A Model Approach

An effective complaint handling system is an organised way of responding to, recording, reporting and using complaints to improve service delivery. It  is an essential part of providing quality service as it acts as an additional measure of customer satisfaction and is a useful source of information for managers that can be used to drive improvement.

An effective complaint handling system has four important benefits for an organisation:

• creating a second chance to provide service service and satisfaction to dissatisfied service users.
• identifying service areas that require change / improvement
• providing opportunities to strengthen public support
• assisting in the planning and allocation of resources

The SPSO advocates a staged approach to complaints handling:

Stage 1: Frontline Complaint Handling (Informal Resolution)

Stage 2: Internal Review / Investigation

Stage 3: Appeal

Stage 4: External Review

For more information on the essential elements of an effective complaint handling system read The Recipe or the Essential Elements of Effective Complaint Handling.