Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
Policy Statement
The purpose of this policy is to provide a clear statement of intent with regards to the assessment, handling and investigation of customer complaints and sharing/recording of compliments.
The Company’s aim is to ensure that all customer complaints and compliments, either written or verbal, are handled in a consistent and regulated manner and that further complaint incidents are mitigated and where possible, prevented. Where a customer has cause to complain, the complaints handling procedure will be followed in every instance and a record will be made of the complaint’s nature and details to help improve our services and reduce the occurrence of similar complaints.
Purpose
Placecube are committed to delivering a fair, open, and clear process for complaints and ensure a satisfactory outcome for all customers who raise a complaint. We provide thorough staff training in our internal complaint and compliments handling procedures and support our staff in how to handle complaint situations in a face-to-face, written and/or telephone environment.
This policy sets out our intent and objectives for how we handle complaints, from offering a clear and approachable system for customers to complain, through to conducting root cause analysis on all complaints received to identify the cause, issues, and corrective actions regarding the complaint, and to implement measures to prevent reoccurrences where applicable.
Objectives
Placecube’s objectives are laid out below regarding customer complaint handling. For the purposes of this policy, a complaint is defined as any customer contact whereby a negative communication or outcome has occurred. The customer does not have to formally address their communication as an official complaint or to request a response for Placecube to treat the incident as a complaint and to follow the related procedures.
Placecube’s objectives for internal complaints and compliments handling are:
- To provide a fair compliments and complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint.
- To ensure that our compliments and complaints procedure is fully accessible to ensure people know how to contact us to compliment us or to make a complaint.
- To make sure everyone at Placecube knows what to do if a compliment or complaint is received.
- To make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way.
- To gather information which helps us to improve what we do and how we do it.
- To ensure that the Data Protection Officer (or appointed person) is involved in any complaints relating to personal data.
Placecube’s objectives for the complaint handling process are:
- Complaints will be investigated and responded to within 8 weeks from the initial customer contact.
- Complaint responses will always be provided in writing (unless the complainant makes a specific request for an alternate form of communication, which will be provided in addition to the written format).
- Complaint procedures and forms will be available via the company website as well as upon written and/or verbal request.
- All complaints will be investigated by our Customer Success Manager (CSM) or our Chief Operating Officer (COO) and a full outcome summary provided to Chief Executive.
- Complaint records will be used to revise company procedures and to improve communication and business practices where applicable.
Placecube’s objectives for the compliment handling process are:
- To ensure that any compliment received is shared with the relevant Department.
- If the compliment is about an individual staff member, they are informed in writing by the Line Manager and a copy of the compliment and letter is stored in their Personnel File.
- To ensure that compliments help us share good practice and improve our services.
Procedures and Guidelines
Raising a Complaint
Complaints should be raised, in writing through email or via our service desk, the policy and procedure is published on our website. You may also raise a complaint by submitting the form at the bottom of this page.
Customers who request Placecube’s complaint handling procedure will be provided a copy of the procedure by email and will be asked to raise their complaint in writing via our service desk as soon as possible after the incident.
NOTE: Compliments or complaints made verbally or via email communication will be accepted and dealt with in the same manner.
If a customer telephones Placecube and wishes to give a compliment or raise a complaint, they will be passed through to our Customer Success Manager or Chief Operating Officer who will try to resolve the complaint at once.
Even if the complaint is resolved at the time, the customer will still be offered the option of receiving the complaints handling procedure and links to our service desk prior to ending the call and the call must be logged in the complaints record.
Data Protection Related Complaints
Where a complaint is related to the processing of personal data, this policy ensures that Placecube complies with the data protection laws and notification requirements.
Every individual has the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority (ICO) where they consider that the processing of personal data relating to them infringes the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or we have breached data protection law. All individuals using our products or services and those employed by us are notified of this right via our
Privacy Notice, and data Protection Policies, in our complaint handling procedures and in our information disclosures.
The supervisory authority with which the complaint has been lodged, is responsible for informing the complainant on the progress and the outcome of the complaint, including the possibility of a judicial remedy where the supervisory authority does not handle a complaint or does not inform the data subject within three months on the progress or outcome of the complaint lodged.
Anonymous Compliments or Complaints
Compliments and complaints received anonymously will be recorded and considered, but action may be limited if further information is required to ensure a full and fair investigation.
Responding to a Complaint
Where a complaint has been received, a written acknowledgement is sent to the customer within 3 working days. The response will detail the complaint handling procedure and provide approximate timelines and expectations for the investigation and future responses.
The Customer Success Manager, the Chief Operating Officer or the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) are the only staff members who should respond to customers regarding their complaints.
