We aim to provide high quality services and information for all our customers. Our Promise sets out the standards we are working towards.

We aim to ensure that you, our customers receive a high quality and efficient service from Stafford Borough Council. Our Promise describes the standards we are working towards.

We want to provide you with an excellent service, however, we need your help. If we have done something that has exceeded your expectations or a member of staff has gone the extra mile to assist you please let us know. It is also important that you are able to tell us when something has gone wrong or you have a suggestion about our services that you would like us to consider.

Our Promise

To show you how serious we are, we have adopted the following three corporate standards:

• When dealing with you we aim to get it right first time
• When you contact the Council we aim as best we can to deliver on our Promises and Service Specific Standards
• We are here to help.  If you do not feel we have helped you please let us know and we will respond to your comments, compliments and complaints

Hello, how can I help you?

When you call us, here's the service you can expect:

• Direct or transfer calls through to the right person 
• Offer you the option of being either transferred or organise someone to call you back if the correct person isn't available
• Make sure phones are not left unanswered

Just visiting? Be our guest

We'll make sure you receive a valued service when you visit us.

• We won't be late if you have an appointment or let you know why if we are late
• We will give you the information you asked for, and if that's not possible tell you why
• We will provide communication support such as a hearing loop or interpreter (with notice) if needed
• If you have a matter you want to talk about in confidence, we'll arrange to see you in private
• We'll make sure our offices are accessible, have clear signage, and are welcoming
• We'll tell you our first names, be respectful and professional

Dear Customer

When you write to us, email, fax or use a web form we will:

• Reply to you within five working days excluding complaints and if we cannot do that  acknowledge your contact and give you a time scale for our response or service delivery
• Tell you the details of who is dealing with your enquiry
• If you have requested an action/service form as that may take some time to deliver we will keep you informed of progress
• We won't baffle you with jargon when we reply, we'll tell you the facts in plain English

Promises, promises

If you think we've broken our promises, or you feel we've made a mistake, we take that very seriously.

• We'll make sure you know how to make your voice heard through our complaints procedure
• Ensure staff know how to deal with your complaint
• Acknowledge your complaint within five working days
• Investigate your complaint confidentially and be fair to all concerned
• Let you know the progress of your complaint
• Apologise when we've made a mistake, and quickly take steps to solve the problem
• Learn lessons from where we've gone wrong to make sure we don't make the same mistakes in the future
• If possible, we will try and resolve your complaint informally when you first get in touch with us
• You can contact us by using our online complaints form. Alternatively you can email info@staffordbc.gov.uk, or call 01785 619000
• If your complaint cannot be resolved informally, you may wish to make a formal complaint. To make a complaint you can use our formal complaints form. Alternatively you can email complaints@staffordbc.gov.uk. Your complaint will be acknowledged within five working days and a full response will be provided within a further 15 working days.
• If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of your formal complaint, you can request that it is reviewed by a senior manager at Stage 2. 
• If you are not satisfied with our response, you can take things further by contacting the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman at www.lgo.org.uk.
• See our full complaints procedure.

Every good turn deserves another

Now we need your help.

• Let us know all the information about your enquiry so we can deal with it effectively and quickly
• Please contact us if you need to cancel or rearrange an appointment
• Let us know if you need communication support such as an interpreter
• We do not tolerate rude and aggressive behaviour. We are polite and respectful to you, and expect the same from our customers
• If you are unhappy with a service tell us as soon as possible
• Do you have any suggestions about how we can improve our services?  If so, email us at info@staffordbc.gov.uk