Responding to a complaint

On our complaints handling and investigation training, one of the areas of the training which people find most useful is preparing a response. This should not come as any surprise to those of us who work in the field.  Unless you are a natural writer, it's is hard to know where to start compiling a good response.  We provide a best practice template, which often gets incorporated into the procedure document.  Here below are some quick tips on responding to a complaint.

First ask yourself is a written response the best way to communicate?

Whilst in most cases you will have to do a written response, will the complainant find a conversation more valuable? If the complainant has language difficulties or your response is has complex / technical information, maybe a call before / after the response might help them understand.

The response

•  Thank them at the beginning to set the right tone.  For e.g., "Thank you for your complaint..." 
• Use the complainant’s words to summarise the complaint
• Tell them what you did in your investigation:
• What did you read?
• Who did you speak to?
• Do you need to make reference to policy and procedures?

Your deliberations and decision

• What happened?
• What should have happened?
• Do they match?
• Right of appeal

The essentials

• Use plain language 
• If you have to say 'No' did you use the service 'No'?
• If you were assertive, did you use the correct technique

There is so much else that could be said, but I'll leave you with these few hints!