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Complaints workshop (2)
- 1. Responding to Complaints THE POSITIVE APPROACH Presenting today : Gill Heyes
- 2. PURPOSE OF THIS BRIEFING • Ensure understanding of Complaints procedure • Improve quality of responses – better customer service and more likely to resolve them at Stage 1 • TSA requirement for the organization to provide excellent service and to demonstrate improvement – this includes complaints handling and learning from any mistakes that may have been made
- 3. POINTS TO BE COVERED • Overview of complaints • Old Skool Vs Nu Skool • Quality of response • Acknowledging Failures • Escalation Processes
- 4. SOUTHWAY’S COMPLAINTS SYSTEM • Procedure on Southway Intranet. OLD SYSTEM : • Stage 1 - dealt with by Manager in 15 working days. • Stage 2 - dealt with by Head of Service in 15 working days. • Stage 3 - dealt with by Director. SOUTHWAY SYSTEM : • Only 2 stages, plus Appeal facility. • Stage 1 - dealt with by Head of Service in TEN working days. • Stage 2 - dealt with by Director of Service in ten working days. • Right to appeal to an Appeal Panel, comprising two Southway Board members and Chief Exec, after that. At all stages the complainant must be advised of his or her right to take the complaint further, and to whom further correspondence about the matter should be addressed.
- 5. QUALITY OF RESPONSE • Name of sender - A response to a Stage 1 Complaint must go out in the name of the relevant Head of Service. • Refer to ‘compiling a good reply to a Complaint’ document (Southway Intranet) for assistance if needed. • Ensure all points raised by the complainant are addressed. • Head of Service to coordinate responses for all areas.
- 6. DELAYS If deadline cannot be met : • • • • Holding letter to the complainant, Apologise for the delay Provide a new deadline (another ten days maximum).
- 7. WARNING!! Take especial care if “cutting and pasting”sections of similar items of correspondence, as a time saving measure! High quality correspondence should always be aimed for, but especially so when dealing with complainants who may, rightly or wrongly,already feel that they have received poor service. Check all replies carefully before sending them out.
- 8. CUSTOMER CARE ASPECTS OF COMPLAINTS RESPONSES It is essential to try to see the issue from the customer’s individual point of view, no matter how difficult this may be. Possible Reasons for complaints – from customer’s viewpoint • • • • • • Broken appointments Action or lack of action by Southway or its contractors Perceived poor workmanship, or work left unfinished Lack of sensitivity towards a tenant’s special circumstances Promises made but not kept Poor communication
- 9. Why it might have happened – our viewpoint? • • • • • • • • • • Difficulties and delays at other addresses in the programme Contractors let us down Wrong fittings supplied Unexpected extra repairs found necessary at a property Shortage of staff due to sickness Tenant didn’t understand what improvement work might entail Tenant didn’t “qualify” for all improvements in the scheme Tenant wouldn’t co-operate with our revised appointment times Tenant made unreasonable demands Poor communication! We have to take responsibility, as an organization, for all these failures in service – the tenant cannot be blamed.
- 10. Case Study
- 11. When I moved into my property there were problems with the kitchen including badly fitted sides, doors coming off and holes in the floor. I have been constantly put off getting repairs done as "the kitchens will be replaced as part of the update programme". I was also told to "vote southway" and get new windows bathroom and kitchen. I have done my best to upkeep the kitchen and make it liveable, even taking a chisel and hammer to the floor and replacing it. I have genuinely done my best to make it nice, maybe this was a mistake, as now I have been told that it will not be replaced as only kitchens done before 2001 are being replaced, mine was done in 2002. I am absolutely disgusted, I have been consistently lied to my entire tenancy. One of the kitchen cupboard doors came off in his hands, when my son opened it about 3 weeks ago, it could have hurt him. I remember thinking ‘not long to go now’. I am also going to see to my local MP about this, as the way that Southway got my vote was very dishonest, and I feel that I have been treated very unfairly. I would like my kitchen to be replaced.
