Complaints Handling

Complaint Handling: Service Delivery

There is a structure in place for the management of all client relationships. We anticipate a review of this structure to include resource management as our workloads increase.

All aspects of Field Delivery are under the joint remit of the Head of Field Operations [North] and Head of Field Operations [South]. This includes Field Delivery of the overall services, quality inspections, customer feedback, complaints, escalations and queries as well as repairs and servicing. It also includes rota and resource management, delivery of the 0800 Way, as well as the escalation point following any field resource issues that are raised. The Heads of Field Operations are responsible for arranging all training and the outputs of all field labour, internal or subcontracted.

The Head of Customer Operations is responsible and accountable for all aspects of customer service delivery including office-based rota, Telephony, communications, inbound contact management, documentation, product literature, complaints and maintaining effective communications with the field resource. Reporting to the Head of Customer Operations will be the office-based resource to include telephony and contact staff.

The Head of Customer Operations is specifically responsible for the following Customer Care aspects of our overall service delivery:

• Complaint Handling:
• Complaints Policy
• Complaints Procedure
• Person within Company responsible for complaint management
• Audit and Review procedure
• Complaint logging and tracking processes
• Compensation policy
• Complaint ownership and resolution
• Escalation procedures
• Closure of complaint
• Details of complaint statistics
• Customer Surveys
• Customer Feedback

 

We have a formal Complaints Policy and an internal procedure detailing how these are handled. In essence, where a complaint is received, an investigation takes place. We obtain statements and/or input from the complainant as well as the area of the business or the individual that the complaint involves. We then analyse all of the facts that are involved with a view to achieving an outcome of either upholding or not upholding the complaint.

Our complaints are under the jurisdiction of our Head of Customer Operations. That individual has sufficient authority to commission any investigation and to obtain statements from anyone in the company who is or was involved [by any act, omission, or commission] in the complaint. The head of Customer Operations has responsibility for the collation of data regarding complaints, root cause analysis, and subsequent continuous improvement processes. Ownership of a complaint lies with the Head of Customer Operations from receipt of complaint, analysis, escalation, offer and acceptance and closure.

The Head of Customer Operations provides summary reports to the Board of Directors in relation to Complaints / Quality.

Our business processes relating to complaint handling underpin our Quality Management system and demonstrate that complaints are a fundamental part of the process.

Code of Conduct

PHS Home Solutions have outlined the company Code of Conduct and established values for all employees to observe. This is called “The 0800 Way”. In this, we have outlined the expected behavioural traits that we believe create a positive working environment providing excellent customer service on a consistent basis.

When we carry out Post Inspection visits, we believe we have robust procedures. As well as inspecting the work done, we believe that the customer perception about our service delivery is vitally important.

We ask about how the overall work was provided and carried out by the engineer: the phone ahead with eta, timeliness of actual arrival, the introduction to include showing photo ID, use of any passwords for entry, appearance of individual and van, uniform, politeness and courtesy shown, safety briefing, indication of work to be done, cleanliness, any mess, waste damage, walk and talk through of work done, were next steps if any fully explained, was the overall experience satisfactory from the customers point of view, as well as asking for any comments suggestions or contributions the customer wishes to make.

We also have a Group Compensation Policy and Procedure which is designed to accommodate a variety of client SLA’s which vary from contract to contract. The exact nature of the agreed procedure and policy varies from contract to contract and is costed within the final agreed contract pricing structure.

As an FSA regulated business, we are required to monitor complaint levels very closely. Overall, our complaint levels are less than 0.25%. After investigation, 0.25% of these are found to be upheld.

We are focussed on our service delivery and customer perception of us and we see this, together with our brand as being a fundamental part of our overall proposition. Below is an extract from our Customer Care / Quality of Service training that we provide to our engineers. We call this “The 0800 Way”.

1. Objective

 

1.1 To detail a system for processing, resolving and logging customer complaints and queries.

2. Policy

2.1. When a customer complaint cannot be resolved at a local level by the relevant personnel, then the complaint shall be processed according to this procedure.

Admin personnel shall report any outstanding complaint as soon as possible and a Complaint/Query Action Form shall be raised immediately.

2.2. A separate Complaint/Query Action Form shall be maintained for each customer complaint and all correspondence regarding the subsequent investigation and action shall be maintained in an alphabetical filing system.

2.3. The Complaint/Query Action Form shall be forwarded to the relevant director of the business unit along with written correspondence regarding the subsequent investigation and actions taken. All documents shall be filed alphabetically and kept for a minimum of 12 months.

2.4. The assigned responsible person shall communicate the results of the investigations to the complainant with apologies where justified and also give notice of any corrective actions intended.

2.5. The assigned responsible person shall inform all staff of any complaint and the necessary corrective action.

2.6. A record of the action taken shall be detailed on the relevant Complaints/Query Form. Completed Complaint/Query forms shall be retained in accordance with 2.3.

2.7. The Complaint Files shall be reviewed on a regular basis to determine any trends and action required to prevent recurrence.

Disposition of Complaint/Query Forms shall be at the discretion of the senior management.

All completed Complaint/Query Action forms shall be signed off by either the COO, CFO or the CEO.