Charter
Scottish Enterprise's customers are businesses, particularly ambitious, growth businesses which can have a substantial impact on the growth of Scotland's economy.
We are committed to delivering a first class service to our customers, providing value for money and being responsive to what growing businesses need.
Scottish Enterprise believes our customers deserve a high level of service from us and we aim to deliver just that.
This text sets out what level of service you can expect to receive from us.
Thank you.
Lena Wilson
Chief Executive
Contents
Our commitment to you
At Scottish Enterprise (SE), 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. Please read our equal opportunities statement.
Our commitment to openness
We are committed to publishing information about our targets, achievements, performance and activities. We publish annual reports and hold public meetings.
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 download copies of our publications from this website (read our policy on Freedom of Information), or obtain hard copies at our office, or by phoning or writing.
At our Annual Public Meetings, staff are available to answer questions and provide information to the public.
You can read Board Minutes online or get a hard copy by contacting our office.
Our Board Members declare any potential conflicts of interest and we maintain a register of interests which is available for public inspection
Read our Board Members' register of interests
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.
- Our reception staff will wear name badges at all times.
- We will answer your calls promptly and courteously within 15 seconds.
- 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 will return your call within one working day, unless we explain otherwise during your call.
- If you wish to contact us outwith normal office hours, you can leave a message and we will return your call during the next working day.
- 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.
- We will reply to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act within 20 working days.
- 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.
Our commitment to value for money
SE recognises 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.
Read our procurement policy
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 via our Helpline on the following:
Telephone
- 0845 607 8787 from within Scotland (local rate)
- 0141 228 2000 from anywhere in UK
Email
We also provide a number of other opportunities for feedback:
-
Feedback form on this website
- Comment cards available from SE office reception areas
- Regular Customer Forums
- Public Meetings
- Customer Surveys
- Interaction with any member of staff
- In writing at:
Scottish Enterprise
FREEPOST SCO7559
GLASGOW
G2 8BR
(No stamp required for this address)
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 we will also keep you informed of progress of our investigation so that you will know when you can expect a full response.
How to complain
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 we will also keep you informed of progress of our investigation so that you will know when you can expect a full response.
You can make a complaint to any member of staff at SE, 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 who to complain to, you can get in touch via the following:
Telephone
- 0845 607 8787 from within Scotland (local rate)
- 0141 228 2000 from anywhere in UK
Email
In writing
Scottish Enterprise
FREEPOST SCO7559
GLASGOW
G2 8BR
(No stamp required)
We also provide a variety of ways to contact us on this website.
If your complaint has been investigated and you are not happy with the outcome, you can write to the SE's 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 so and keep you informed as to progress of the investigation.
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