Customer behaviour policy

1. Purpose and scope

1.1 This policy sets out Registers of Scotland’s (RoS) commitment to protect our colleagues from customer behaviours we consider to be unacceptable. RoS strives to provide excellent customer services to all our customers. We are committed to providing services that are accessible to all and we will treat all customers fairly, and equally. Occasionally, the behaviour or actions of some customers using our services make it impossible for us to continue our role as an impartial registration organisation trusted for our integrity.

1.2 In these rare cases, RoS must consider taking steps to protect colleagues and ensure that our ability to provide an effective registration service is not undermined. This policy explains how we will approach these situations. Customers who we determine to be displaying unacceptable behaviours will have contact restricted and actively managed.

1.3 This policy applies to all engagement channels and all customer contacts received by RoS’ colleagues.

1.4 The aim of the policy is to support to the corporate values and strategic objectives, specifically:

• Being customer focussed – ensuring that we are delivering excellent service and treating our customers fairly and equally
• Invest in our people – putting mechanisms in place that protect our colleagues from customers who exhibit unacceptable behaviours.

1.5 Documented procedures on how we manage our customer contacts support this policy and will be maintained by the customer experience team.

2. The policy

2.1 We will restrict or change access to a service where we consider that a customer’s behaviour to be unacceptable.

2.2 Details of how we will determine and treat unacceptable behaviour are published in the Customer Behaviour Policy Guide for Customers on the RoS website, which is set out in Annex 1.

2.3 Colleagues who are subjected to what they consider to be unacceptable behaviour will be supported by RoS.

2.4 Colleagues who are subjected to what they consider to be unacceptable behaviour must act and report all instances of this in accordance with the process set out in Annex 2.

3. Guiding principles

The principles of the policy are for:

• Colleague protection – RoS colleagues have the right to work without being subjected to unacceptable behaviours from customers
• Consistency – Ensuring RoS customers are being treated consistently when exhibiting unacceptable behaviours
• Fairness - ensuring customers are being treated with respect whilst being subject to our Customer Behaviour Policy and that finite resource is spread across areas of customer need fairly
• Optimisation – Ensuring RoS is using our resources to best manage customers with complex registration and other enquiry issues.

4. Roles and responsibilities

4.1 The Head of Customer Engagement is responsible for:

• The content of this policy, its approval and ensuring its implementation
• Monitoring
• Procedures and guidelines are maintained
• Ownership of procedures and guidelines are assigned appropriately

5. Approval and review

5.1 The Customer Behaviour Policy will be reviewed and approved by the Policy and Practice Group at least bi-annually, unless earlier review is appropriate.