Several agencies changed name or function between the time of the survey and the publication of this report. The body of the report uses the name of the agency as it existed at the time of the survey response.
Quality of complaint handling
This significantly increased staff complaints, with the DVA reporting an eight-fold increase in complaints from 2008-09 to 2009-10. Likewise, a reduction in the number of complaints may be due to a change in responsibilities rather than an improvement in agency performance.
Reasons why complaint handling had improved
63 of the 105 agencies that answered this question had had either internal or external reviews of their complaints system in the past three years.
Areas of complaint management
Culture
The importance of good customer service in the public sector is often overshadowed by the need to cut costs and do more with less. To emphasize the importance of complaint management, the requirement to have a complaint system is set out in the contract for the provision of custody services.
What do agencies think they do well?
In addition to explicitly requiring a complaints system in the contract, DIBP considers that cooperation in. It is likely that addressing these contextual issues will prevent further similar complaints in the future.
What do agencies think could be improved?
Very small numbers of complaints
It only takes one major problem or one change in policy to lead to a significant increase in the number, sensitivity or visibility of complaints.
Obstacles to improvement
Where a relationship is ongoing, such a breakdown may require intensive work to repair in the future.
Information on how to make a complaint
Removing barriers to access
However, this means that feedback is not always given to the area capable of solving the problem. DIBP has a number of processes in place to feed complaint information back to the relevant operational area.
Assistance with language
This is an area where greater consistency could be beneficial for creating and using a universally understood markup for finding information in different languages.
Assessing complainant demographic
Many agencies could gain useful information by comparing the demographics of people who complain to the demographics of people who may be able to file a complaint. This information can identify segments of the population who do not complain, either because they are unaware of their right to complain or because they are disproportionately affected by barriers to accessing the complaints system.
Identifying the correct agency
Introduction
Although there is more work to do, the NDIA took an approach to complaints. This poses a risk to the effectiveness of the transitional arrangements and additional complexity for staff dealing with complaints.
Identifying vulnerable groups
The ability of participants to make a complaint in person is particularly important for this group, as other avenues may be difficult or impossible to use. Promotional material explaining the complaints process encourages participants to speak up if there is a problem.
Increasing awareness of the complaint system in vulnerable groups
Many listed very specific groups, such as victims of human trafficking or foreign seafarers in Australia; a good indicator that organizations have some awareness of their primary demographic. Investing resources at the time of the complaint to ensure that the complaint accurately reflects the problem and captures the desired outcome saves time during the complaint process and is more likely to yield an effective outcome.
Facilitating access to the complaint system for vulnerable groups
This service enables these clients, by contacting Children's Aid by phone, to be immediately transferred to the CRG service. Frontline officers should be aware of the complaints process and be able to either accept complaints or assist the complainant to access the complaints system.
Assisting vulnerable groups through the complaint process
Dealing with unreasonable complainant conduct
Ensuring that restrictions are reviewed on a regular basis and that customers are informed of the outcome of that review. However, agencies do not always have formal written processes for managing and maintaining service restrictions, and the service restriction policies that do exist are not always consistently enforced.
Agency self-assessment
Service standards
At the other end of the scale is the AHRC, which has as part of its core business the investigation and resolution of complex human rights complaints, often involving mediation between the parties. The Investigation and Conciliation Service of the AHRC expects to settle 80% of complaints within 12 months of receipt.
Complaints management policy
Some smaller organizations did not have separate standards for handling complaints, but applied the broader internal standards for handling all correspondence. As with all performance measures, any timeliness standards must be realistic, achievable, publicly available and monitored.
First point of contact resolution
Recording the interaction gives a complete picture of the work of the agency for budgeting and personnel planning. It also makes it possible to monitor the consistency and effectiveness of the first contact solution.
Complaints handling by line areas vs designated complaints areas
For example, each program in the Bureau of Meteorology has its own system for handling and. APO aims to capture feedback that is provided to agents or first-line customer service areas.
Complaints involving multiple agencies
LHD's managing director then refers the complaint to the management of the relevant hospital. The complainant is not obliged to give consent to the case, although there is a requirement that the complainant must be notified in writing of the transfer.
