By Geof Collis
October 4, 2011
After my recent issue with my Municipality I decided to test our Customer Service Standard Feedback process and was a little disappointed in the initial results.
Even though Reception told me they had been through Customer Care training they weren’t openly aware of how to direct me when I asked where I could find their Feedback form, so in the end it was the Accessibility Coordinator who directed me to their inaccessible Word an PDF documents on the website.
When I asked, Reception also informed me that it wasn’t as the Customer Service Standard states:
Information on the process must be readily available to the public.
It was actually buried deep in the website, not exactly readily available if you’ve just walked into City Hall looking for a copy.
To the City’s credit they responded in a timely manner a few days later and basically told me they weren’t going to address the issue, but at least it is on their record.
Now it’s your turn!
The Standard states:
Customer Service Standard: 7. (1) Every provider of goods or services shall establish a process for receiving
and responding to feedback about the manner in which it provides goods or services
to persons with disabilities and shall make information about the process readily available to the public.(2) The feedback process must permit persons to provide their feedback in person, by telephone, in writing, or by delivering an electronic text by email or on diskette or otherwise.
(3) The feedback process must specify the actions that the provider of goods or services is required to take if a complaint is received.
If you have had accessibility issues with your Municipality then you need to do as I did, contact Reception see if they are aware of the process for starters.
See if it is openly available on the website or in the Reception area.
If necessary contact the Accessibility Coordinator and ask that you be sent a copy.
When you do manage to finally get the document fill it out and see what kind of response you get.
If you dont get a response then at least it will be a part of their Annual report as my Municipality states at the bottom of their form:
Personal Information contained on this form is collected pursuant to the Ontario Regulation 429/07, the Accessible Customer Service Standard. Feedback information will be analyzed and utilized, in the development of the Annual release of the Accessible Customer Service Report to the Ministry of Community and Social Services.
By making it part of Public Record then if enough people have issues that aren’t dealt with then perhaps when enforcement finally comes around they wont be able to claim they weren’t aware of your accessibility concerns they didn’t’ address under the Customer Service Standard.
And as Suzanne Share wrote in her article AODA administrative Monetary Penalties Scheme – Three Strikes You’re Out!