Managing complaints and feedback 104-02000000

Section

Policy

Our commitment

The agency is committed to delivering high quality services to our customers, and using complaints, compliments, and suggestions to improve service delivery.

This policy describes the agency's approach for managing complaints, compliments and suggestions.

Key features

• The agency uses a two level complaints and feedback management process
• Relatively simple complaints and all compliments and suggestions are expected to be finalised at Level 1, with more complex and sensitive matters escalated and finalised at Level 2 by specialist complaints staff
• Staff receiving a complaint should try to manage and resolve a complaint at the first point of contact. If the complaint cannot be immediately finalised, staff will retain ownership of the complaint while they seek the information, assistance or support they require to finalise it. The staff member is expected to manage and resolve the complaint from start-to-finish, unless the complaint is too complex, or one of the complaint escalation reasons are met
• If a complaint is too complex to finalise, it should be escalated to Level 2 specialist complaints staff who will then manage the complaint from start-to-finish
• Staff will escalate complaints according to the complaint escalation reasons, which are regularly reviewed. An escalation can occur on first review of a complaint, or when the first outcome does not finalise the complaint
• Staff must acknowledge complaints and regularly update customers on the progress of their complaint until it is finalised
• Complaints made in person or over the phone should be acknowledged as they are received. Written complaints should be acknowledged within five working days
• The agency aims to finalise and respond to complaints within 10 working days. More complex complaints that require significant investigation may take longer to finalise
• If a complaint will take longer to respond, customers should be updated about the progress of their complaint at least every five working days after acknowledgement of their complaint
• Centrelink and Medicare staff must record all information about complaints and feedback in the agency's central database for customer feedback. Cuba is used by Child Support staff to record complaints and compliments. See Recording Child Support complaints and compliments in Cuba
• If a customer is not satisfied with the response to their complaint, staff should advise them of their further escalation options both internal and external to the agency
• Feedback will be provided to staff and business areas where there is an identified need to improve the service provided to customers
• Compliments will be shared with staff to recognise the value of good service
• Regular complaints reports will be made available to business areas to enable trends and systemic issues to be identified and addressed. Reports will also be tabled at Executive meetings to ensure accountability for complaints and issues impacting service delivery

Guiding principles

The agency subscribes to the fundamental principles of complaint handling as outlined in the Commonwealth Ombudsman's Better practice guide to complaint handling:

• fairness
• accessibility
• responsiveness
• efficiency
• integration, and
• first contact resolution

Fairness

• The agency welcomes complaints, compliments and suggestions
• All complaints will be treated on their merits and investigated impartially and thoroughly
• Complainants will not be victimised or suffer negative consequences as a result of their complaint
• Complaints will be managed transparently, and complainants kept informed about the progress and result of investigations
• A complainant's privacy will be respected, and staff will investigate complaints discreetly in accordance with Information Access Policy
• Written complaints that contain obscene or offensive content may be returned to the complainant to remove offending content and resubmit. If a complainant refuses to remove offensive or obscene content from a complaint the agency may refuse to accept it and consider alternative servicing options
• Complaints received via the phone or in person where the customer's behaviour is unacceptable or hostile, that creates an intimidating, frightening or offensive situation in the workplace should be managed in accordance with the agency's Customer aggression guidelines. See the Customer aggression guidelines homepage
• The agency will ask customers to be respectful and courteous to staff and explain that this assists us to meet our service commitments. See Our service commitments

Accessibility

• The agency will make it easy to lodge complaints and provide compliments or suggestions
• The agency will accept complaints and feedback via a range of channels
• When appropriate and available, customers and complainants will be communicated with about their complaint or feedback over the phone

Responsiveness

• The agency will be responsive to complainants who have special needs and offer measures to assist them in making a complaint or providing feedback
• The agency will ensure that staff are alert to the needs of vulnerable complainants and have support to manage complaints in a manner that is considerate of those needs
• The agency will act professionally at all times
• The agency will balance the needs of staff with the needs of complainants. Alternative servicing options may be implemented for customers that continue to behave in an unreasonable manner or inappropriately towards staff
• The agency will actively monitor social media channels to alert us to customer complaints and suggestions. We will use this feedback to provide the agency with early intelligence about service delivery or policy issues and escalate accordingly

