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CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS, COMPLIMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Author’s Title
Estelle Packham – Customer Services
Manager
Jane Wisson – Customer Services Team
Leader
Are there background papers?
Yes
No
Exempt
Yes
No
Key Decision?
Yes
No
If Key Decision is it on the Forward Plan?
Yes
No
Decision for Full Council?
Yes
No
Reason for Exemption?
Ward(s) affected?
All
Responsible Cabinet Member name
Cllr Ton FitzPatrick
Contact Officer
Estelle Packham – Customer Services
Manager
Jane Wisson – Customer Services Team
Leader
E-mail address
estelle.packham@north-norfolk.gov.uk:
jane.wisson@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Telephone number
Estelle Packham Tel: 516079
Jane Wisson
Are there Non Electronic Appendices?
List of Background Papers
Tel: 516096
Yes
No
N/A
File Location:
1.1.
PLEASE REFER TO SECTION 7 OF THE GUIDANCE NOTES FOR
TEMPLATES
Implications / Risks:
Have you identified & explained within the report the
implications of the options available to members?
(Implications should include financial, legal and links to the
Council’s existing policies and strategies)
Yes
None
Have you highlighted the Risks to the Council?
1.2.
Yes
None
Financial Implications and Risks to the
Council should have their own separate
headings. It is not acceptable to simply
state that financial implications or risks
have been alluded to in the main body of
the report.
This report has been subject to the following processes:
Consultations with:
Cabinet Member
Yes
If not please state
reason
below
Local Member
Yes
If not please state
reason
below
Yes
If not please state
reason
below
Yes
If not please state
reason
below
Yes
If not please state
reason
below
Yes
If not please state
reason
below
N/A
S151 Officer
Update on process – consultation not required
Monitoring Officer
Update on process – consultation not required
Democratic Services Manager
Update on process – consultation not required
Communications Manager
Update on process – consultation not required
Other Head(s) of Service:
n/a
Others:
n/a
Please confirm this report has been signed off by:
Management Team
Yes
Not apt
Relevant Strategic Director
Yes
Not apt
The Chief Executive
Yes
Not apt
Agenda Item No____15________
CUSTOMER COMPLIMENTS, COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
MONITORING REPORT.
Summary:
Conclusions:
Recommendations:
The report shows that complaints acknowledged have remained
at 100% and complaints responded to within timescale have
increased from 73% to 91% since the last report to Overview
and Scrutiny Committee (March 2011).
It is recommended that Members note the contents of this
report.
Cabinet member(s):
Ward(s) affected:
Cllr. Tom FitzPatrick
All
Estelle Packham – Customer Services Manager
Extension: 6079
Email: estelle.packham@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Jane Wisson – Customer Services Team Leader
Extension: 6096
Email: jane.wisson@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Contact Officer,
telephone
number, and
e-mail:
1.
This report provides Members with an overview of customer
compliments, complaints and suggestions received by the
organisation during the period 1 February 2011 and 31 July
2011 along with an overview of recent and forthcoming related
activities.
Context
1.1 This report provides Members with an overview of the corporate customer compliments,
complaints and suggestions (CCS) results during the period 1 February 2011 to 31 July 2011.
1.2 A background section has been included within this report to provide new members with a brief
overview of recent activities within the corporate CCS process.
2.
Background
2.1 The CCS process was centralised within Customer Services during 2009/10. This has meant that
the recording and monitoring of complaints has become more consistent across the organisation.
2.2 Prior to the process being centralised the number of complaints being acknowledged averaged
58% and the number being responded to within timescale (28 working days) averaged 53%.
2.3 A database which provides enhanced reporting and interrogation facilities was developed by ICT
and implemented during 2010/11. This makes it easier to identify commonalities across the
organisation.
2.4 Cllr. Sue Arnold became member liaison for the CCS process during 2009/10. Cllr. Arnold, along
with the Customer Services portfolio holder has met with the CCS champion and Customer
Services Manager on a regular basis to discuss progress.
3.
Current situation
3.1 The CCS champion monitors acknowledgements and responses on a daily basis to ensure that
timescales are adhered to.
3.2 The CCS champion is now responsible for MP complaints (previously Kirsty Read, PA to CEO)
and they will now start to be logged within the corporate database. This will mean that we will be
able to identify potential duplication of complaints. For example, a customer may send a
complaint direct to us and also to their MP, which in turn they would send to us, meaning we
would have 2 identical complaints from the same customer.
3.3 Complaints are analysed to identify areas that need improvement. It is then decided what the
action needs to be. For example, this could be additional training for an individual or a change
within a process.
3.4 Service areas have a complaints coordinator who meets with the CCS champion (Jane Wisson –
Customer Services Team Leader) on a regular basis. This ensures that the administration,
learning and actions are carried out as appropriate.
3.5 Although Ombudsman complaints are managed by the CEO office they are now logged within
the corporate database. This will mean that in the future we will have a full audit trail of a
complaint that reaches this stage.
4.
Next Steps
4.1 There is one service area, Environmental Health, where not all complaints are logged within the
corporate database. This is because if the complaints go direct to the service area they are
logged on their own Customer Management System. To avoid duplication of work integration
between the two systems is currently being explored.
4.2 To develop/change reports to make it easier to understand the actions that we have taken and
the impact that it has had. For example, if we have changed a process because of a complaint,
did it mean that the level of complaints then reduced?
4.3 Communicate where changes made to processes etc have benefitted our customers. This will
raise the perception of the Council.
5.
Feedback Analysis
It should be noted that at the time of completing this report the deadline for sending some
responses has not been reached. The results therefore may improve.
Complaints
5.1 For the six month period 1 February 2011 to the 31 July 2011 the Council received 45 complaints
in relation to a range of services (see Appendix G). For the same period last year we received a
total of 69 complaints, this demonstrates a reduction of 35%
5.2 Of those 45 complaints there is evidence that 100% were acknowledged in writing within
timescale.
5.3 91% of all complaints were responded to within our target timescale. This equates to an increase
of 18%.
5.4 In the same period we also received correspondence on six complaints referred to the Local
Government Ombudsman. Four of these have been responded to within timescales (66%).
6.
MP Correspondence
In the period between 1 February 2011 and 31 July 2011 the Council received 100 letters from all
MP’s 72 of which (72%) were answered within 28 days (our target timescale).
7
Compliments
7.1 A total of seventeen compliments were received across all service areas during the six month
period. These reflected how well our colleagues dealt with an enquiry (Attitude 65%) and how we
met or exceeded our customer’s expectations
8.
Risks to the Council
8.1 Compliments, complaints and suggestions represent an opportunity for the Council to reflect on
the way it provides its services to customers. Without the technology in place to ensure timely
and effective analysis, it will be extremely challenging to identify service improvements.
8.2 The organisation has implemented, and will continue to develop, an ethos of welcoming and
encouraging feedback. We need to ensure that we consistently and continually use this feedback
to improve our services and that we communicate this effectively in order to maintain and
enhance our reputation.
8.3 An equality impact assessment was not completed when the procedure was reviewed during
early 2008. However, this will be timetabled in for completion along with a majority of other
Customer Services’ policies, procedures and strategies.
9
Financial Risks
9.1 Some service delivery failures have the potential to lead to claims against the Council for
compensation, damages or restitution. For example, we have examples of occasions when the
Local Government Ombudsman has recommended a financial remedy to satisfy a complaint. It
is important to recognise that effective complaints management can make a significant
contribution to our risk management strategy.