Complaints form.
You can also write to heads of departments or verbally comment to staff.
We have recently completed a borough wide survey, interviewing 1,000 residents on a wide variety of our services. We will continue to seek your views and use them to improve the services we provide.
Access and Choice
We are looking at ways of making our services easily available to everyone who needs them, improving access to buildings and providing information about our services in a variety of ways.
We are also changing practices to provide choice wherever possible, although it is not possible to offer a choice in many services due to resources, legal requirements or other restrictions.
Courtesy and Helpfulness
We are trying to make sure that, wherever possible, any contact you have with the Council is a positive experience. We hope that you will always believe you have been listened to seriously, treated with courtesy and have been given clear explanations of decisions made.
We aim not to discriminate against anyone in the way we provide services.
Putting Things Right
We intend to get things right first time, but if we get things wrong we want you to feel comfortable about challenging us and making a formal complaint if difficulties cannot be resolved.
You can make a complaint in a number of ways, such as by completion of the "Comments, Compliments, Complaints" leaflet, or writing, faxing or verbally informing a member of staff. There are guidelines on the procedures to be followed and what time limits apply. Complaints can also be made via the Comments, Compliments,Complaints form on the Internet site.
Our aim is not only to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction if at all possible, but also to look at how the complaint has arisen, and try to improve as a result.
Value for Money
We are committed to providing or obtaining services which are of a high standard and give value for money. As part of that commitment, we will continue to develop and refine ways to look at the effects of services and to find out if the outcome of that service is what you and we want, or expect.
New Ideas and Improvements
We are always looking at new ways of improving our services and facilities by asking you how and what to improve. We are working hard to ensure that everyone is listened to and every contribution valued.
Working with Other Providers
We aim to find the most effective and efficient ways to deliver our services for you, working with other public, private and voluntary organisations where appropriate.
