Complaints management
Chapter 2 – principles of complaints management
2.1Visibility
Information on how and where to complain should be well publicised to clients.
2.2Accessibility
A complaints management process should be easy to access for all clients and free of charge. Make information available on how to make a complaint and how it will be resolved. The process and supporting information should be easy to understand and use. You should consider formats for information in light of your client demographic and principles of equality.
2.3Responsiveness
The timeliness of your response is as important as its tone, in reassuring your client that they are being taken seriously. Acknowledge receipt of each complaint to the client and address the complaint promptly. Treat clients courteously and update them on the progress of their complaint through the complaints management process.
2.4Objectivity
It is important to see a complaint as an opportunity for improvement in client care rather than as a personal attack on your practice. Address all complaints in an equitable, objective and unbiased manner through the complaints management process.
2.5Confidentiality
As with any information received from the client during a retainer, you should treat the information received through the complaints management process with confidentiality. Only make personally identifiable information about the client available where needed, for the purposes of addressing the complaint within the practice.
Details of staff involvement should also be treated with discretion.
2.6Client-focused approach
Your clients are the future of the practice. A satisfied client can recommend up to five new clients, but a dissatisfied client can lose the practice up to 23 new clients. You should adopt a client-focused approach, be open to feedback including complaints, and show commitment to resolving complaints by taking action. You should remain sensitive to the individual differences and needs of your client.
2.7Accountability
You should set clear accountability within the practice for responding to complaints, deciding on action, and reporting on these decisions.
2.8Communication
Good communication is essential to both high quality client care and effective complaints management. Poor communication will result in clients feeling that they have not been understood, taken seriously or valued, which in turn is likely to lead them to raise their complaints in another forum. Effective communication can help to resolve disputes quickly and build greater client loyalty.
To communicate well, you should:
- Make sure that the information you need to communicate is presented in a clear and straightforward manner. Complicated forms and overly legalistic language will act as a barrier to clients seeking to resolve their concerns directly with you, and instead encourage them to seek other avenues of redress.
- Be alert to communication challenges which clients face, such as hearing difficulties, disability, language barriers or other cross-cultural issues, and look at ways to overcome those challenges.
- Genuinely listen to the client and seek to understand the situation from their point of view. Clients who feel that they have been genuinely listened to are more confident that they are being taken seriously and will be more open to resolving the situation through your practice, rather than seeking external intervention.
- Keep clients updated on the progress of their complaint and outline what the next step in the process is and the likely timeframes.