Investigating the Complaint
The designated employee will be assigned the role of investigating complaints and will gather all necessary documents, records, and information to make an independent review of the incident.
If internal interviews are to be conducted, a note taker will be present alongside the investigator and interviewee and a copy of the interview notes will be written up and signed by the interviewer and interviewee prior to them being added to the complaint history.
All investigations must take place with 6-weeks of the initial complaint being received so that a final response can be sent to the customer within our designated 8-week period.
Investigations must utilise all the facts and any previous, related information to produce an unbiased outcome and an expected course of action. A complaint reference should be assigned and all documents relevant to the complaint should have the reference written on them for continuity.
The reference will also be added to the Complaints Register so that complaint and documents can be audited and traced back in the future.
All employees are provided with clear guidelines of when a complaint requires an appropriate investigation.
Complaints must be referred to the Customer Success Manager or Chief Operating Officer where:
- The complainant has requested such a referral or investigation.
- The complaint involves any type of personal data issue.
- There is a conflict of interest between the complainant and an employee.
- The issues are complex and require an investigation.
- The complaint represents a high or serious risk to the company.
- The facts are unclear, or the complaint will require additional time to resolve.
- There has been any media contact or attention.
- The issues do or may affect more customers (whether identified or not)
Decision Letter (Final Response)
After the complaint has been investigated in full and an outcome and action decision has been reached, the investigator or Complaints Officer will draft a final response letter to the customer with their findings and decision regarding any action(s) to be taken or compensation awarded.
The final response must be sent within 8 weeks of the initial response being raised and will also specify the complainant’s right to refer or lodge the complaint with the appropriate body (where applicable) should the customer be unhappy with the decision received.
For complaints related to personal data and/or breaches of the data protection laws and regulations, the final response will reiterate the complainant’s right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority (the Information Commissioners Office) and will detail the ICO’s telephone number and address, along with the possibility of seeking a judicial remedy.
Should the response be unsatisfactory, the complaint will be referred to the CEO, who will investigate further and issue a final response.
Complaint Recording
All complaints, are recorded in a Customer Complaint Register, detailing the information below and is audited periodically to ensure that incidents are not being repeated and improvements are being made.
- Date
- Nature of Complaint
- Department(s) Involved.
- Complaint Reference
- Lead Investigator
- Decision Letter Sent (Y/N)
- Date Complaint Closed
The log is made available to any relevant authority, ombudsman or body who relates or oversee the firms’ complaints, as well as being made available with the local Trading Standards should a representative work alongside the organisation.
Compliment Recording
All compliments are recorded in a Compliments register, with the following detail:
- Date
- Nature of Compliment
- Department(s) Involved.
- Individual Involved
- Action(s) taken/ recommendations made in response to the compliment, if appropriate
Patterns and Analysis
Compliments and complaints are an important tool which, alongside data provided by surveys, user feedback and focus groups, will allow us to learn more about the services we provide. They offer a useful source of information about how individuals see Placecube and how we are serving them.
The compliments and complaint logs are reviewed periodically by the CSM and COO to identify any patterns or reoccurring issues. Placecube are dedicated to improving our performance, services, and functions through the auditing of our complaints and compliments records and our investigation process. Where gaps or patterns are identified, we put corrective actions and mitigating solutions into place as soon as possible and keep the function, process, or person under a weekly review until a satisfactory improvement is noted.
The compliment logs will also be used during employees’ appraisals.
Responsibilities
Placecube will ensure that all staff are provided with the time, resources, and support to learn, understand, and deal with customer compliments and complaints and that full training will be provided for new and existing employees on the policy, procedures, and expectations.
The CSM and COO will be appointed the role of overseeing, investigating, and recording all compliments and complaints and are responsible for regular auditing of the logs to ensure mitigating actions and improvements are put into place where possible.
The Complaints Officer
Placecube has appointed Compliment and Complaints Officers who are provided with the training and support to understand, investigate, and respond to compliments and complaints of all types. Where the complaint involves personal data, the Complaints Officer is assisted by the Data Protection Officer to ensure that the Regulation and laws are followed, and the individuals’ rights are exercised and complied with.
The Officers will complete their complaint handling duties independently and without bias and each complaint will be reviewed to ensure that there is no conflict of interest with the appointed officer. If a conflict is identified (i.e., the complaint involves the investigating person) a deputy has been trained to handle the complaint.
The Officers have full authority and internal credibility to ask questions, carry out investigations and interviews, obtain and analyse evidence, recommend policy, and process changes and be involved in department functions for the purposes of complaint handling.
