Handling and learning from complaints

Background

Effective management of complaints from members of the public about public bodies can:

• provide valuable information about weaknesses in programmes of work, policies and service delivery
• stimulate improvement
• reassure the public that an organisation is committed to resolving problems; and
• enhance accountability and transparency.

Poor handling of complaints can:

• fail to produce learning and improvement
• lead to repetition and in some cases exacerbation of the underlying issue
• damage an organisation’s reputation; and
• impact on an organisation’s relationship with the public and other stakeholders.

Scope

This review evaluated:

• the design and operation of the Government’s current arrangements for handling and learning from complaints; and
• the design of proposed changes in the arrangements for handling and learning from complaints.

Conclusions

The Government has taken important steps to improve complaints handling. The adoption of a Customer Feedback Policy, investment in a Customer Feedback Management System, recruitment of a corporate team and designation of departmental staff have shown a commitment to improving complaints handling.

More work is required to secure consistent handling of and learning from complaints. In particular, there is a need for a focus on:

• ensuring that the staff handling complaints are people with the right skills, experience, training and supervision
• ensuring that there are appropriate processes, consistently applied, to facilitate the delivery of the Customer Feedback Policy
• ensuring that the Customer Feedback Management System is developed where necessary and its capacity fully used; and
• maximising the value that can be secured from the analysis of complaints and handling.