Stationery Office Wins Government Charter Mark

The Stationery Office (TSO) in the UK has been awarded the Government Cabinet Office's Charter Mark for its customer service.

The Stationery Office (TSO) in the UK has been awarded the Government Cabinet Office's Charter Mark for its customer service.

Charter Mark is the Government's national standard for excellence in customer service and is the only award that focuses on the service that customers actually receive, rather than processes in place.

It is only awarded to organisations in recognition of their achievement of a high standard of customer service in the public sector, and TSO said that it recognises that excellent customer service is central to any service.

Successful applicants must demonstrate that they meet demanding standards in areas, such as customer consultation, accessibility of services, treating everyone fairly and dealing with complaints.

TSO is eligible for the award as it is a sub-contractor on behalf of public sector organisations and is the only organisation of its type to achieve that status.

Other organisations holding the Charter Mark include the UK Passport Office, Pensions Service and Ordnance Survey.

The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in a letter to TSO said: "Your achievement clearly demonstrates that customers' needs and aspirations genuinely form the basis for the design and delivery of the services you provide.

This is not a standard that is easily achieved and is a tribute to your organisation." Pennie Alford, head of TSO's customer services commented: "We are delighted to have been awarded the Charter Mark as it recognises the hard work and commitment of all of our staff in providing consistently high standards of customer care.

We strive to provide the right products, at the right level of quality and price for all our customers whenever they require them and in whatever format they need them.

The fact that our customer care has been recognised in this way demonstrates not only that we understand our customers, but that we are able to deliver our promises with a service that puts our customers first." TSO handles over 300,000 calls from its customers each year.

They include clients such as Ofsted, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, Investors in People and the Driving Standards Agency, as well as individual customers calling to buy publications direct from TSO.

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