Foreword

Publishing information

This British Standard is published by BSI Standards Limited, under licence from The British Standards Institution, and came into effect on 31 January 2014. It was prepared by Technical Committee SVS/0, Customer service – Fundamental principles. A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its secretary.

Supersession

BS 8477:2014 superseded BS 8477:2007, which has been withdrawn.

BS 8477:2014+A1:2020 supersedes BS 8477:2014, which is withdrawn.

Information about this document

BS 8477:2014 was a full revision of the standard, and introduced the following principal changes:

• a restructuring and thorough update of clauses to bring the standard in line with current customer service good practice;
• additional guidance for smaller organizations and sole traders provided throughout;
• the introduction of Clause 6 focusing on resources, people and technology reflecting the current customer experience and the importance of utilizing web sites and web-based systems such as social media.

Text introduced or altered by Amendment No. 1 is indicated in the text by tags . Minor editorial changes are not tagged.

BS 8477:2014+A1:2020 introduces the following principal changes:

• the introduction of 6.3.2 focusing on transparency and fair treatment of customers, and introducing measures to reduce the risk of existing customers being disadvantaged by loyalty penalties;
• additional references to transparency and fairness provided throughout.

Use of this document

As a code of practice, this British Standard takes the form of guidance and recommendations. It should not be quoted as if it were a specification and particular care should be taken to ensure that claims of compliance are not misleading.

Any user claiming compliance with this British Standard is expected to be able to justify any course of action that deviates from its recommendations.

Presentational conventions

The provisions of this standard are presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Its recommendations are expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is “should”.

Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented in smaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative element.

The word “should” is used to express recommendations of this standard. The word “may” is used in the text to express permissibility, e.g. as an alternative to the primary recommendation of the clause. The word “can” is used to express possibility, e.g. a consequence of an action or an event.

Notes and commentaries are provided throughout the text of this standard. Notes give references and additional information that are important but do not form part of the recommendations. Commentaries give background information.

Where words have alternative spellings, the preferred spelling of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is used (e.g. “organization” rather than “organisation”).

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

BS 8477:2014+A1:2020

Code of practice for customer service

Current

Published:

30 Apr 2020