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Predictability, choice and control

Enable pre-visit communication

Allow customers to share preferences in advance so their needs are understood and supported before they arrive.

Man doing something on his mobile

Why this matters

 

When people can share their needs before arriving and trust they will be accomodated, they are more likely to visit. This avoids confusion and improves the experience.

You could ask customers to contact you ahead of time to talk about their needs and make access requests. It also means training staff to respond in a helpful way and follow through on what is agreed.

“I like it when businesses send you what you can expect from this appointment and they have the little rundown, e.g. 'This appointment will take 10 to 20 minutes, if you have any further questions please reply to this email'. I like to know exactly what it's going to be like, especially for medical appointments and things like that.”

Community Member

What best practice looks like:

 
  • Clear contact information for accessibility requests
  • Multiple contact options (email, phone, online form)
  • Specific staff trained to handle requests
  • Responding within 24–48 hours
  • Keeping records of the agreed changes. These are shared by the person’s contact method of choice.
  • Requests are shared with staff before the visit
  • Follow up contact after the visit to confirm the experience met their needs

Example:

A bowling alley’s website states: “Do you have questions or requests around accessibility? Email us 48 hours before your booking at access@bowling.com or call us on 1800 123 456. We’ll let you know how we can help and make sure our team is prepared.”