Level 1 - Manage complaints and feedback 104-02020000

Feedback refers to a complaint, suggestion or compliment.

Customers, third parties and stakeholders can give feedback:

• over the phone via:
• the Feedback and Complaints phone line, or
• business phone lines, inbound and outbound calls
• face-to-face
• online
• in writing including:
• letter
• fax
• a printed Tell us what you think form
• through external organisations
• through Member of Parliament (MP) feedback direct to a MP Contact Officer

Use the Customer Feedback Tool (CFT) to record all:

• Level 1 feedback, and
• general enquiries from a Member of Parliament

Consider the circumstances of the person lodging the feedback. Manage any behavioural issues and/or customer vulnerability before addressing the complaint issue:

• Seek immediate assistance if the customer is talking about suicide or self-harm
• Consider referring to a manager or escalate to Level 2 if a complaint escalation reason is met

Level 1 feedback is managed at the first point of contact and recorded in the Customer Feedback Tool (CFT). The details in the CFT are used for reporting and analysis purposes. Correct coding achieves business improvement and high quality customer outcomes.

Medicare customer complaints reported in the CFT must also be recorded as a Sensitive Information Indicator in the Consumer Directory Maintenance System (CDMS) with the following:

• Category: Service
• Indicator Type: Complaint

An indicator for an open complaint triggers a Sensitive Information alert and can be viewed 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.

Timeframe to complete a Level 1 complaint

The agency’s Customer Complaints and Feedback Policy specifies:

• the agency aims to finalise and respond to complaints within 10 business days
• more complex complaints that require significant investigation may take longer to finalise

If a complaint is not finalised immediately, manage the customer's expectations:

• explain possible remedies and outcomes
• tell them the expected timeframe to finalise their matter
• if waiting for technical advice, an ICT outcome or action from another area:
• tell the customer the matter has been directed to the appropriate area
• provide assurance the matter will be monitored until resolution
• make the customer aware if additional information is needed, the finalisation process will be delayed

A manager's role in managing feedback includes:

• accepting and managing feedback received by their staff when a customer wants to speak to a manager
• monitoring Level 1 feedback being managed within their team to ensure they are finalised within 10 business days
• reviewing and sharing feedback, and acknowledging good work and customer compliments
• providing advice on how to resolve feedback
• helping to manage customer expectations and remedies sought
• considering the requirement for referrals, or customer management plans, for customers experiencing vulnerability or behaving unreasonably
• helping staff escalate systemic issues
• reviewing complaints about the behaviour of staff they manage, providing feedback and considering training requirements to improve staff capability

When contacting customers to manage complaints, staff in the agency must:

• complete Proof of Ownership Record (PoRO) according to agency requirements
• introduce themselves and the reason for the call
• make the contact attempt in accordance with the customer's contact preferences (where possible), taking any Restricted Servicing Arrangements into consideration

Inbound calls

For consistency when answering calls on the Services Australia Feedback and Complaints line, use one of the following greetings:

• Unauthenticated records
• ‘Hello, this is [service officer’s name], can I start with your name please?’
• ‘Hi, my name is [service officer’s name], may I start with your Centrelink reference number please?’
• Authenticated records
• ‘Hi, this is [service officer’s name]. How can I assist you today?’
• ‘Hello, my name is [service officer’s name]. How can I help you today?’

Outbound calls

If an initial customer contact attempt is unsuccessful, a second attempt must be made. The main rule is to make 2 outbound attempts, 1 morning and 1 afternoon/evening within 2 business days.

All phone conversations must be summarised and recorded in the relevant CFT entry.

Follow agency protocols:

• Centrelink - Answering calls in Centrelink and Authenticating a Centrelink customer
• Medicare – Telephone standards for Medicare and Health Delivery

It is important to recognise the difference between a staff member complaint and a potential APS Code of Conduct breach. All complaints about potential APS Code of Conduct breaches, employee fraud or unauthorised access must be escalated to Level 2 for management, see APS Code of Conduct.

Where the complaint issue is about staff member, the service officer who first receives the complaint forwards the feedback to the staff member’s manager or positional mailbox, see Staff Member (Individual).

Managers are responsible for evaluating staff feedback and working with staff to develop their skills in service delivery.

Services Australia Customer Complaints and Feedback Policy advises that staff will treat complaints about staff or contractors in the strictest of confidence.

Maintain the privacy of the staff member subject to the complaint at all times. If the customer requests the name of the service officer, only give them the staff member’s first name.