It's official! The BHTA Code of Practice is approved and has been welcomed by Office of Fair Trading representatives and industry guests at a reception at the Houses of Parliament.
The launch is a result of a number of years of hard work by many people and is almost certainly the most important initiative to become reality in an industry that has been challenged during the past few years as standards have been questioned.
Now companies that are BHTA members will be acting at all times with the strict Code in mind and both customers and professionals can be sure that there is a ‘safety net' whenever they buy from or work with those companies.
It hasn't been easy as Ray Hodgkinson, Director General of the BHTA told the audience at the launch. ray is pictured left with Colin Brown from the OFT and Mark Oaten, MP.
“It has been a challenging process to achieve the status of self regulator and a long time since the then Minister, Melanie Johnson, asked if we had the will and motivation as an industry to take on such a mantle. I stuck my neck out at the time and said ‘yes'. The joint effort of all BHTA members has got us here today.”
Ray is sure, though, that the effort will be rewarded. “I believe it will stimulate the raising of standards, drive training and education and sharpen competition. More importantly, it will raise the confidence of professionals and, most of all, the public we serve, by placing their trust in BHTA member companies and their employees.”
And he made clear what he expects the Code to mean. “The Joint approved logo must become a high street brand as well as ensuring the confidence of all those professionals we work with. Where the logo is seen, doing business with a BHTA member will mean good service and products, good treatment, reliable advice and proper redress if something happens to go wrong. Our customers deserve high standards of business practices and ethics.”
Welcoming the Code on behalf of the OFT, Colin Brown, Director of Consumer Policy at the Office of Fair Trading said that he was delighted to help the British Healthcare Trades Association celebrate their achievement in getting OFT approval for their consumer code of practice.
“Why is it such a special achievement for the BHTA to have its code approved?” Colin asked. “First, it's the only association in the industry that has been willing to take up this challenge so far. Secondly, it has involved a tremendous amount of hard work. Although some of this hard work has been done at the OFT, the lion's share has been undertaken by the BHTA and its members.”
Colin told the audience that the work undergone to achieve approval was significant. “The OFT scheme's criteria, by which we assess every code, are very rigorous. There were difficult negotiations on the eventual shape of the code and the means by which it would be monitored. We don't give final approval until we are satisfied that code signatories are able to demonstrate - through the submission of hard evidence - that members are able to conform to the code. In practice, and not just on paper. So this is the third reason why approval is a special achievement. It is to the BHTA's credit that it was able to raise the bar, by offering and delivering a higher standard of customer service.”
Colin explained why the OFT endorses codes of practice. “The Consumer Codes Approval Scheme is a way for consumers to identify reputable traders with high standards of customer service, and a means by which to differentiate them from rogue traders. The Codes Scheme is becoming an increasingly recognised benchmark for high quality service. The use of its logo and appropriate promotional material makes it a brand that shoppers look out for.”
And he suggested that it was very much to the benefit of the member companies. “It's therefore a powerful marketing tool for BHTA members. It gives businesses a competitive edge by signifying best practice and helping to attract and retain customers. So the members will benefit both commercially and their reputations will be enhanced by the BHTA's involvement in the Codes Scheme.”
Colin is confident that the code will be effective. “How do we know this works?” he asked. “Well, our other code sponsors and their member businesses tell us, and our evaluation studies support this too. For example, the Carpet Foundation, one of the trade associations with an OFT Approved Code, found in its customer satisfaction studies that, prior to OFT approval, 61 per cent of buyers were reassured by their consumer code - but this rose to 98 per cent after the code became OFT Approved. The fact that our criteria and approval processes are rigorous and challenging means that only the elite of codes will get approval and customers can be guaranteed excellent service.”
According to Colin, the BHTA is now part of a growing group of trade bodies that have raised their game and have achieved OFT approval as a result. “We now have nine OFT Approved Codes including the BHTA, and five more working towards approval by collecting evidence that their codes work in practice.
So we are making good solid progress and, more importantly, these codes are in important sectors of consumer spending – such as homes, cars, energy and now, of course, healthcare. At the OFT, we believe strongly in the benefits of the Codes Scheme, both for consumers and for participating businesses.”
He added that the promotion of the Codes is an ongoing process. “We will continue to support and promote the OFT Approved Code logo to ensure that awareness of the scheme continues to grow, and to encourage others to join. And we would encourage you to be just as vocal about the benefits. Because the more we all pull together on this, the greater the consumer awareness and the bigger the impact and benefit for all. We can all be affected by rogue traders, either as consumers or as a business. Frustrated that the odd few can affect the reputation of the many in an industry. If we work together we can ensure that consumers know where to look for good customer service.”
Colin suggested that BHTA members now have a clear means to differentiate themselves from any rogue elements in the sector.