Responding to Complaints THE POSITIVE APPROACH

Presenting today : Gill Heyes

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

POINTS TO BE COVERED

• Overview of complaints

• Old Skool Vs Nu Skool

• Quality of response

• Acknowledging Failures

• Escalation Processes

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.

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.

DELAYS

If deadline cannot be met :

• Holding letter to the complainant,

• Apologise for the delay • Provide a new deadline (another ten days • maximum).

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.

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

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 failuresin service – the tenant cannot be blamed.

Case Study

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.

Your reference:Our reference: XXXXXXXXXXXDate : 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

What was wrong with this

response ?

After all …she did get her new

kitchen !

WHAT WAS MISSING?

Your reference:Our reference: XXXXXXXXXXX INCORRECT REFERENCE NUMBER USEDDate : 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 McKennaHead of Asset Management

GETTING THE CONTENT RIGHT

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

THE MESSAGE GIVEN BY A POOR RESPONSE

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

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 !

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

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 unfairlyShe 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.

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”.

How was the complaint investigated

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. “

How the decision was reached !

Fin