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Want to be your own boss? You are here:  > Home  > starting_a_business  > regulatory_services  > business_rates  > service_standards
 

Business Rates Service Standards

 

Our Service Standards

We aim to provide a high-quality service that is continually improving and gives value for money. To help us do this we will:
  • Deal with your enquiry fairly and sensitively
  • Deal with your enquiry promptly and accurately
  • Communicate with you clearly and make sure our documents are easily understood
  • Ask you regularly if our services are meeting your needs and strive for continuous improvement
  • Make sure you can access the services we deliver
  • Provide a complete revenues and benefits service to West Lothian
  • Work in partnership with customers to achieve a service that satisfies their objectives and fulfils value for money
  • Measure and monitor our performance against other revenues and benefits services
  • Monitor and review our performance against our standards openly and publish the outcome
To view our performance against some of these Service Standards click here.

Customer Consultation

As a part of our commitment to customer consultation a survey was issued which provided us with some valuable feedback. A summary of the results is detailed below:

 

NON DOMESTIC RATES - CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS

2005

2006

 

NO OF SURVEY'S ISSUED

1448

883

 

NO OF SURVEY'S COMPLETED

252

185

 

RESPONSE RATE

17%

21%

 

As some respondents did not respond to all question we have based this calculation on Q1 which we expect all respondents to have completed

 

 

 

PAYMENT METHODS

 

 

Q1

Please indicate what method of payment you use to pay rates

 

 

 

Direct Debit

49%

18.4%

 

Cash/Cheque

38%

63.8%

 

Standing Order

7%

3.8%

 

Bank Electronic Transfer

5%

12.4%

 

On-line

0%

1.1%

 

Credit/Debit Card

0%

0.0%

 

Total Responses

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q2

Are you satisfied with the method of payment?

 

 

 

Yes

97%

99.5%

 

No

3%

0.5%

 

No comment

0%

0.00%

 

Total Responses

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q3

If no, please indicate below what alternative method of payment you would like to use

 

 

 

All responses to this question have been transferred to the action plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q4

All methods of rates payments are normally payable on the 1st of each month with the exception of Direct Debit payers who pay at the end of each month, Do you find these payment dates

 

 

 

Satisfactory

93%

93.0%

 

Unsatisfactory

7%

4.3%

 

No response

 

2.7%

 

Total Responses

 

 

 

All responses to this question have been transferred to the action plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q5

If this is unsatisfactory, please state your preferred date

 

 

 

All responses to this question have been transferred to the action plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q6

If you would like to receive your bill by email please confirm your address

 

 

 

All responses to this question have been transferred to the action plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q7

If you would like us to send you communication by email

 

 

 

All responses to this question have been transferred to the action plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONTACTING US

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q8

You can contact us by post, fax, email, tel or in person. Are you satisfied with these arrangements?

 

 

 

Yes - satisfied

100%

97.8%

 

No - dissatisfied

0%

1.6%

 

No response

 

0.5%

 

Total Responses

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q9

Are there any additional arrangements you would like us to consider?

 

 

 

All responses to this question have been transferred to the action plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q10

If you have ever contacted us, please state if it was by

 

 

 

Telephone

68%

56.8%

 

Letter

21%

11.9%

 

Email

6%

15.1%

 

Personal Visit

6%

2.7%

 

No response

 

13.5%

 

Total Responses

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q11

Did you feel that your query was answered

 

 

 

Completely

85%

76.8%

 

Partly

14%

9.7%

 

Not at all

1%

0.5%

 

No response

 

13.0%

 

Total Responses

 

1

 

 

 

 

Q12

Was you query dealt with in a polite and efficient manner?

 

 

 

1 Lowest

4%

3.2%

 

2

3%

2.7%

 

3

15%

16.8%

 

4

38%

29.7%

 

5 highest rating

40%

33.0%

 

No response

 

14.6%

 

Total Responses

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q13

If you contacted us, were you able to find our contact details easily

 

 

 

YES

97%

80.5%

 

NO

3%

4.9%

 

No response

 

14.6%

 

Total Responses

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q14

If not, please state why not

 

 

 

All responses to this question have been transferred to the action plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q15

If you contacted us, please say whether your enquiry was replied to

 

 

 

In less than 10 days

75%

63.2%

 

Between 10 - 14 days

17%

11.4%

 

Between 14 - 28 days

6%

4.9%

 

More than 28 days

3%

2.2%

 

No response

 

18.4%

 

Total Responses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUR CORRESPONDENCE

 

 

Q16

When you receive communications from the Business Rates Team do you find them clear and easy to understand

 

 

 

YES

98%

94.1%

 

NO

2%

4.3%

 

No response

 

1.6%

 

Total Responses

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q17

If no, please indicate why

 

 

 

All responses to this question have been transferred to the action plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q18

Is there any more information that we could supply that you would find useful

 

 

 

All responses to this question have been transferred to the action plan