Customer Service Standard

What you can expect from us

Please contact us through our website where possible.

You can self-serve online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can find information about our services, pay, book and upload documents using our website and we will process your query quickly and efficiently.

We offer a friendly, accessible and professional service, where trained staff are ready to help with your enquiry.

No matter how you contact us, we aim to:

• be welcoming, fair, responsive and courteous
• actively listen to our customers and use feedback to meet your needs and improve our services and products
• have professional, well-informed staff, who take pride in what they do 
• let you know what we can provide and what you should expect
• get it right for customers and do the best job we can
• make sure everyone has easy, equal access to our services
• communicate in plain language and avoid jargon
• respect your right to privacy and confidentiality

We aim to give you the following assurances for whichever way you contact us. In times of high demand, we thank you for your patience while we deal with a higher than average number of enquiries.

Our customers are important to us. We aim to anticipate and meet your needs so we can deliver excellent customer service.

We will try our best to resolve all of your enquiries at the time of contacting us. However, where this is not possible we will strive to keep you informed on what is being done to resolve your enquiry.

How you can help

Colchester Borough Council is committed to providing excellent customer service. There are a number of ways you can help us to achieve this:

• Our services are available online. In most cases, using our website is the quickest and easiest way to access our products and services and resolve your query 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can use our website to find information, pay a bill, book a service, or upload you documents.
• Council tax and benefits customers can now supply your documents easily online using your smartphone, tablet, other device or computer from the comfort of your own home. Just go to www.colchester.gov.uk/uploadevidence
• You can make a payment online at www.colchester.gov.uk/payments or using our automated payment line 01206 282725 or text phone 18001 01206 282300
• If you do need to come and see us, bring with you all the correct documentation and information.  We can then deal with your request quicker, reducing the number of unnecessary visits
• >Inform us when you need to cancel your appointment or request for a service
• Treat our staff and other customers with courtesy and respect. Our staff and other customers will not deal with violent, rude or disruptive customers
• Keep us updated with any changes that may affect the services we provide, for instance those involving benefits, council tax or assisted collection

Help us to get it right

It helps us to receive feedback on your online enquiry, telephone call or visit.  We constantly strive to provide the service you expect so please let us know how we are getting on. 

You can provide us with feedback on all of our web pages by clicking the 'Feedback' tab on the right-hand side of the page. You will then be given the option to rate the page and leave a comment (see below):

Help Us Get It Right

Our Equality Impact Assessments

We complete Equality Impact Assessments for policies, procedures and practices that have an impact on customers and employees.

Please follow the link below to read the Equality Impact Assessments for the Customer Service Centre.

Equality Impact Assessments

Customer Access Strategy

Our vision and commitment for customer services is 'to provide solutions that engage, empower and enable our customers to lead a better life'. This strategy outlines our direction over the next two years for each service channel, by ensuring excellent access to services for our customers. We will align this strategy with our Digital Direction Statement, ensuring customer's gain the information and services on line where appropriate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Where customers visit or telephone us we will do all we can to ensure their query is dealt with at the first point of contact in line with our current customer service standards and 'act on contact' principles. 

Customer Access Strategy