- 12. Your reference: Our reference: XXXXXXXXXXX Date : 15/02/2010 Dear Ms Jennifer Dean Complaint re : Tnt appealing decision not to fit kitchen in this property Thank you for your complaint regarding the above Your complaint has been investigated and it has been decided to offer you a new kitchen as part of the current Errwood Road scheme. I have sent an instruction to the contractor ( Bramall Construction Ltd. ) who will contact you shortly to finalise the choice and design. If you have any further queries on this issue, please contact the Southway connect team on 0161 448 4200, quoting the complaints reference number at the head of this letter. Your sincerely xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- 13. What was …she After all wrong did withher new get this response! ? kitchen
- 15. Your reference: Our reference: XXXXXXXXXXX INCORRECT REFERENCE NUMBER USED Date : 15/02/2010 Dear Ms Jennifer Dean Dear Ms Dean Complaint re : Tnt appealing decision not to fit kitchen in this property RE : Your complaint regarding our decision not to replace your kitchen Thank you for your complaint regarding the above, which was received by Southway Housing Trust on 5 February 2010. You have complained that ……………….. I have dealt with your complaint under Stage 1 of Southway Housing Trusts Formal Complaints procedure. Your complaint has been investigated HOW ? and it has been decided to offer you a new kitchen as part of the current Errwood Road scheme. WHY ? I have sent an instruction to the contractor ( Bramall Construction Ltd. ) who will contact you shortly to finalise the choice and design. If you have any further queries on this issue, please contact the Southway connect team on 0161 448 4200, quoting the complaints reference number at the head of this letter. Details should be included on how to take the matter further (to Jane Gant as a Stage 2) if she is still not satisfied. Your sincerely Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx John McKenna Head of Asset Management
- 17. Response did not : • Answer the comments raised by the tenant, • Explain HOW we investigated her complaint, • State WHY we have changed our mind and decided to replace her kitchen after originally saying she was not entitled, • Apologise for the inconvenience caused
- 18. THE MESSAGE GIVEN BY A POOR RESPONSE
- 19. Southway DO NOT keep their promises ! They don’t care that I have been messed around and lied to ! Its not fair! I wish I had voted to stay with the Council
- 20. Hmm.. Well if it worked for her it might work for me ! Psst..! I threatened to go to my MP and got a new kitchen !
- 21. GETTING THE CONTENT RIGHT “Answering the comments made by the tenant” : Points that should have been acknowledged & addressed : She has been told repeatedly over four years, first by Manchester Housing and then by Southway, that her damaged kitchen would be replaced as part of the Improvement Programme. She has been told (she says) not to order repairs, as it was due for replacement She has now been told that it will not be replaced after all, as it was only put in eight years ago Investigate and if appropriate apologise for mis information. Apologise that she has had to wait so long and explain reason why. Acknowledge that this must be frustrating ! She was told she would get new windows, kitchen and bathroom if she voted yes for the stock transfer. Clarify what was ACTUALLY promised at stock transfer
- 22. Points that should have been acknowledged & addressed - continued : She has done her best to keep the kitchen in good condition, despite the fact that a cupboard door fell off a few weeks ago and could have injured her son. Acknowledge her valid concerns and agree that this is not acceptable. She feels she has been lied to over the stock transfer, and treated very unfairly She is going to complain about the matter to her MP. Apologise that she feels this way, and offer reassurances that this matter has been treated seriously. Offer option to escalate if still not satisfied with response provided.
- 23. How was the complaint investigated Include : Dates, times & names for any inspections made or contacts with the tenant • Details of what was being investigated • Details of what was discovered Example “John McKenna attended your property on 11 February 2010 to inspect the condition of your current kitchen. It was noted that, although the kitchen was only a few years old, many of the units were in need of repair / replacement. You have explained in your letter that you had previously been refused repairs, due to the fact that your kitchen was due to be replaced”.
- 24. How the decision was reached ! Include : • • Details of standard procedure If an exception is being made – the reasons to support this Example “Kitchens & Bathrooms are being replaced as part of the home improvement programme unless existing fittings are in good working condition. The age of the fittings is taken into consideration when planning a schedule for this work to take place, and guidelines are issued to staff. We are currently only replacing kitchens that were fitted more than 8 years ago. However, in view of the fact that there were problems with your kitchen which date back to when you first moved into the property, it has been decided to make an exception in this case. I am pleased to be able to advise you that your kitchen will now be replaced. I have arranged for the contractor (Bramalls Construction Ltd ) to contact you within the next 10 working days to discuss your requirements. “
- 25. Fin
Editor's Notes
- Complaints handling – all part of good customer service. Receiving complaints directly, shows us that customers have confidence in us to do something about it – otherwise they’d be going to the press, their M.P, or just complaining to their neighbours and spreading dissatisfaction around the estate making it more difficult for all of us! “Organisations that record high levels of complaints also record highest levels of customer satisfaction”. MCC had its own complaints procedure – quite long and bureaucratic, very much to protect the organisation from criticism rather than actually looking at what complainants wanted, dealing with them directly and improving service as a result. Southway Complaints procedure – Briefing sessions for all staff were held last year by Ray Smith. QAO role - responsible for monitoring and improving the quality of complaints responses, as well as ensuring that timescales are kept. QUALITY responses – solve problems first time, less likely to go further up the line!
