Policy Statement

The Fitted Horse is committed to providing professional, timely, and helpful communication with all clients. We understand that effective communication builds trust, ensures excellent service, and supports positive client relationships.

We are committed to:

• Responding to client enquiries promptly and professionally
• Being clear, honest, and helpful in all communications
• Maintaining consistent communication standards
• Being accessible through multiple contact methods
• Setting realistic expectations about response times

Contact Methods

Clients can reach us through:

📧 Email: emma@thefittedhorse.co.uk

• Best for non-urgent enquiries, booking requests, detailed questions, and follow-up discussions
• Creates written record of communication

📱 Phone/Text: 07359 205538

• Best for urgent queries, quick questions, immediate needs, and speaking directly
• Text messages welcome for brief enquiries or confirmations
• Voicemail available if unavailable to answer

💬 Social Media:

• Facebook: The Fitted Horse (Messenger)
• Instagram: @thefittedhorse (Direct Messages)
• Best for general enquiries and initial contact
• Not ideal for detailed consultations or sensitive information

🌐 Website: www.thefittedhorse.co.uk

• Contact form available
• Information about services and policies

Business Hours

Standard Business Hours:

• Monday to Friday: 9am to 6pm
• Saturday: Pre-arranged appointments only
• Sunday: Pre-arranged appointments only

Communications received during business hours are generally responded to same day or within twenty-four hours.

Communications received outside business hours are responded to on the next business day.

Bank Holidays and Closures:

• Closed on bank holidays unless otherwise stated
• Extended closures (holidays, training) announced in advance via email, social media, and voicemail

Response Time Commitments

Standard Response Times

Email Enquiries:

• Initial response: within twenty-four hours during business days
• Detailed response: within forty-eight hours during business days
• Complex enquiries requiring research: within seventy-two hours with update on progress

Phone Calls:

• Answered when available during business hours
• Voicemail returned: within twenty-four hours during business days
• Urgent calls: prioritised and returned same day where possible

Text Messages:

• Response: within twenty-four hours during business days
• Brief confirmations or simple queries: often same day

Social Media Messages:

• Acknowledgement: within twenty-four to forty-eight hours
• Detailed discussions moved to email or phone for better service
• Not monitored outside business hours

What "Response" Means

An initial response may be:

• Answer to the query if straightforward
• Acknowledgement with estimated timeframe for full answer
• Request for additional information
• Scheduling a call or appointment to discuss in detail
• Confirmation that message received and being considered

We prioritise clear acknowledgement that we've received the communication and honest timescales if we cannot answer immediately.

Circumstances Affecting Response Times

Response times may be longer during:

• High volume of enquiries (seasonal peaks, after social media posts)
• Scheduled holidays or time off (advance notice given)
• Training, events, or clinics (limited availability)
• Technical issues (email problems, phone issues)

We will inform clients of any delays and prioritise urgent matters even during busy periods.

Communication Standards

Professional Communication

All client communications are:

✅ Professional and Courteous - polite, respectful tone at all times with friendly but appropriate boundaries

✅ Clear and Helpful - plain English with minimal jargon, questions answered directly and thoroughly

✅ Honest and Transparent - truthful about availability and timescales, realistic about what we can and cannot do

✅ Accurate and Detailed - factually correct information with specific details and thorough answers

Tone and Style

We communicate with warmth and approachability whilst maintaining professionalism. Our communications are genuine and authentic, building real relationships with clients whilst respecting appropriate professional boundaries.

Written communications are:

• Properly spelt and grammatically correct
• Well-structured and easy to read
• Appropriate length (concise but complete)
• Professional and proofread before sending

Types of Communications

Initial Enquiries

When new clients contact us, we respond with a warm welcome, answer their specific questions, provide information about relevant services, explain availability and booking process, outline pricing if requested, and clearly explain next steps.

Our aim is to make an excellent first impression and provide all information needed to make an informed decision.

Booking and Scheduling

Booking communications include:

Initial Booking Request - acknowledged within twenty-four hours with available dates and times offered, location confirmed, services clarified, and any preparation needed communicated.

Booking Confirmation - written confirmation sent via email or text confirming date, time, location, services, costs, and what client should prepare.

Appointment Reminders - sent seven days before appointment with confirmation of details and opportunity to reschedule if needed.

Changes and Rescheduling - responded to promptly with alternative dates offered, confirmation of changes in writing, and understanding and flexibility shown.

Post-Appointment Follow-Up

After consultations, we follow up by thanking the client, providing any additional information discussed, sending consultation reports or summaries if applicable, confirming orders or equipment on trial, and providing care instructions or advice.

We check in within one to two weeks (depending on the situation) to ask how horse and equipment are performing, answer any questions that have arisen, provide additional support if needed, and schedule follow-up appointments if appropriate.

We remain available for ongoing questions and support after appointments.

Product and Stock Enquiries

Product-related communications receive prompt responses about stock availability, estimated arrival times for orders, alternative options if items are unavailable, honest timescales, and notifications when items arrive. We provide detailed product specifications, honest assessments of suitability, comparison with alternatives if requested, and care and maintenance information.

Custom orders receive regular updates on progress, estimated delivery timescales, notification when ordered and when arrived, and arrangement of fitting or delivery.

Complaints and Concerns

Complaint communications are priority and receive:

Acknowledgement within twenty-four hours maximum (sooner if possible) with sincere acknowledgement of the concern, commitment to investigate and respond, and timeline for full response.

