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.
Jack Perry
Chief Executive
Appendix
- Our commitment to you
- Our commitment to openness
- Our standards of service
- Our commitment to value for money
- Your feedback
- Comments and complaints
- How to complain
Our commitment to you
At Scottish Enterprise, 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
Scottish Enterprise 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.
In accordance with our Memorandum of Delegated Authority, competitive tenders are required for all purchases over £10,000. Individual business units may have a lower threshold, which should be adhered to. Competitive quotes should be sought for purchases below the threshold.
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 customer feedback on our standard of customer service. You can contact us at our Helpline on 0845 607 8787 or email us on enquiries@scotent.co.uk. We also provide a number of other opportunities for feedback:
- Customer comment cards, which you can find in our reception areas
- Customer feedback form (enclosed in our Customer Charter brochure)
- Annual customer survey
- Regular customer forums
- Annual General Meeting
- Daily feedback with customers
- Feedback facility on this website
Our website gives comprehensive information about our strategy, activities and organisation, and is regularly updated. We would welcome your comments on our standards of service and how we are performing against them.
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. A director will reply to your complaint.
How to complain
You can make a complaint to any member of staff at Scottish Enterprise. You do not have to put it in writing - a telephone call or email will be treated with the same importance. He or she will try to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, and if unresolved, will pass details of your complaint on to the appropriate senior director. The director will then reply to your complaint.
If you are unsure who to complain to, you can call our Helpline on 0845 607 8787 from within Scotland (calls are charged at local rates) or 0141 228 2000 from anywhere in the UK. You can also get in touch by email to enquiries@scotent.co.uk, or use our feedback form. Alternatively, you can write to:
Scottish Enterprise
FREEPOST SCO7559
GLASGOW
G2 8BR
You do not need a stamp to write to this address.
If your complaint has been investigated and you are not happy with the outcome, you can write to the Scottish Enterprise Chief Executive:
Jack Perry
Chief Executive
Scottish Enterprise
150 Broomielaw
Atlantic Quay
GLASGOW
G2 8LU
He 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, he 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.
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
23 Walker Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7HX
Tel: 0800 377 7330
Fax: 0800 377 7331