Citizens Advice consumer service
Partner readiness pack third update
April 2012
Contents
Introduction 3
Contact details 4
Local call numbers 5
Trader tracking 6
Communications 7
Next steps 8
Citizens Advice consumer service • Partner readiness pack third update 3
Introduction
Dear partners
Last week marked the official start of the Citizens Advice consumer service* taking over from Consumer Direct. After a successful six-week transition period, during which our service dealt with more than 25,000 calls and around 1,000 emails, we are now handling all consumer advice contacts with capacity to deal with up to 7,000 calls and emails per day.
This third update to the Partner readiness pack has some final information about the new consumer service, including links to the online webforms, information on local numbers as well as contact details for the Citizens Advice consumer service operations team and our new contact centres.
Please make sure this final update is circulated to your colleagues to ensure everyone has the latest information.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at change@citizensadvice.org.uk Yours faithfully
John Nodder Stewart Gibson
Project Manager, Citizens Advice Project Manager, Citizens Advice Scotland
on behalf of the Citizens Advice consumer service project team
*The Citizens Advice consumer service includes both Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland.
Contact details
Citizens Advice consumer service operations team
The Citizens Advice consumer service operations team is now in place and consists of a number of people who transferred from the OFT’s Consumer Direct management team and Citizens Advice Scotland.
The new team are:
Michele Shambrook Operations Manager Stewart Gibson Citizens Advice Scotland
Jo Orsler Management Information
Sue Russell Training
Julia Durham Operations
Sam Tappenden Operations
Kate Hobson Operations
Graham Goldstraw ICT support
Pratima Shah Business support
You can contact the Citizens Advice consumer service operations team as follows:
Email: operations@citizensadvice.org.uk Telephone: 0844 844 8801
Please note, this is a non-geographic number charged at up to 10p per minute. The cost of these calls may vary depending on your phone company so you should speak to them for more information.
Contacting the Citizens Advice consumer service
Feedback on individual cases should be sent to
servicepartner@citizensadvice.org.uk using the forms provided in previous editions of this pack.
If however you need to speak to one of our contact centres urgently, for instance if you have received an urgent safety referral and the telephone number provided is incorrect, please use the numbers below:
Energy and post cases – 020 3103 5227
General consumer cases England and Wales (prefixed with AN, AB, AK and AW) – 020 3103 5226
General consumer cases Scotland (prefixed with CS) – 01851 708429
Please ensure that these numbers are only used for urgent matters and that all other feedback or queries are submitted as detailed above.
Citizens Advice consumer service • Partner readiness pack third update 5 The only cost for our clear, practical advice is the call
charge. Calls to our 0845 numbers cost around 6p per minute from a BT landline (depending on the call package). Charges from other networks may vary and mobiles may cost considerably more.
We would prefer that clients are given our 0845 number to contact us. However, if a client requests a local number or complains about the 0845 number, the numbers below may be provided as an alternative:
020 8185 0710 – English language 020 8185 0717 – Welsh language
Clients who have difficulty hearing or speaking clearly can use the textphone facility by dialling 18001 then the full consumer helpline number.
Local call numbers
Trader tracking
Updated form
The trader tracking form provided with the Partner readiness pack update (February 2012) has been updated with further guidance.
Please delete ‘Citizens Advice consumer service trader tracking form v1.0’ and replace it with ‘Citizens Advice consumer service trader tracking form v1.1’ sent with this update.
Trader certificates
Now that the new consumer service is fully live, we can accept requests to add certificates to approved traders.
Service partners can use the form ‘Citizens Advice consumer service trader tracking approval schemes form v1.1’ sent with this update.
Please submit your completed forms, via the Secure Post Office (SPO) to tradertracking@citizensadvice.org.uk
Citizens Advice consumer service • Partner readiness pack third update 7
Communications
Links to website and webforms
Below are links to our new-look Adviceguide website where clients can find advice and information to help them take the first steps to resolving their problems themselves. Also included are deep links to the three webforms clients can use to request advice.
Website
www.adviceguide.org.uk General consumer webform
https://ssl.datamotion.com/form.aspx?co=3438&frm=cita complainform&to=flare.fromforms
Energy webform
https://forms.adviceguide.org.uk/complaint_energy.aspx Post webform
https://forms.adviceguide.org.uk/complaint_post.aspx
Written contacts
As well as receiving contacts via telephone and
webforms, the Citizens Advice consumer service can also deal with letters from clients that relate to energy and postal issues. These can be sent to:
Citizens Advice consumer service PO Box 833
Moulton Park Northampton NN3 0AN
Promotional material
As the consumer helpline numbers remain the same and web redirects are in place, Consumer Direct materials can remain in circulation post 2 April. You can continue to order Consumer Direct materials through the usual channels until 20 April.
We plan to gradually phase out the Consumer Direct brand as the Citizens Advice consumer service brand is phased in. This will help to avoid unnecessary waste and keep call volumes stable.
The Citizens Advice service has reproduced the popular Shoppers’ Guide and ‘credit card’. The Shoppers’ Guide is available to order now and the ‘credit card’ will be shortly.
To place an order you can:
• go online at
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/publicity_materials_order
• call customer services on 020 7833 7063/7139
• email customer.services@citizensadvice.org.uk Materials will be free to service partners (with a limit on maximum quantities), although postage and packing will be charged.
If you have suggestions for promotional materials please email lisa.nichols@citizensadvice.org.uk
Next steps
We will shortly be producing a Partner user guide which will consolidate all information for service partners.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or require further information, please email
change@citizensadvice.org.uk
Citizens Advice consumer service • Partner readiness pack third update 9
Aims and principles
The Citizens Advice service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. It values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination.
The service aims:
• to provide the advice people need for the problems they face
• to improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives.
Citizens Advice
115-123 Pentonville Road London N1 9LZ
Telephone: 020 7833 2181 www.citizensadvice.org.uk www.adviceguide.org.uk
Citizens Advice is an operating name of The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux.
Registered charity number 279057.
Citizens Advice Scotland
Spectrum House, Powderhall Road Edinburgh EH7 4GB
Telephone: 0131 550 1000 www.cas.org.uk
www.adviceguide.org.uk/scotland
Citizens Advice Scotland is an operating name of The Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux.
Scottish charity number SC016637.
