Customer service charter action plan

Introduction to the CCPC

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (CCPC) mission is to use our knowledge, skills and statutory powers to promote competition and enhance consumer welfare. Our vision is for open and competitive markets where consumers are protected and businesses actively compete.

The CCPC has a broad mandate, with statutory responsibility for enforcing competition and consumer protection law. As well as our enforcement responsibilities, we have a responsibility to promote competition and consumer welfare.

The CCPC is also fully committed to fulfilling all relevant statutory obligations including in relation to Data Protection, Equality, Freedom of Information, Competition Immunity and Leniency Programmes, Protected Disclosures, Prompt Payment of Accounts and Safety, Health and Welfare at Work.

We have four strategic goals:

1. We will use all our tools, including our new powers, to increase enforcement and compliance outcomes.
2. We will empower consumers to make informed choices.
3. We will be the leading voice in promoting open and competitive markets and representing the interests of consumers.
4. We will evolve and grow in size and capability.

Related information

Our commitment to the Principles of Quality Customer Service

The CCPC wishes to provide the best possible customer service to all who engage with us.

This Plan presents the CCPC’s commitments under the twelve Principles of Quality Service for Customers and Clients of the Public Service:

Principle 1: Publish a statement (Customer Charter) that outlines the nature and quality of service which customers can expect and display it prominently at the point of service delivery.

The CCPC is committed to providing a helpful, courteous and effective service to all customers. The standards of service customers can expect when interacting with us are outlined in our Customer Charter. The majority of customers contact the CCPC through our website or our consumer helpline and therefore both the Charter and Action Plan are available on our website www.ccpc.ie. Both the Charter and Action Plan will be made available in hard copy, on request.

Equality/diversity

Principle 2: Ensure the rights to equal treatment, established by equality legislation, and accommodate diversity, so as to contribute to equality for the groups covered by the equality legislation (under the grounds of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller Community). Identify and work to eliminate barriers to access to services for people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, and for those facing geographic barriers to services.

The CCPC is committed to delivering a service that is available to all. We are dedicated to ensuring that no one is discriminated against in their interactions with us.

Physical access

Principle 3: Provide clean, accessible public offices that ensure privacy, comply with occupational and safety standards and, as part of this, facilitate access for people with disabilities and others with specific needs.

We maintain our offices in a clean and safe condition, and we abide by health and safety standards. Our staff includes a Safety Officer, Safety Representative, Fire Wardens and an Access Officer. The Access Officer co-ordinates any assistance that may be needed by external customers who have a disability. To assist us in ensuring privacy in discussions we encourage visitors to our office to make an appointment before visiting.

Information

Principle 4: Take a proactive approach in providing information that is clear, timely and accurate, is available at all points of contact and meets the requirements of people with specific needs. Ensure that the potential offered by Information Technology is fully availed of and that the information available on Public Service websites follows the guidelines on web publication. Continue the drive for simplification of rules, regulations, forms, information leaflets and procedures.

The CCPC has two main points of information for external customers, our website and our consumer helpline. The website provides clear and up to date information and is designed to meet high accessibility standards. In this regard, it follows guidelines set out by the W3C (the World Wide Web Consortium). The W3C WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative) produces accessibility guidelines that are an internationally recognised benchmark of accessibility. We make every effort to communicate with people in a way that is suitable to their needs, providing information in simple language that is easily understood. Our consumer helpline is another key avenue for providing information. Its function is to inform consumers by answering queries relating to general consumer rights, personal finance products/services and competition matters.

Timeliness and courtesy

Principle 5: Deliver quality services with courtesy, sensitivity and the minimum delay, fostering a climate of mutual respect between provider and customer. Give contact names in all communications to ensure ease of ongoing transactions.

The CCPC believes in treating everyone with respect and courtesy.

Complaints

Principle 6: Maintain a well-publicised, accessible, transparent and simple-to-use system of dealing with complaints about the quality of service provided.

We aim to provide a high-quality service to everyone, however if on occasion we fail to meet the standards outlined in our Charter we have a simple and efficient complaints procedure in place, which is outlined in the Charter on our website.

Appeals

Principle 7: Maintain a formalised, well-publicised, accessible, transparent and simple-to-use system of appeal/review for customers who are dissatisfied with decisions in relation to services.

Should the complainant not be satisfied with the outcome of their initial complaint, the CCPC has a clear and simple appeals process and this is detailed in our Customer Charter on our website. The customer can appeal the decision by writing to the Quality Customer Service Manager (“QCSM”) by email or by completing an online form. If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the QCSM review they can appeal the matter to the Office of the Ombudsman with a link to the relevant information on our website.

Consultation and Evaluation

Principle 8: Provide a structured approach to meaningful consultation with, and participation by, the customer in relation to the development, delivery and review of services. Ensure meaningful evaluation of service delivery.

Consultation and feedback are important to us as they help us to understand customer expectations, requirements and any areas for improving the service we provide. Our Charter includes ways to give feedback on how we deliver our service.

Choice

Principle 9: Provide choice, where feasible, in service delivery including payment methods, location of contact points, opening hours and delivery times. Use available and emerging technologies to ensure maximum access and choice and quality of delivery.

The CCPC makes every effort to provide multiple ways for our customers to find information about us and to contact us.

 Official Languages Equality

Principle 10: Provide quality services through Irish and/or bilingually and inform customers of their right to choose to be dealt with through one or other of the official languages.

Customers have the ability to interact with us through Irish or Irish sign language if they so wish.

Better Coordination

Principle 11: Foster a more co-ordinated and integrated approach to delivery of public services.

The CCPC works in partnership with a range of organisations in Ireland and internationally including business groups, sector regulators, government departments and other competition and consumer bodies across the world. It also enters into formal agreements with other bodies to facilitate co-operation, information-sharing and effective investigation of consumer protection and competition issues and to allow us to provide an integrated approach to the delivery of services to customers.

Internal Customer

Principle 12: Ensure that employees are recognised as internal customers and that they are properly supported and consulted with regard to service delivery issues.

We are committed to supporting our staff to enable them to provide an excellent service both internally and externally.

Monitoring & Reporting

Continuous improvement is important to the CCPC. We are not happy to just operate under a set of standards. We will push for continuous improvement to ensure we provide the best service that we can. We will monitor our performance against the standards outlined to make sure we are achieving them and take action if we are not.

Our Annual Report will have a dedicated Customer Service section, where we will report our progress against the set standards.