Investigation and Resolution with thorough consideration, communication during the process, honest and transparent responses, solutions offered where appropriate, and follow-up to ensure satisfaction.

See our Complaints Policy for full procedures.

Emergency or Urgent Situations

Urgent communications are prioritised, including horse in distress or danger related to equipment, safety concerns requiring immediate attention, equipment failure causing welfare issues, or urgent pre-competition needs.

Our response:

• Prioritised over routine enquiries
• Responded to same day (usually within hours)
• Phone call preferred for urgent matters
• Immediate action taken where required
• Clear, decisive guidance provided

Communication Preferences

Respecting Client Preferences

We respect individual preferences for how clients wish to be contacted (email, phone, text), frequency of communication, and written versus verbal discussion. We record client communication preferences including preferred contact method, best times to call, and frequency of follow-up desired.

Preferences are reviewed and updated at each appointment or when clients indicate a change.

Accessibility and Inclusive Communication

We ensure communications are accessible by:

Multiple Contact Methods - email, phone, text, social media, and website so clients can choose the method that works for them.

Clear, Plain Language - avoiding unnecessary jargon, explaining technical terms, using simple sentence structure, and logical organisation.

Written Confirmation - important details confirmed in writing so clients have records to refer back to.

Patience and Time - extra time for those who need it, patience with questions, willingness to explain multiple times, and no rushing or dismissiveness.

We accommodate different communication needs including:

• Hearing difficulties (email and text preferred)
• Visual impairments (phone and clear verbal descriptions)
• Language or literacy challenges (simple clear language, verbal explanations)
• Cognitive or processing differences (clear structured information, one point at a time)

See our Anti-Discrimination and Equal Opportunities Policy for full accessibility commitments.

What We Expect from Clients

Clear Communication

We appreciate when clients:

• Provide clear information about their needs and concerns
• Include relevant details (horse name, previous communications, appointment dates)
• Specify urgency if time-sensitive
• Let us know preferred contact method
• Respond to our communications in reasonable timeframes

Reasonable Expectations

We ask clients to:

• Allow reasonable response times (not expecting instant replies outside business hours)
• Understand busy periods may cause slight delays
• Use appropriate communication channels (urgent matters via phone, detailed enquiries via email)
• Be patient and courteous in communications
• Respect our business hours and time off

Professional Conduct

We expect:

• Respectful, courteous communication
• Patience and understanding
• Honesty about situations and needs
• Timely responses to booking confirmations and requests for information
• Professional behaviour in all interactions

We reserve the right to:

• End communications that become abusive or inappropriate
• Decline service to clients who repeatedly behave unprofessionally
• Set boundaries around communication frequency if excessive

See our Terms and Conditions for full expectations.

Managing High-Volume Periods

During busy periods such as seasonal peaks, after popular social media posts, or competition seasons, we may experience higher than usual volumes of enquiries.

During these times we:

• Prioritise urgent matters
• Acknowledge all communications even if briefly
• Set realistic response timeframes
• Work extra hours to catch up when possible
• Communicate delays via social media or voicemail
• Maintain quality over speed

We appreciate patience during busy periods and assure clients that every enquiry will be responded to professionally.

Out-of-Office and Unavailability

Planned Absences

When away for holidays, training, or other planned absences:

• Advance notice given (social media, email to booked clients, voicemail)
• Out-of-office email notification set with return date
• Voicemail message updated with return date
• Urgent matters directed to appropriate action
• No new bookings taken for unavailable dates

Communications received during absences are responded to upon return in order received, with urgent matters prioritised.

Unexpected Unavailability

In the event of illness, emergency, or unexpected circumstances affecting availability, we communicate as soon as possible via social media, email, and voicemail to inform clients of the situation and expected return.

Booked appointments are:

• Contacted directly as soon as possible
• Rescheduled at earliest convenience
• Offered alternatives if urgent
• No cancellation fees applied for our unavailability

Communication Records

Record Keeping

We maintain records of client communications for business continuity, quality service, and accountability. Records include booking confirmations, consultation notes, follow-up communications, complaints and resolutions, and important decisions or agreements.

Communications are stored securely and retained in accordance with our Record Retention Policy and UK GDPR requirements.

Client Access to Records

Clients have the right to request copies of communications and records we hold about them under UK GDPR. Subject Access Requests are responded to within one month.

See our Privacy Policy for full details on data rights.

Continuous Improvement

Feedback Welcome

We welcome feedback on our communication practices including response times, clarity of information, helpfulness of responses, preferred contact methods, and suggestions for improvement.

Feedback helps us improve our service and better meet client needs.

Monitoring and Review

We monitor communication quality and response times through tracking response time averages, reviewing client feedback and complaints, assessing communication effectiveness, and identifying areas for improvement.

This policy is reviewed annually and updated based on feedback, changes in business operations, technological developments, and best practice evolution.

Contact Information

To contact The Fitted Horse:

📧 Email: emma@thefittedhorse.co.uk
📱 Phone/Text: 07359 205538
📘 Facebook: The Fitted Horse
📸 Instagram: @thefittedhorse
🌐 Website: www.thefittedhorse.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you and are here to help with any questions or concerns.

"We're here to help. Your questions and concerns matter to us, and we're committed to responding promptly and professionally."