Lancaster City Council pilots new scheme to keep customers safe

The Customer Safe scheme aims to raise standards and consumer confidence in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It has been initially launched with 50 local businesses and is promoted under a number of different banners following a similar theme. The first two cover pubs/bars (Drink Safe) and food/catering businesses (Eat Safe).

Participating businesses will display a poster in the window and a QR code that consumers can scan to be taken to a brief survey. This will include the opportunity to provide comments and feedback, both positive and negative, from their shopping/customer experience.

All of the feedback will be shared with the business to help them to identify areas where improvements can be made. It will also be used by the council’s public protection team to support their work in ensuring businesses are operating safely.

Councillor Dave Brookes, cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services, said: “The success of the council’s Covid Safe scheme has demonstrated that there’s an appetite from the public to provide feedback on how safely they feel a business is operating.

“The council’s new scheme aims to capitalise on this heightened sense of awareness while out and about and will help businesses to respond to the needs of their customers and identify areas that may need addressing.

“It also provides an opportunity for people to give positive feedback so businesses know they’re going in the right direction.”

Unlike some of the existing review websites that are available, none of the feedback will be shared with the public. This removes the risk of vexatious or bogus negative reports unfairly tarnishing the business and puts the focus squarely on genuine concerns or positive accounts of a customer’s experience.

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