We are committed to providing a quality service to our customers in every aspect of our operation. We ensure that our products and services are open to all, regardless of race, gender, disability, age, religion or sexual orientation.

Openness

We are committed to publishing information about our targets, achievements, performance and activities.

We publish our annual accounts and annual review. We make sure that our website, brochures and other publications are clear and written in plain English. You can request information in other languages, on audio or in Braille. You can obtain copies of our publications from this website, at our office, or by phoning or writing.

When we publish our annual review, staff are available to answer questions and provide information to the public.

You can read Board minutes on our website.

Our Board members declare any potential conflicts of interest and we maintain a register of interests which is available for public inspection.

Our standards of service

As part of our commitment to good service, we will ensure that:

• Our main offices are open from 8.30am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday, except for public holidays.
• We will answer your calls promptly and courteously and will respond to voicemail messages within 24 hours.
• Staff will always identify themselves by name.
• If the person you want to speak to is unavailable, a colleague will deal with your enquiry or you can leave a message.
• We aim to reply to correspondence within five working days. If we need more time to prepare a response, we will contact you within this timescale to let you know when you will receive a full reply. This does not apply to circulars and commercial canvassing letters.
• Staff will acknowledge electronic correspondence within 48 hours and aim to respond fully within five working days. If we need more time to respond we will let you know.
• When absent from the office our staff will initiate an ‘out of office’ message for voicemail and email to advise of alternative contact arrangements.
• We will meet you at the time of your appointment. If you do not have an appointment, a member of staff will meet you on arrival and, if possible, deal with your enquiry. If it is more helpful, we can arrange a convenient appointment for you later.
• If we have an appointment with you, we will make every effort to arrive on time. If we are unavoidably delayed, we will do our best to inform you of the delay and the expected time of arrival. If we have to cancel a visit, we will inform you immediately and arrange an alternative appointment at a mutually convenient time.
• We will pay all agreed and valid invoices within 30 days of receipt.
• We will advise suppliers within 10 days of any queries with an invoice.
• We will reply to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act within 20 working days.

Value for money

We recognise that providing the best value for money is a vital part of our commitment to the people in Scotland.

We conduct regular internal and independent external evaluations to assess how efficiently and effectively we carry out our activities. We operate a policy of competitive tendering for the procurement of goods and services. Where we do not adopt a competitive tendering approach to contracts, the reasons should be fully documented on file and approved as per the Delegated Authority levels.

We use internal auditors to continuously review our activities and internal control systems. These are also reviewed by Audit Scotland. Our accounts are independently audited and published each year

Your feedback

We welcome feedback on every aspect of our business. We also welcome comments on our standards of service and your view on how we are performing against them. You can contact us on our Helpline on 0845 617 8787 or email us at enquiries@scotent.co.uk or write to us at:

Scottish Enterprise
FREEPOST SCO7559
Glasgow
G2 8BR

We also provide a number of other opportunities for feedback:

• Comment cards (found in our Reception areas)
• Focus groups
• Annual Review Forum
• Customer surveys
• Through any member of staff
• Feedback form for comments and complaints – help us get it right

We take seriously all comments and complaints that we receive from customers. Whether it is a letter, an email or a call to our helpline, we will try to reply as soon as possible and, at most, within five working days. We will let you know if we need more time to reply and will also keep you informed of progress of our investigation so that you will know when you can expect a full response.

We hope you don’t need to complain but if you do:

You can make a complaint to any member of staff at Scottish Enterprise, and you may choose to make this anonymously.

You do not have to put it in writing - a telephone call or email will be treated with the same importance. We will try to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction and, in any case, we will provide you with details of how to escalate the matter if you are unhappy with the outcome.

If you are unsure to whom to complain, you can call 0845 607 8787 from within Scotland (local rate) or 0141 228 2000 from anywhere in UK.

You can also get in touch by emailing: enquiries@scotent.co.uk or in writing to:

Scottish Enterprise
FREEPOST SCO7559
Glasgow
G2 8BR (no stamp required)

If your complaint has been investigated and you are not happy with the outcome, you can write to our Chief Executive -

Lena Wilson
Chief Executive
Atrium Court
50 Waterloo Street
Glasgow
G2 6HQ

She will acknowledge your letter as soon as possible - within five working days at the most. If your complaint cannot be properly investigated within that timescale, she will tell you and keep you informed as to the progress of the investigation.

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

If you are still dissatisfied, you can refer your complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. The Ombudsman looks into complaints about Scottish Government Departments, Councils, Housing Associations, other public bodies, and the National Health Service. Their services are free, and completely independent.

Their contact details are:

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
4 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS
Telephone: 0800 377 7330
Fax: 0800 377 7331
Text: 0790 049 4372

Email: ask@spso.org.uk