Customer Service Standards
Customer service standards refer to the interactions between a business and its customer – setting out the expectations of (the staff of both) the business and the customer. Good Communication and Empathy always go a long way towards building deeper relationships.
GroupSupport are keen to work with our partners, customers and staff to create an environment of excellence, satisfaction and solutions – at a cost-effective level – creating long term mutually beneficial relationships. With this in mind, we have created the following guideline of our behaviour expectations within the organisation and in our dealings outside.
Response
GroupSupport will answer each enquiry in a timely manner, considering the day and hour of the contact. Within business hours we will try to answer each phone call within 5 rings, and each email within 2 hours. Out of hours response timeframes are for contract customers only. During day time we would expect to answer any phone call (or message left) within 3 hours, and any email within 5 hours. Night time contacts will be handled as soon as possible on every occasion. Any enquiry that is not able to be resolved during the first engagement will be monitored and followed up, then communicated within a suitable timeframe appropriate to the issue.
Customers will acknowledge that any request made will be addressed as soon as practically possible, dependent upon the current queries outstanding (within the GroupSupport team) and the time the request is made. Customers are requested to communicate their expectations of resolution timeframes clearly, to enable the GroupSupport team to work to either meet these expectations or advise otherwise. If the expectations are not being met the customer will always have a personal contact within GroupSupport to escalate any potential issue.
Respect
GroupSupport staff will be polite and courteous, and communicate as effectively as possible while looking to complete the task at hand. We require that our customers treat our staff with courtesy and respect at all times. Please advise our staff if you need additional support or time in dealing with the situation.
Clear positive communication always brings the best outcomes. We welcome constructive feedback and work hard to include any positive suggestions in our constant improvement programs.
GroupSupport has a responsibility, and share our customers inferred obligations, to provide a safe working environment for all staff (GroupSupport and customers). Any threatening, abusive or intimidating behaviour, or any behaviour that demeans others in any way, will not be tolerated. GroupSupport staff have the right to terminate any such interaction immediately. Such incidents will be reported, and may result in a warning or further escalation. GroupSupport may impose limits or conditions on how a customer engages with our staff in the future if the behaviour continues.
Resolution
All tasks within the GroupSupport ticketing system will be completed in a timely way, dependent upon the nature of the task.
The resolution to a task may not be exactly what either party expects, and the communication around the resolution is fundamental to establishing the way forward. Regardless of whether the customer wants to proceed with an advised resolution or not, there may be charges associated with the work done to complete the research, testing and execution of the work. The customer is liable for the cost of the work done, and disputes about the level of charge will only be considered within 15 days of issue of the invoice.
Warranty on parts is normally 12 months unless advised otherwise, or other arrangements made (some vendors will accept extended warranty). Warranty on workmanship is normally 1 month, although complex builds will have other timing (please ask our team at the time).
Efficiency
In all things, business costs are increasing and time is money. Both the customer and GroupSupport agree that every interaction needs to be as efficient as possible while maintaining the essential communication and understanding that make us human. That being said, sometimes additional effort is needed to communicate extra information (not necessarily relevant to the specific job at hand) that assists in the maintenance of the relationship in the current environment. The extra time taken may be chargeable, at the discretion of the account manager.
Both parties need to be cognisant of the fact that there are times where efficiency is the key, and times where relationship is more important – and both parties agree to communicate with clarity, timeliness wherever possible (with courtesy and respect assumed) so that the right balance is achieved.
Complaints
Should the resolution of a task not meet the customer requirements then the matter can be escalated within 15 days of the resolution being undertaken / the invoice is issued (which ever is the latter). After that the customer is deemed to have accepted the solution and any additional work done may incur charges.
Any complaints about any of the above aspects are to be in writing to the director, clearly stating the time, date, persons involved and the exact details of the situation. Supporting documentation is always more helpful. GroupSupport will acknowledge the complaint within 24 hours and respond to it within 1 business week unless there are extenuating circumstances – these must be communicated clearly as soon as known and before any deadline.
Payment Terms
GroupSupport Payment terms are set out as follows, and appear at the bottom of each invoice.
GroupSupport Contracted Customers and clients with Monthly terms – Payment terms are strictly 30 days unless otherwise negotiated or advised by GroupSupport.
GroupSupport Ongoing Customers – Payment terms are strictly 7 days unless otherwise negotiated or advised by GroupSupport.
Cash (all ad hoc) Customers – Upfront payment is required before commencement of any work or purchase of any equipment, payment for any other work completed is expected at the finish of the job.
If you are uncertain of which terms apply to you, please confirm by emailing office@groupsupport.com.au . Your payment terms will also be outlined on each invoice you are sent from GroupSupport. Ignorance of payment terms will not be considered a valid reason for late payment.
Failure to pay Within Payment Terms
Failure to pay within payment terms may result in your debt being referred to a debt collector and all associated costs will be aggregated with your debt and on-charged.
Note: we comply with all relevant ACCC rulings and regulations, where any part of this document inadvertently deviates from those regulations the relevant Australian Consumer protection law takes precedence.