Spanish bureaucracy is notorious for being troublesome and is often one of the biggest challenges expats face when they move to Spain. Luckily, a new law is being introduced which should solve many of the issues with administration in Spain…
Most government agencies are now offering appointments, and a new law to improve customer service is expected to be introduced soon.
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Improvements to customer service
The first noticeable change in Spanish bureaucracy will be a new law to improve the country’s customer service. “The customer is always right” will soon be a legality in Spain, with companies being told to put the customer first. They will have to ensure their services are inclusive, effective and easy to access. This will initially be introduced in large companies with more than 250 members of staff, like Zara, Telefonica ad BBVA.
More human, less robot
There is also good news for older expats who may not be as “tech savvy” as the younger generation. Thanks to a petition titled “I’m elderly, not an idiot” by one 78 year old pensioner, Spanish banks must now ensure they cater for older customers and have sufficient face-to-face services.
Banks in Spain have agreed to:
- Give priority to the elderly and disabled
- Keep counter services open for longer
- Make digital services such as ATMs, websites and Apps simpler and easier to use
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Better public services
Utility services such as gas, electricity and water will soon have to inform customers of disruption to its services, rather than the customer having to alert them.
For example, this means that if the electricity supply is disrupted in a town or even just one street, it is for the company to contact each customer to explain what is being done to rectify the situation and to tell them their rights – this could be a discount on the next bill.
In addition, these alerts must be inclusive. That means people with hearing or sight difficulties and the elderly must be taken into consideration – the company cannot purely rely on technology to get the message across.
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