Customer Service
Customer Service ©

British Council

We aim to help you with your enquiry

  • If the Customer Services team can answer your enquiry, we will be happy to assist you.  
  • If your enquiry needs to be handled by a subject expert within the British Council, we will route your enquiry to them directly. Alternatively we may give you details of an appropriate individual to contact.
  • If your enquiry is not related to the British Council we will attempt to guide you to the appropriate source of information.

We handle your enquiry in a professional manner

Telephone Enquiries                                                                                                          

  • Our customer service teams are trained and monitored closely in order to handle your enquiries efficiently and effectively.
  • If you do not speak English, the member of staff will try to respond to you in a local language. Please note, this may take more time and may not always be possible.
  • We will carefully listen to your query/comment and may ask you for further details so as to find a solution .
  • If the required information is not readily available, we will ask you for contact details and agree a suitable response time.
  • If we need to transfer a call to someone else, we will inform you, then speak to the other  person on your behalf, and then  transfer your call. If we cannot transfer your call, we will explain the reason.

Written Enquiries

  • You will receive a written response (unless you request otherwise) from one of our designated staff member.
  • The response will be written in simple and easy to understand English language.
  • The contact details of the member of staff will be included in the email / letter.
  • If the nature of your enquiry is not clear we will reply to you stating the same and request clarification from you.
  • If your enquiry requires extended research, we will respond to you informing how much time it is likely to take.  

We will answer your enquiry promptly

Telephone Enquiries

  • During our operational hours, our customer service executives will be happy to assist you. We aspire to respond to all calls within 45 seconds.
  • But if the call volume is extremely high , we try to ensure your call is responded to within 2 minutes. Generally we are able to respond to about 85 % of enquiries within 45 seconds & 100 % within 2 minutes.

Written Enquiries

  • We are committed to responding to all email enquiries within 48 hours of receipt of the mail.
  • Enquiries received on a non-working day will be answered on the next working day.
  • Following a bank holiday, weekend or other extended closure, we expect the reply times to be longer and aim to resume the standards above after 3 working days.

We aim to answer your enquiry with up to date information

  • Our staffs are trained to provide accurate information, in a precise and simple manner. They have access to most systems that enable them to provide accurate information. However, for some detailed / complex enquiries they may need information from the subject experts. In that situation we may need to forward your enquiry which may take additional time. We will seek information internally and then respond to you.
  • All reference information is checked frequently.  However at times the information may change without our knowledge.  Should you notice some inaccurate information, please do not hesitate to inform us.  We will correct the information as soon as possible.

We aim for staff to be fully trained prior to answering your enquiry

  • All our staffs are trained in enquiry handling techniques, customer service skills and how to respond to enquiries about our products & services.
  • As an organisation we respect diversity and do not discriminate on the grounds of sex, marital status, race, colour, creed, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age or disability. We are an equal opportunity employer.
  • If a new member of staff answers your enquiry, they are closely monitored and supported by an experienced member of staff.

We value your feedback and have a clear complaints process

Please feel free to share your feedback with us. Your complaint/ concern / feedback will be addressed by a customer services manager or a manager in the relevant unit. We acknowledge complaints within three business days and resolve the complaint within ten working days.

Exams Complaint Examsfeedback@britishcouncil.org  
Other Complaints  Indiafeedback@britishcouncil.org  

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive and wish to escalate your complaint, you may write to Saman Shahzad, Head Customer Services, South Asia at saman.shahzad@britishcouncil.org.pk

In case you would like to address your concern to our office in the UK for an internal investigation, you may write to the British Council Information Centre

See also