Fair, flexible services for all 01A summary of the British Standard for inclusive service provision (BS 18477:2010)www.bsigroup.com/ConsumerStandards

Fair, flexible services for all A summary of the British Standard for inclusive service provision - identifying and responding to consumer vulnerability (BS 18477:2010)

Have you ever felt unfairly treated by a shop, bank or other service provider? Have you ever wished that an organisation had treated you with more understanding or flexibility?Maybe you couldn't read a contract properly because of eyesight problems or because theprint was too small. Or you missed a payment on a bill because you’d just lost your job. Or maybe the loss of a close friend or relative meant that you weren’t thinking straight and you signed up to a service that you didn’t really want.

What are British Standards?

The British Standards Institution (BSI) hasbeen developing standards for over 100 years to make products and services safer forconsumers. Standards set out good practiceand guidelines for organisations to follow.

It’s not compulsory for organisations to sign up to a standard, so you can feelconfident that those that choose to complywith British Standards take safety andcustomer service seriously.

Everyone has different needs and different personalcircumstances, which can change over time. Somecircumstances can make you vulnerable, putting you at adisadvantage when buying goods or services. For example, if you are physically disabled, have mental health issues,become ill or unwell, lose your job or are going through arelationship breakdown you might misunderstand a contract,temporarily be unable to pay bills or deal with customerservice staff or even lose money by being persuaded to buysomething that you wouldn’t normally. Or you might not beable to understand certain information sent to you, becauseyour service provider hasn’t sent it in an accessible format.

The law says that shops and service providers must treatconsumers fairly and be especially careful to provide fairservice to ‘vulnerable’ people. But it can be difficult forcompanies, and consumers, to know what this means.

The British Standard for Inclusive Service Provision setsguidelines to help organisations provide a fair, flexible servicethat can be used by all consumers equally, regardless of theirhealth, age or personal circumstances.

BS 18477 – The basicsThe standard for Inclusive Service Provision (BS 18477) wasdeveloped by consumer organisations, charities andgovernment bodies to:

• encourage the use of fair, ethical and inclusive practices

• show organisations how to identify vulnerable consumers andhow to treat them fairly to help them comply with the law

• help organisations to understand what consumers have a right to expect from them

• improve accessibility to services for all

• increase consumer confidence in service providers.

The standard was published in 2010 and can be used by any service provider dealing with the public – from energycompanies, to broadband providers, local councils, governmentdepartments, charities, banks or transport providers.

It’s not only consumers who will benefit from the standard.Organisations that choose to comply with the standard, andprovide a flexible and inclusive service, could benefit fromincreased customer loyalty and confidence in their brand.

Fair, flexible services for all 02A summary of the British Standard for inclusive service provision (BS 18477:2010)

BS 18477 – What to expect fromorganisations Organisations that choose to follow the British Standard for Inclusive Service Provision make a serious commitment to providing services that are fair and accessible to all. Youshould expect organisations that comply with the standard to:

Policies and planning• Make sure that all staff – from senior management tocustomer-facing staff – are committed to inclusive serviceand get the training and resources they need toimplement this.

• Do their best, from the start, to design services that areflexible and easy to access so that as many consumers as possible can use them.

• Try to anticipate potential problems and prevent themfrom happening, as well as make changes in response to customer feedback and complaints.

• Continually review existing services to see whereimprovements can be made.

Flexible services• Give customer-facing staff the power to resolve consumerproblems themselves, where possible, so that customershave a single point of contact rather than being passedround different departments and staff members.

• Allow staff to be flexible when it comes to dealing withindividual consumer problems – for example, to be able to offer a payment holiday if a consumer is ill, or to offerflexible repayment terms for those in financial difficulties.

• To never knowingly withdraw basic services, such asheating, light and phone, and to thoroughly investigatewhy bills haven’t been paid before taking action.

• Have procedures in place to allow third parties (such ascarers, or Citizens Advice) to act on behalf of individuals.

Staff trainingAll customer-facing staff should:

• Be trained in how to recognise signs of vulnerability in individuals, identify their needs and offer them theappropriate solutions and assistance.

• Receive full training in relevant legislation, such as theEquality Act, the Disability Act and Data Protection Act.

• Be made aware of organisations that might be able tohelp consumers with particular issues so that they canpoint them in the right direction for further assistance or information (for example, debt advice services or theCitizens Advice Bureau).

Fair marketing • Make sure that marketing information is clear, jargon free,and not misleading.

• Make sure that inappropriate goods and services are notmarketed to vulnerable consumers (for example: highinterest loans to those in debt).

• Take reasonable steps to ensure that all customersunderstand their right to cancel contracts and changetheir minds.

Sales activitiesCreate a ‘sales code of conduct’ detailing what theorganisation expects from its agents and regularly checkthat sales individuals, whether employed directly or via a third party agent, are following the code.

Contact methods• Offer several alternative methods for consumers tocontact the organisation. For example, email, telephoneand a postal address.

• Offer a free or low cost telephone number to make it easier for consumers to get in touch.

• Have a well-publicised procedure for dealing withcomplaints and target timescales for responding to them.

• Keep customers updated on the progress of their enquiryor complaint and when it is expected to be resolved.

Provision of information• Make sure that all bills, letters, marketing materials and other communications are available in a range of accessible formats and do their best to ensure thatcustomers receive information in their preferred format.

• To test their products and services on end users foraccessibility and usability.

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Q. Who do I complain to if I think that an organisation has treated me unfairly?

A. You should always contact the organisation first, to give it an opportunity to put things right. If it has a formalcomplaints procedure then follow that. If you are still unhappy then you can take your complaint to the next level bycomplaining to the Ombudsman (if there is one) or the regulator of that particular industry (for example, the FSA forfinancial services). If you want any help or advice about making a complaint, contact your local Citizens AdviceBureau or Consumer Direct (see the Useful Information section).

Q. Where can I find out more about my legal rights as a consumer?

A. The Citizens Advice Bureau has lots of up to date information about consumer rights. Contact your local bureau or visit its online advice guide www.adviceguide.org.uk. You can also get advice from Consumer Direct.

Q. If an organisation doesn’t follow the standard is it breaking the law?

A. It is not a legal requirement to follow the standard. But, if an organisation claims to comply with the standard, thendoesn’t, it is in breach of contract and can be reported to Trading Standards. Even if it does not claim compliance, inthe event of a serious complaint or incident, the standard could be used in a court of law to provide a benchmark ofbest practice.

Q. Where can I find a copy of BS 18477?

A. Your local public library should be able to give you access to a reference copy, or you can purchase a copy from BSIeither as a printed document or in electronic form (PDF format) http://shop.bsigroup.com/BS18477.

Frequently asked questions

Fair, flexible services for all 03A summary of the British Standard for inclusive service provision (BS 18477:2010)

USEFUL INFORMATION

AgeUK 0800 169 6565 www.ageuk.org.uk

British Standards Institution (BSI) 020 8996 9001 www.bsigroup.com

Citizens Advice (to find details of your local bureau) www.citizensadvice.org.uk (to read the online advice guide)www.adviceguide.org.uk

Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) 0845 604 6610 www.equalityhumanrights.com

Consumer Direct (for advice and links to local Trading Standards) 08454 040506 www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) 0808 808 0123 www.rnid.org.uk

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) 0303 123 9999 www.rnib.org.uk

Trading Standards www.tradingstandards.gov.uk