Teagasc is to review its customer action plan on an annual basis to better adapt to emerging priorities in the years ahead.
The authority’s recently-published customer service plan will run until 2025 and incorporates feedback from internal and external customers.
Teagasc has a wide range of customers including farmers, students, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), staff, government agencies, farm organisations, agri-food industry, researchers and the public.
Teagasc provides information to Ireland’s 130,000 farmers, of whom around 44,000 use its farm advisory service.
Action Plan
Among the measures contained in the new action plan will be a focus on diversity and inclusion and support for candidates with disabilities taking up employment with Teagasc.
The authority will also roll out a new home working policy and will expand and improve its use of social media platforms.
The action plan is accompanied by an updated customer charter detailing Teagasc’s commitments on providing services, information and arranging events.
The charter says that clients’ requests will be responded to “promptly and in a helpful and courteous manner”.
Teagasc has a target to respond to telephone and email queries within two working days, while requests made by post are to be dealt with within five working days.
The leaflet says that complaints from clients will be “promptly and fairly investigated” and that a complaint will not affect how a client is treated in the future.
If a client is not satisficed with how Teagasc has handled a complaint they can contact the Ombudsman.
Prof. Frank O’Mara, director of Teagasc, said that much has changed in the world since the previous customer action plan was published in 2019.
Following feedback from customers, it emerged that a more agile action plan was needed.
“We have been presented with new challenges and some new opportunities – many of which affect how we deliver our range of services to Teagasc customers, clients, students and stakeholders.
“Customer expectations also continue to evolve and it remains as important as ever for Teagasc to adapt and develop to continue to provide high quality customer service,” he said.
“This plan will be reviewed and reported on annually, with provision for ‘course correction’ through additional or amended actions.
“This more flexible approach will enable us to better adapt to emerging priorities in the years ahead,” O’Mara added.