- Brief outline of Southway’s Complaints system Difference between the “old”, and the current system for dealing with complaints – who does what, and within what timescales Quality of response – seeing it from the complainant’s viewpoint, and addressing ALL points that have been raised Acknowledging our failures and/or our contractors failures, taking responsibility and apologizing, putting things right Must advise complainant of his/her right to escalate complaint through Internal Complaints procedure, if wished
- Please refer to Customer Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure on Southway Intranet. There is a flow chart to simplify the steps of the procedure. Just to clarify - the main differences between the old Complaints procedure and the Southway one are as follows: OLD SYSTEM - Stage 1 - dealt with by Manager in 15 working days. Stage 2 - dealt with by Head of Service in 15 working days. Stage 3 - dealt with by Director. SOUTHWAY SYSTEM - Only 2 stages, plus Appeal facility. Stage 1 - dealt with by Head of Service in TEN working days. Stage 2 - dealt with by Director of Service in ten working days. Right to appeal to an Appeal Panel, comprising two Southway Board members and Chief Exec, after that. At all stages the complainant must be advised of his or her right to take the complaint further, and to whom further correspondence about the matter should be addressed.
- QUALITY OF RESPONSE Name of sender - A response to a Stage 1 Complaint must go out in the name of the relevant Head of Service. The reply may be delegated to other members of staff, but the responsibility for a thorough investigation and a clear written response to the complainant lies with the Head of Service, who should check all correspondence before it is sent out. Refer to ‘compiling a good reply to a Complaint’ document (Southway Intranet) for assistance if needed. Ensure all points raised by the complainant are addressed. If these cover more than 1 service area it is the responsibility of the head of service to obtain the relevant information from the other sections and include it in the response.
- DELAYS If there is going to be a delay in getting the response to a Stage 1 done, for whatever reason, the Head of Service needs to send out a "holding letter" to the complainant, apologising for the delay and giving a new deadline (another ten days maximum). This is really important for Asset Management complaints, because of the additional complication of, and possible delays in getting information from, contractors.
- N.B. Take especial care if “cutting and pasting” sections of similar items of correspondence, as a time saving measure! High quality correspondence should always be aimed for, but especially so when dealing with complainants who may, rightly or wrongly, already feel that they have received poor service. Check all replies carefully before sending them out.
- We have picked a case for study – one where it might seem that the problem was resolved for the tenant, but where there could be other long term consequences for the organisation, that aren’t so good.
- The tenant’s complaint – she wants her kitchen replaced but, as always, there is more to it than that! She has alleged that her kitchen was in poor condition when she moved in years ago, and that she has been repeatedly told she would get it replaced as part of the improvement programme. She hasn’t ordered repairs, because she was waiting for a new one. Now we have told her that it won’t be replaced after all. The reason we have given her is that “it isn’t old enough” – if it had been put in before 2001 it would have been replaced, this one was put in in 2002. She comments that it is now in dangerous condition. She also says she was lied to over the stock transfer. She thinks she has been treated unfairly, and she will go to her M.P. about it.
- This is the response the lady received. We say that we have investigated, and have decided to offer a new kitchen.
- The tenant has got what she wanted, so what’s the problem?
- We will now have a look at the way this response might have been improved.
- Needs Complaint reference number – in case it is taken further No “first names” should be used – can be see as over-familiar and impolite Heading – Needs to be brief, clear and directed to the tenant – and identify what she has complained about! Quote date received, to show we’re keeping within our published timescales – it’s a Stage 1 Customer Complaint How did we investigate her allegations? WE NEED TO SAY HOW WE INVESTIGATED IT. Why have we now suddenly changed our mind? (Did we make the wrong decision? Is it only because she complained? If others complain, will they get a different decision as well?) WE NEED TO EXPLAIN WHY WE HAVE CHANGED OUR ORIGINAL DECISION. OK – we’ve now agreed a new kitchen – but she still might want to take it further, because of the delay and inconvenience she has already suffered – she must be advised of how to do this. The lady has already been advised that her complaint would be investigated by the Head of Service – not anybody else.
- What should have gone into the response?
- So, what sort of message did the response she received actually convey?
- We haven’t explained why she had to complain before we changed our mind. We haven’t acknowledged her raised expectations and the inconvenience she suffered BEFORE we changed our mind. She clearly remembers very well the promises that were made before the stock transfer – now she won’t trust us about anything.
- THE WORD GETS AROUND! And THIS is the way to “open the floodgates” to further complaints, further demands and a lot of Councillor enquiries…….
- Acknowledge and respond to each point raised – it doesn’t have to be lengthy, just ensure you have an answer
- Take her comments seriously even if you don’t agree with them.
- Just in case it goes further, confirm what we did and when.