Customer Service and Operations

Accessibility and the promotion of choice

Many of our customers are from the legal profession or financial institutions. We also receive applications and enquiries directly from the general public and recognize that our customers include everyone directly affected by our work.

Customers can contact us in person, by telephone, fax, e-mail and post.
Professional customers with credit accounts can access our services electronically through Land Registry Direct and through our Telephone Services which provides a quick, convenient and simple method of applying for a number of our services, without the need to complete any forms, at local call rates.

The general public can now access our information electronically for the first time by using Land Register Online. Internet users can view and print copies of register entries and pay by credit card. We plan to provide access to title plans.

Customer Information Centres are audited for accessibility and have access for wheelchair users. Staff in these centres are trained in sympathetic hearing and providing quality customer service for disabled customers or those with special needs. We have staff who can provide British Sign Language. We provide a Textphone facility on a freephone number and subscribe to Typetalk. Customer Service Managers have guidance on the needs of disabled customers. We have also entered into a service level agreement with the Inland Revenue to provide documents and guidance on request in Braille, large print and audio-cassette format.

We use our customer feedback questionnaire, 'We value your comments', to assess demand for information in other languages other than English and Welsh. We also maintain a database of staff able to speak other languages.

A new disability leaflet for both staff and customers with information on access issues will be published on the Internet and our Intranet. In producing this we sought advice from our new Disability Focus Group.

We have recently been advising our Environmental Focus Group in relation to building interiors. This includes advice on issues that affect staff and customers with visual impairments such as contrast in colour and luminance (see British Standard 8300:2001) and other access issues.