Efficiency

• The agency will apply a two level approach to complaint management to ensure its response is proportionate and appropriate
• The agency will attempt to finalise complaints as quickly as possible at the first point of contact. The priority and complexity of a complaint will determine whether it is escalated to specialist complaints handling staff
• The agency will not respond to repeated contact from complainants about the same issue, where the previous complaint was comprehensively investigated and responded to
• Complainants are able to raise their issues and/or concerns in other forums, such as with the Ombudsman, their Member of Parliament or with the Minister's Office, if they remain dissatisfied with the agency's response
• Complaints and feedback information and responses to customers will be subject to a Quality Assurance process in accordance with the agency's Quality Framework. See the Resources page for a link to the Quality Framework and Resources homepage

Integration

• The agency will access its collective skills, knowledge and experience to finalise complaints and provide complainants with an explanation of what has occurred
• The agency will collaborate across divisions and teams to resolve complaints for the benefit of the customer
• When required and agreed to by the complainant, the agency will collaborate with other Australian Government agencies to resolve complaints without the complainant needing to contact both organisations
• The agency will use complaints, suggestions and compliments to improve service delivery. This includes the provision of feedback to the business or programme and to service delivery staff
• The agency will report volumes, reasons, and strategies used to address root causes of complaints in its annual report
• Responsibility for complaints and feedback management policy and procedure will be centralised within the Multicultural and Tailored Services Branch

First Contact Resolution

Complaints will be investigated and finalised end to end from the first point of contact where possible. Ownership of the complaint remains until it is either finalised to the agency's satisfaction or it is escalated to a specialist Complaints Officer.

Term

Description

Acknowledge

Informing a customer that the agency has received their complaint, compliment or suggestion and what the next steps are in the complaints and feedback management process.

Behavioural complaint

A complaint about the manner in which an individual staff member interacted with a customer or complainant.

Channel

The avenue through which the agency receives or responds to a complaint.

Complainant

The person or organisation that has lodged the complaint or provided feedback.

Complaint

An expression of dissatisfaction in relation to a product or service, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected or legally required.

Complexity

An evaluation of a complainant's circumstances and/or the issues complained about that will determine whether the complaint is managed at Level 1 or Level 2.

Compliment

An expression of praise for a staff member, product or service provided by the agency.

Agency's satisfaction

An investigation has been completed, the customer has been informed of the result, an appropriate remedy has been provided and the customer has had an opportunity to respond.

Dissatisfaction

The customer's expectations are not met, and they use normal business channels to request more information, provide information, or request for a change to a decision.

Feedback

A complaint, compliment or suggestion regarding the agency's policies, procedures, products, service delivery or systems.

Feedback to the business

Information provided back to the business in circumstances where an opportunity to improve service to customers is identified.

First contact resolution

The staff member who first takes ownership of the complaint will investigate and attempt to finalise the complainant's issues.

Finalised

A complaint has been investigated, responded to and resolved to the agency's satisfaction.

Findings

The factual end product of the investigation as communicated to the complainant.

General enquiry

Contact from a customer not intended as feedback or a complaint to the agency.

Level 1 complaint

A complaint that does not meet the escalation threshold and that can be finalised at first contact.

Level 2 complaint

A complaint that meets the priority and complexity threshold articulated in the escalation reasons for management by specialist staff.

Ownership

The person who receives a complaint or feedback has a responsibility to manage the complaint, compliment or suggestion from end to end until it is finalised. Ownership of a complaint should only transfer upon escalation.

Remedy

The result or response sought by the complainant and/or provided by the agency.

Sensitivity

A special circumstance and/or issue complained about that will determine whether the complaint is managed at Level 1 or Level 2.

Service delivery

The process by which a customer or complainant receives or accesses the agency's services.

Start-to-finish

The process by which a Level 1 or Level 2 officer who receives a complaint takes ownership of it, manages it and investigates it until it is finalised to the agency's satisfaction.

Suggestion

A proposal to consider improvement or change to a product or service, typically because of observation or experience.

Systemic issues

A problem or error that has the ability to reoccur and affect business if it is not addressed. They have the potential to affect a customer base, business area, product or service, or the agency as a whole.

Timely

Action has been taken within the agency's specified timeframes for complaints and feedback.

Unreasonable complainant behaviour

Includes unreasonable persistent contact, demands or arguments that may be in the form of complaints to or about the agency, or more general correspondence or interactions. Actions are generally deliberate, and individuals may be uncooperative and/or aggressive when communicating their issues with the agency.