Managing complaints and feedback 104-02000000

The agency receives and manages customer complaints and feedback across each service delivery brand. The management process is governed by the:

• Customer Complaints and Feedback Policy, and
• Customer Complaint and Feedback Management Guidelines

The agency follows the principles of complaint handling outlined in the Commonwealth Ombudsman's Better Practice Guide to Complaints Handling.

The Multicultural and Tailored Services Branch is responsible for:

• all policy and procedures to do with customer complaints and feedback
• the management of all Level 2 complaints

The Australian Public Service (APS) is apolitical. Service officers must:

• remain apolitical
• be aware of the APS Code of Conduct
• discuss with their manager any conflict of interest

Feedback is a term used to reflect a complaint, compliment or suggestion:

• Complaint is made if:
  • a person expresses dissatisfaction in relation to a product or service, and
  • a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected or legally required
• Compliment is an expression of praise for a staff member, product or service provided by the agency
• Suggestion is a proposal to consider improvement or change to a product or service, typically because of observation or experience

Feedback can be given:

• by phone
• in writing
• in person
• online

Feedback can be given about a service, process or decision of the agency by:

• a customer - payer, recipient, parent, non-parent carer or employer
• a legal and/or authorised representative of a customer
• a member of the public
• individuals who are not customers of the agency
• an external stakeholder, for example a Member of Parliament or the Commonwealth Ombudsman, on behalf of a customer
• individuals who wish to remain anonymous

The staff member taking the complaint is responsible for:

• confirming with the customer whether they are making a general enquiry or a complaint
• managing the customer's general enquiry by providing general information

A complaint is not a review of the technical correctness of a decision. Customers need to pursue their review and appeal rights through the relevant channels such as:

• agency formal review or objection processes
• Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)

Where a complaint includes a request for compensation, direct the complainant to Services Australia’s website > Claim compensation from us. This webpage includes a link to the Compensation Application form (SS509). Staff can also contact the Review Investigations Team. For more information about claiming compensation, see Customer compensation and act of grace payments.

The agency has 2 levels of complaint management. Customers are advised:

• which level their complaint is being investigated at (Level 1 or Level 2)
• the expected timeframe to finalise the matter, and
• subsequent escalation options should they remain dissatisfied with the outcome

Level 1 complaint

This is the response to customers managed at first point of contact and includes complaints received:

• on the agency’s Feedback and Complaints line
• via a general business queue
• in a service centre
• on an outbound call
• in writing
• online

The service officer who receives the complaint takes ownership of the complaint and tries to resolve it for the customer. This may require support from Technical Support or a Manager.

See Level 1 -Manage complaints and feedback.

Level 2 complaint

A complaint that cannot be resolved at Level 1 and meets a complaint escalation reason is managed as a Level 2 complaint. To:

• escalate a complaint to Level 2 for:
  • Centrelink or Medicare, see Level 1 - Manage complaints and feedback
  • Child Support, see Level 1 complaints - Child Support
• manage a Level 2 complaint, see Level 2 complaints

The Resources page contains scenarios that show the differences and key indicators for feedback compared to reviews, appeals, and general enquiries.

All Centrelink and Medicare feedback must be recorded in the Customer Feedback Tool (CFT).

If the customer has lodged their feedback online, staff must review the Details tab coding to determine if the CFT has been coded correctly.

First contact resolution

The staff member who first receives the feedback:

• takes ownership of the feedback, and
• will investigate and try to finalise it

First contact resolution applies to all feedback including written complaints and complaints received online.

First contact resolution is about resolving the customer feedback or issue at the point of entry, addressing all outstanding issues and applying a collaborative approach with specialist areas when needed.

Compliments and suggestions are managed and finalised at Level 1.

Start-to-finish management by a complaint’s owner

A staff member keeps ownership of a complaint until it is finalised or is escalated to a Level 2 complaint. A Level 1 complaint is considered finalised when:

• all reasonable actions have been taken to resolve the issue
• the customer has been advised of:
  • the complaint outcome
  • suitable options for escalation if they remain dissatisfied

If consultation with specialists is required, the staff member managing the complaint retains ownership of the complaint while consulting with relevant business owners and stakeholders to resolve issues.

Address and action all outstanding business and issues. Make the customer aware of next steps to prevent unnecessary contact.

Outcome of complaints

• Help business areas improve the services provided
• Highlight systemic or administrative problems in business areas. The References page contains more details about systemic issues
• Customer may offer suggestions to improve service delivery

When complaints or feedback are recorded, regular reports are provided to business areas to enable trends and systemic issues to be identified and addressed.

Complaints from children and young people, under the age of 18, are considered sensitive and must be managed accordingly.

If a staff member, in the course of their duties, identifies concerns about a child’s safety, immediate steps must be taken.

See Risk identification and management of threats to the safety or welfare of a child and Level 1 - Manage complaints and feedback.

If the customer making the complaint is aggressive or making threats, staff and customer safety is the top priority. Complaints officers should:

• talk to a Team Leader or Manager
• report the incident
• use supports available

If a customer threatens to harm themselves or another person, respond immediately.

Many customers contact the agency at times when they are vulnerable and in crisis. Supports include:

• Customer aggression – Prevention and management
• Customers talking about suicide or self-harm
• Family and domestic violence
• Social work services
• Escalation Coordination Team

Acknowledging someone's feelings or point of view without necessarily agreeing with their perspective can:

• help build rapport
• show empathy and care

An effective apology includes:

• admitting to the problem, to help the person feel heard and understood
• acknowledging that the agency was responsible, if that was the case
• explaining to the person how the problem came about
• assuring the person that the problem will not happen again, for example by explaining what processes the agency or service delivery brand (Centrelink, Child Support or Medicare) has put in place
• recognising that a person's real grievance may have an emotive element and be different from how their complaint was expressed

Complaints, compliments and suggestions are recorded in:

• the Customer Feedback Tool (CFT), or
• Cuba

Customer Feedback Tool (CFT)

Staff use the CFT to report all Centrelink and Medicare customer complaints, compliments and suggestions.

See Recording complaints and feedback in the Customer Feedback Tool for details.

CDMS

Medicare customer complaints must also be recorded as a Sensitive Information Indicator in CDMS.

An indicator for an open complaint triggers a Sensitive Information alert that staff can view from the Sensitive Information pop up table.

Staff can view amended and end dated indicators in the Sensitive Information tab in Inquire on Consumer Details.

To record a Sensitive Information Indicator, see the Adding or amending Service Indicators table.

Cuba

Staff use Cuba to record Child Support complaints and compliments.

See Recording Child Support complaints and compliments in Cuba for details.

Staff Feedback Tool

The Staff Feedback Tool:

• records internal feedback (that is, staff to staff, or staff to team)
• is not used to record feedback from customers or behavioural feedback about staff
• gives feedback about a service failure. This is where a service officer has identified an internal service failure separate to the issue raised by the customer

Notes are a record of customer feedback. They give clear details of actions taken.

Good documentation is necessary to:

• satisfy legislative and regulatory requirements
• provide an accurate record of feedback management
• give details for a third party to analyse and understand the issue and the action(s) taken
• explain decisions and give accountability
• ensure feedback is useful for process improvement purposes

Note:

• The agency’s Online Document Recording Standards apply to all notes in the Customer Feedback Tool (CFT)
• CFT notes can be released under Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to customers or third parties
• CFT notes cannot be changed or deleted once saved