The Consumer Council retains Standard for Inclusive Service Provision

Image Caption LR-Noyona Chundur, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council, Rebecca Walsh, Consumer Protection Officer

BS18477 ensures the adoption of fair and inclusive practices that identify and meet the needs of vulnerable customers. It provides a framework to help organisations and its employees understand the underlying factors associated with vulnerable circumstances, and to develop processes to support customers’ needs. By following the best practices set out by the British Standard BS18477, the Consumer Council ensures that vulnerable consumers are treated fairly and receiving the correct support, in turn giving customers more confidence in its service.

Noyona Chundur, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council said: “The Standard for Inclusive Service Provision has always been an important pillar of how the Consumer Council delivers its services but in the current cost of living crisis and the rising detriment experienced by so many, this is a hugely significant achievement, and one that I am extremely proud of. Our staff members have worked extremely hard to achieve and retain the Standard and it clearly shows the passion and commitment they have for helping consumers in everything we do – right across the organisation.”

The assessment looked at all aspects of the Consumer Council, from its Board commitment through to individual complaint resolution, how it communicates with consumers and how it reviews and designs its services.

Noyona continued: “This accreditation shows that we are committed to identifying and supporting any consumer that may require extra help to engage successfully with us, and to providing consistently high levels of service to best meet their needs. This award goes together with our Customer Service Excellence Standard accreditation for our commitment to high quality customer service that we have continued to be re-accredited for annually since 2017. We have also been committed to JAM Card for the past three years, providing consumers who need it with 'just a minute', and in the past few months all our staff members have re-trained in this.”

To find out more about our dedication to customer service and accessibility visit, www.consumercouncil.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are/corporate-social-responsibility