Contractors
However, it is essential that complaints from the public about a contractor's actions are incorporated into the contract and assessed as part of contract management. More specifically, the contract measures the timeliness of acknowledgments and updates after a complaint and the completeness of the contractor's records.
Remedies
If performance is below the required indicators, a value ('Abatement Indicator Metric') is calculated and entered into the monthly assessment of the contractor's overall performance. Other complaints may be about government policy, which may be beyond the agency's control.
Review of complaints
By establishing the desired outcome, and using this as the starting point, complaint management processes will lead to a higher degree of resolution for the individual. In turn, this will lead to less escalated disputes and, over time, a higher level of public trust in the organization.
Measuring complainant satisfaction
Austrade also includes questions in its annual service improvement study about any problems a customer has had with Austrade, and the level of satisfaction with the problem resolution. If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint, then it is more difficult for them to separate the outcome from the complaint management if the request for feedback is made at the same time.
Staff qualities
In general, agencies rated their complaint handling staff very highly for personal qualities such as understanding the agency's business and being a valued part of the organization. Of the 112 responses to this question, 15 stated that staff handling complaints were "never" or "rarely" specifically trained in complaint handling.
Collection
Specific issues are either taken up or referred to the management of the relevant detention centre, and information from complaints about DIBP processes is collated by the GFU and forms part of their quarterly reporting to senior management. Comparative information on different databases or systems then depends on the consistency of the data, which in turn depends on the quality and accuracy of collection.
Analysis and reporting
One of the ways he communicates this information to senior management is through a monthly report on complaints and community feedback. The quality of the agency's analysis and reporting of complaint information depends on the volume and quality of information collected in the first instance.
Decision and implementation
The ATO monitors and reports on emerging complaints issues; issues that show an increase in complaints during the month, as well as tracking issues of concern raised in previous months. This checks the integrity of the communication loop; that the perceived problem has been solved according to the affected people.
Framework - part of the Dispute Management Plan
Continuous improvement of complaint process
Although audits are rarely initiated as a result of a public complaint, the ANAO has a mechanism for the public to provide their views on current audits through its 'Contribute to an ongoing audit' facility. The ANAO's website lists current audits and invites members of the public to contribute their views, including any complaints, to be part of the ANAO's information gathering and assessment process.
Predicting complaint issues
Periodically, it is also important to review the policy and principles to ensure that they are still aligned with the organization's priorities and reflect existing best practice. Some government organizations, such as our office, have as our statutory core function the investigation and resolution of complaints about other government organizations.
Structure
The ACT Commissioner for Public Administration also advocated for a consistent and positive complaints management culture across the ACT Government. Our office also supports these networks of ACT complaints handlers by hosting the ACT Complaints Officer Forum.
Survey Results
Some business units may already have well-established policies and practices, while others have only limited experience of handling complaints.
Perceived change in complaint numbers over the past five years - ACT agencies
JACS also stated that a change to the overall management of complaints in the directorate, including the development of a complaints management policy, contributed to the lower number of complaints. All of these agencies cited changing public awareness as a contributing factor, and five cited the ease of filing a complaint as a contributing factor.
Canberra Connect - a shared services model
The Directorate of Justice and Community Safety (JACS) attributed a drop in complaints to a change in the agency's programs and a change in the ease of filing a complaint. This illustrates the need for strong processes for integration between business units responsible for resolving complaints and the Canberra Connect public interface.
Moving forward
C ONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of conclusions
However, risks to the agency's business through poor complaint management are not always clearly articulated and do not always flow through to complaint management. Agencies do not always include a mechanism for resolving questions and disputes when establishing new programs.
Recommendations
A BBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
A GENCY SURVEY RESPONSES RECEIVED
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Separated into Department of Education and Department of Employment. National Archives of Australia National Blood Authority National Capital Authority National Competition Council National Gallery of Australia.
A TTENDEES AT STAKEHOLDER ROUNDTABLES
S URVEY
- Areas of strength and weakness
- Fairness
- Responsiveness
- Efficiency and process
- Working with multiple agencies
- Remedies
- Integration
Does your agency offer specific training in complaints handling to staff designated as complaints handlers. Does your agency have designated staff who perform systemic analysis and root cause analysis from complaint information.
