Our customer service standards

Wakefield Council is working to make our services better and easier to use for everyone who lives in or visits the district.

We want to give great customer service and will keep improving to make sure we meet high standards.

No matter how you contact us- online, by phone, or in person-you’ll get the same helpful and friendly service every time.

Our commitment to customer service doesn’t stop at the first point of contact. We’ll apply these principles throughout the entire customer journey, from start to finish, to make sure your experience is smooth and consistent.

When you contact us by telephone, we will:

aim to answer your call in 30 seconds within service business hours, or aim to respond to your telephone messages within 1 working day
tell you the name of the person you are speaking to
aim to resolve your query in the first contact, or provide you with detail on who will do so if this is not possible

When you contact us in writing, by mail, social media, or through other
electronic communications, we will:

if you contact us through a generic service email address, we will provide an acknowledgement within 1 working day this could include via a service specific auto-response, letting you know how and when you will hear from us
if you contact us through an individual email address we will provide an acknowledgement within 5 working days, letting you know how and when you will hear from us
give you details of who is dealing with your enquiry
provide a full response within a maximum of 10 working days
make sure individuals have clear information detailed in out of office messages, including when they are returning to work and an alternative contact for urgent emails
make sure our response is clear and easy to understand

When you access our online services, we will:

make our digital services quick and easy to use
make sure our digital services are accessible and compatible with most
devices
make sure our digital processes are tested, reviewed and maintained
provide an acknowledgement within 1 working day, letting you know how
and when you will hear from us
use feedback to improve our digital services

When we meet you face-to-face, we will:

be on time
wear name badges or carry official identification
arrange a time and place for you to discuss issues in private
provide follow-up contact details, where appropriate

When you visit Council buildings, we will:

create an accessible environment that is welcoming, safe and friendly
provide clear signage in reception areas
provide self service facilities where applicable
try to make sure you are greeted within 5 minutes of your arrival

We will be accountable by:

resolving enquiries at the first point of contact where possible
taking responsibility for ensuring you receive follow-up contact where your enquiry is more complex
taking steps to prevent recurrence of avoidable issues

We will keep customers involved and informed by:

keeping our printed communications and website up to date with accurate, useful information
having consistent methods of gathering customer feedback, and using this feedback to listen, learn and improve
providing a number of ways to get in touch including on the telephone, in person or online

We will be transparent by:

being honest and clear in our communications
providing accurate information
setting clear expectations about our processes, policies and standards
acknowledge when we have not met customer expectations and make sure we learn from it, admitting our shortcomings and make sure lessons are learnt

Our commitments to you:

we will treat you with respect and not discriminate against you
we will be empathetic, making every effort to understand your perspective, feelings and tailor our approach to your individual needs
we will have a positive attitude, using positive language, displaying genuine enthusiasm and making you feel valued and appreciated
we will use plain language and not use jargon
we will provide information in other languages or formats where needed
we will make sure our employees are trained to give you the best services possible
we will use technology and automation to streamline processes and improve efficiency

Our expectations of you:

As a Wakefield Council customer, you can expect to be treated fairly and with respect.

In return we ask that you:

provide accurate and honest information so that we can deal with your request as quickly as possible
tell us if your circumstances or contact information changes and what reasonable adjustments you may need
be polite, don’t use abusive or threatening language or behaviour when dealing with our staff members. The Council has a zero-tolerance approach to any aggressive or abusive behaviour directed at employees, elected members, agents acting on behalf of the Council or other service users or residents, and will take appropriate action where required
provide us with honest feedback
arrive for appointments or pre-arranged telephone calls on time

Service specific communications

Due to operating procedures, the services listed below have some enquiries that cannot be responded to within the 10 working days timescale and therefore they have their own timescales:

Council Tax

Council Tax will endeavour to respond within 10 working days, however unfortunately during our busiest times we could take up to 15 working days to respond to your enquiry.

Planning Services

We normally provide a full response to enquiries within 10 working days. However, if your enquiry relates to Pre Application advice or Permitted Development advice then these requests are more technically complex and it may take up to 30 working days for us to respond to you.

Licensing

Learner Support Services

Due to the complexity of some enquiries we will provide you with a full response to your enquiry within 20 working days.