Customer Service Charter

Customer Service Charter and Service Standards

It is our commitment to improving the service we offer and we strive to get it right first time.

We believe that customers have the right to know what level of service they can expect from us all the time - even when we fall short of the high standards, we set ourselves to achieve.

We will:

Improve our speed of response in handling enquiries from customers by ensuring our information is in a format that can be easily accessed, read and understood, in both Maltese and English.
Provide responsive and reliable services that meet the expectations of residents and customers.
Provide a consistent, co-ordinated and proactive service. Customer service employees will be able to identify if the customer needs extra help or advice, and will try to help resolve problems.
Council may not be able to provide complete satisfaction but will always try for the best possible solution.
Make it more convenient, easier and quicker for the residents of Mosta to deal with us.
Treat our customers with respect, courtesy and friendliness, being receptive to customer feedback.
Enable customers to provide feedback easily, and improve complaint handling.
Ensure our employees are skilled and able to provide high-quality customer care.
Work with other departments, councils, authorities, entities and other organisations to achieve a joined-up and seamless approach to service provision.

Contacting us in Person:

We aim to see customers at reception, within 10 minutes of arriving at reception.
Waiting areas will be comfortable and tidy.
Opening hours will be clearly displayed.
Information will be kept up to date and will be well presented.
Facilities for disabled people will be available.
Private meeting facilities will be provided when necessary.

Contacting us by Telephone:

When answering the telephone, staff will clearly state that they have reached the Mosta Local Council.
The staff member who answers your call will aim to answer your enquiry there and then. If we cannot answer your enquiry or transfer you to the right person straight away, we will take your details and ask someone to contact you.
When returning your calls, staff will clearly state that they are calling from the Mosta Local Council, and their reason for calling.
When returning your calls, the caller will leave a message where possible if you are unavailable.

Contacting us by Email:

We aim to acknowledge and/or reply to all emails received within twenty-four (24) working hours.
The Council will do its utmost to address all emails as soon as possible.
The Council will notify that if any form of action can be undertaken, it will be taken as soon as possible, however in certain circumstances this might take longer since certain issues require a Council’s decision and / or action from other entities.
If you receive an 'out of office' notification to your email advising that the staff member is unavailable. The notification will include contact details for urgent enquiries, and a date when the staff member will return back to office.

Facebook:

We aim to respond to posts within twenty-four (24) working hours.

Contacting us by Post:

If you contact us by mailing a letter, we will try to respond fully within five (5) working days, unless for example, your query is complex or involves action from the Council and/or other entities.
In this case we will acknowledge your letter within two (2) working days of receipt and let you know what action is being taken.

Complaints:

We aim to reply and action all complaints within five (5) working days. If we need more time, we will inform you.
If you are not happy with the response you can refer the complaint to the Department of Local Government, who will look into the complaint for you.

What is not a Complaint?

The following are not considered complaints:

A request for service (unless there was no response to a first request for service).
A request for information or an explanation of a policy or procedure.
Disagreement with a policy or decision of the Council.
An appeal or request for internal or external review of a decision for which a structured process applies, other than that made as the result of a complaint.
Reports of damaged or faulty infrastructure, which do not fall within the Council’s jurisdiction.
Reports about neighbours, noise, dogs, nuisances, illegal parking, unauthorised building works or similar issues that fall into the regulatory aspect of other entities and/or authorities.

Many of the issues above are called ‘complaints’ when a customer contacts us. They are called complaints because a customer is unhappy about the situation and wants something to be done. The actions we take to resolve many ‘complaints’ are an everyday part of organisational life for us, due to the nature of services we provide. These issues will be dealt with separately from the formal complaint’s, since these require to be actioned by third parties.

Annoying and/or Troublesome Complaints:

All complaints received by the Council will be treated with the utmost seriousness however, if a complaint is found to be malicious, frivolous, annoying or troublesome no further action will be taken on the complaint.

Anonymous Complaints:

While the Council will receive anonymous complaints, it will generally only act on them where the matter is considered to be serious and where there is sufficient information in the complaint to enable an investigation to be undertaken.

Protection of Customer:

The Council will take all care to ensure that the reporting of complaints will not result in a customer experiencing any form of victimisation or retribution as a result of the complaint.

What if a customer is not satisfied with the resolution of the Complaint?

The Council is confident that it can resolve the majority of complaints received. However, we understand that it may not be able to satisfy every customer on every occasion.

Sometimes the Council has to make difficult and complex decisions involving many people, and individual customers do not get the outcome they want.

Complaints Management Process:

The Executive Secretary is responsible for handling complex complaints relevant to the Council. While most problems can usually be resolved at an early stage, there are times when they require a detailed investigation. If a complaint is of a very serious nature, it will be referred to the Department of Local Government.

Irrespective of the manner in which the complaint was received, a response to the complaint can be expected within five (5) working days. If a Councillor has submitted a complaint on a customer’s behalf, we will also respond to the Councillor within five (5) working days.

There are times when it is not possible to meet this deadline, e.g. where a complaint is a complex one and the Council needs to be briefed on the outcome of the investigations. In these cases, we will endeavour to keep the customer informed of the progress.

Our Expectations of the Customer:

To make our job easier in providing our services the Council ask customers:

For patience and understanding.
To treat staff with respect and in a civil and courteous manner.
To provide information that is clear, concise and complete.
To respect the privacy, safety and needs of other members of the community.
To phone to make an appointment for a complex enquiry or a need to see a specific officer or Councillor.
To phone the officer nominated on correspondence sent to the customer, quoting the file reference on the letter and/or subject.

Abusive Customers:

In any interaction with members of the community where personal abuse or vulgar language is used, the communication may be terminated immediately by the officer. If face to face, the officer will walk away. If on a telephone, the officer will terminate the call. If in email, the address may be blocked.

There may be occasions when the issue(s) a person has, cannot be dealt with to their satisfaction and it is not possible for Council officers to continue to respond; or correspondence contains personal abuse or vulgar language is used. In these cases, the Council may decide to limit or cease responses to the person.

If a staff member feels threatened by the language or behaviour of the customer, they may notify the Police.

Compliments:

The Mosta Local Council welcomes compliments about its staff and the services they provide. Compliments assist us to determine whether we are doing something well and also enhance the morale of staff. If you would like to pay a compliment, you may do so by telephone, at the reception or in writing. The Council appreciates the time you take to make a compliment.

How Can You Contact Us?

You can contact us to make an enquiry, compliment or a complaint:

In person by visiting the Council’s Offices situated at Civic Centre (Level 2), Constitution Street, Mosta.
By telephone on 2779 6000
By email to mosta.lc@gov.mt
By internet on the Council’s website at mostalocalcouncil.com

Review:

This Customer Service Charter will be reviewed at least once every two years.