Belgium is working on a new charter to commit companies and sectors that sign it to a customer-friendly policy, which is expected to be introduced in October this year.
The Charter for Customer Friendliness will replace the previous one which dates back to 2011 and intended to boost the customer-friendliness of large companies in particular by setting clear guidelines for service provision. This is now seen as "hopelessly outdated."
"From now on, the charter will be called the Happy Customer Charter," State Secretary for Consumer Protection Eva De Bleeker announced on Wednesday. In time, the charter could develop into a quality label.
Telephone-based customer service
The previous charter focused on ensuring that customers were aware of how to contact a company, what the call costs were, how long it could take and how many times they could be transferred, among other things.
However, in the last ten years, a lot has changed in the business world, and where the previous regulations mainly focused on telephony, customer services today also work via chat or, for example, WhatsApp.
In the past decade, just nine companies joined the charter, mainly telephone and utility companies, meaning the scope and the impact of the charter is currently too limited. It is hoped that more sectors will join in and sign the new charter.
Self-regulation
Businesses that signed the charter and then flout the rules it engrains cannot be punished, as it is a commitment made by the sectors and companies themselves, however, the Economic Inspection can keep an eye on things and can remind companies to stick to the rules.
Related News
- Influencers can still keep addresses under wraps as solution is sought
- Financial services authority warns of wine investment scam
"Self-regulation by the sector is extremely important," emphasised Bert Vanmanshoven, chair of the Customer Contact sector federation.
He wants to see the charter develop into a label that companies can put on their site, so that customers see that the company considers customer friendliness of paramount importance.
The new charter will come into effect in October, and companies have six months to implement the rules.
