If we, the Customer Services team, can answer your enquiry, we will do so.  

If your enquiry needs to be handled by a subject expert within the British Council, we will route your enquiry to them directly and inform you. If such a person is not available we will ask you for a message and your contact details, and will ensure you are contacted again as soon as possible.

If your enquiry is not related to the British Council, we will attempt to guide you to the appropriate source of information.

• We aspire to respond to your telephone call within 45 seconds
• You will be warmly greeted by a member of staff
• If you do not speak English, the member of staff will respond to you in either Sinhalese or Tamil; or will direct your call to a staff member who will be able to do so. Please note that this can take some time and is not always possible
• We would carefully listen to your query/comment and may need to ask you for further details to establish the details of your enquiry.
• If the required details are not readily available, we will ask you for contact details and agree with you on how we will update you.
• 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 if appropriate, transfer your call. If we can’t transfer your call, we will return to you and explain the situation.

• You will receive a written response (unless you request otherwise) from one of our designated staff members.
• The response will be written in English in a clear and concise manner.
• The contact details of the member of staff responding to your enquiry will be included in the email/letter.
• If the nature of your enquiry is not clear, we will reply to you requesting for specific clarifications.
• If your enquiry requires extended research from our end, we will respond to you informing you of this and will give you an estimated time window for us to get back to you.
• We will adhere to the agreed action and committed timelines.

• During our working hours, our customer service executives will be happy to assist you. We aspire to respond to all calls within 45 seconds, but at peak hours we try our best to ensure we do not exceed a hold time of more than 2 minutes.
• The office opening hours are published on the ’Contact Us’ page.
• We respond to about 85% of enquiries within 45 seconds and 100% within 2 minutes. In rare circumstances, we do experience exceptionally high volumes of telephone enquiries. In such situations, our teams will try and respond to your call within the minimum possible time.

• 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 following working day.
• Following a bank holiday weekend or other extended closure, we expect the time taken to respond to be longer and aim to resume the above mentioned standards after a period of 3 working days.
• We aspire to answer all enquiries received before 1500 on the same day. Enquiries received after 1500 are answered on the following working day.

Our staff members 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 and complex enquiries they may consult subject experts for additional information. In this situation, we may need to either forward your enquiry to a relevant person, or will request you for some extra time to respond.

We check all reference information frequently.  However, information inconsistencies can occur. If you notice something inaccurate, please tell us, and we will take prompt measures to correct the information.

• We respond verbally, but may ask you for your email or postal address in order to send additional information to you.
• This saves you from taking notes during the conversation and helps you listen fully.

• We respond by email when an email address is provided, unless you request us otherwise.
• At times if we feel that discussing / explaining the matter will be more beneficial, we may request you for further contact details.

All our staff are trained in enquiry handling techniques, customer service skills and frequently asked enquiry subjects, prior to independently answering your enquiry.

As an organisation we respect diversity and do not discriminate. 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.

If you wish to talk to us about our customer service, please feel free to share your feedback and concerns with us at this address:

British Council
49 Alfred House Gardens
Colombo 03
E-mail: info.lk@britishcouncil.org

We look into our customer complaints seriously. If the complaint is high in nature, the Customer Services Manager will respond to you. If your complaint is about any other unit, we will share your concern with the appropriate person and inform you of where your complaint has been sent. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive and wish to escalate your complaint, we will advise you on how to do this.

Please refer the suggestions and complaints procedure for more details.