lra.org.uk Customer Complaints Procedure Northern Ireland : Labour Relations Agency

Organization : Labour Relations Agency
Type of Facility : Customer Complaints Procedure
Country: Northern Ireland

Website : http://www.lra.org.uk/complaints.htm

Customer Complaints Procedure :

Complaints:
The Agency recognises the right of its customers to complain and indeed welcomes complaints as a valuable form of feedback about its services.

Related : Northern Ireland Audit Office NIAO Complaints Procedure : www.statusin.org/9273.html

The Agency is committed to using information gained from complaints to help drive forward improvements to services and to better meet the needs of customers.

If you have any dissatisfaction with the Agency’s services you can make a complaint in accordance with the Agency’s Customer Complaints Procedure

Customer Complaints Procedure:
We are committed to providing a high standard of service to every customer, every time, however you contact us. We do recognise however, that occasionally we will not live up to your expectations or our promises. Your comments are important. Not only do they allow us to improve our individual service to you, they also help us to enhance our products and services in general, making life easier for everyone who uses them. So if you have reason to suggest how we could have served you better, please do let us know. If you have a complaint about any aspect of our service then we would like to hear from you.

Contacting the Agency:
You can contact us by phone (028 90321442), or by post by writing to the Customer Complaints Officer at 2-16 Gordon Street, Belfast, BT1 2LG or e-mail to CustomerComplaints@lra.org.uk. Alternatively you can download (in Microsoft word format) our Customer Complaints Form from the Agency?s website at www.lra.org.uk

Information you need to provide :
To help us investigate and resolve the problem as quickly as possible, please provide the following information:
** Your name and address.
** Clear description of your concern or complaint
** Details of what you would like us to do to put it right
** Copies of any relevant documents, such as letters or policies
** A daytime telephone number where we can contact you.

How we will handle it :
We will try to resolve your complaint immediately, and with the minimum of inconvenience to you. The first step is for us to be really clear on what the problem is, and to identify with you what we can do to put it right. The more information you can give us the better.

Sometimes we will not be able to solve the problem with you “on the spot”. If we are unable to resolve your complaint by the following business day, and if we have not already contacted you to agree our proposal for resolving it, we will:
** Send an acknowledgement of your complaint in writing within 3 working days
** Confirm who will handle your complaint, and how you can contact them. On occasions, to ensure that your complaint is reviewed by the most appropriate person, this may not be the person to whom you complained initially.

If circumstances arise when the person you are complaining about is not readily available, we will advise you of the difficulties and agree a revised response time with you.

If your complaint is particularly complex in nature, we will seek to keep you informed of the progress we are making as our investigations continue. We will aim to resolve your complaint within 5 working days initially but if this is not possible, we will agree a timeframe with you which is no greater than 20 working days. We aim to resolve your complaint at the earliest opportunity and at least within a specified time frame. Our complaints procedure involves two Stages with Stage 2 involving an investigation by the Chief Executive of the Agency (CEO).

If you are dissatisfied with the Chief Executive?s response you may refer your complaint to the Commissioner for Complaints, also known as the Northern Ireland Ombudsman Office (the „Ombudsman? see Annex 1) whose contact details are as follows:

Commissioner for Complaints:
Progressive House
33 Wellington Place
BELFAST
BT1 6HN
Freephone: (0800) 343424
Tel: 028 9023 3821
Fax: 028 9023 4912
e-mail: ombudsman@ni-ombudsman.org.uk
web: www.ni-ombudsman.org.uk

The Agency has an internal Customer Complaints Policy and Procedure which is included as Appendix 1 to this document.

Customer Complaints Policy & Procedure:
The Agency recognises the right of its customers to complain and indeed welcomes complaints as a valuable form of feedback about its services. The Agency is committed to using information gained from complaints to help drive forward improvements to services and to better meet the needs of customers.

This policy outlines in broad terms the Agency’s core aims and intended approach to the management of complaints.

Fundamentally this policy is designed to provide a framework for handling complaints that:
** Sets out a definition of a complaint that can be clearly communicated to both customers and staff.
** Establishes clear minimum service standards that are capable of being monitored and reported.
** Is responsive to the needs of our customers.
** Is transparent and easy to understand.
** Reflects best practice.
** Helps the Agency to learn from complaints and to inform service improvements.
** Enables our staff to deal with complaints effectively at the earliest stage in the process.

The sections below expand on these objectives, together with an outline of the procedures required to support the policy.

Who Can Complain?:
This Agency’s approach is designed to be as inclusive as possible and encompasses:
** Any person or organisation (i.e. business) receiving or seeking to receive a service from the Agency;
** Any person acting on behalf of an individual or group of individuals (this includes MPs, Advice Agencies and other advocacy groups).
** Staff or any other persons or organisations providing a service(s) to the Labour Relations Agency

How Can Complaints Be Made:
Customers contact us by phone (028 90321442), or by post by writing to the Customer Complaints Officer at 2-16 Gordon Street, Belfast, BT1 2LG or e-mail to CustomerComplaints@lra.org.uk. Alternatively you can download (in Microsoft word format) our Customer Complaints Form from the Agency?s website at www.lra.org.uk

The complaint will be initially dealt with through the Customer Complaints Officer3. In these circumstances, their immediate response will be to channel a complaint to the most relevant (or available) Director. All staff will be trained in the receipt of complaints and will be available to receive a complaint. If staff are in a position to progress a complaint, they must advise the relevant director of this and of their ongoing progress.

The Complaint Process:
The Agency follows a 2-stage complaint process, with clear opportunities for complaints to be escalated from one stage to the next. The process seeks to resolve complaints as quickly as possible.
At Stage 1 complaints will be directed to the service area which initially gave rise to the complaint. Stage 2 complaints will be addressed by the Chief Executive.

Stage 1:
At the first stage of the complaint process, the customer should direct their complaint to the Customer Complaints Officer. At this stage the customer should set out how they feel the service has been deficient and what they would like the Agency to do as a result of the complaint.

At this stage the Customer Complaints Officer will:
** Record the complaint on the Customer Complaints Register
** Refer the complaint for investigation to the appropriate Directorate
** Within 3 working days, send an acknowledgement to the customer outlining the details of how the Customer Complaints Officer can be contacted
** Provide a response to the customer which establishes the outcome of the initial investigation by the appropriate/relevant Director and detailing the proposal(s) for a resolution of the difficulty.

Normally, Stage 1 should be completed in 5 days.

Stage 2:
If the customer is dissatisfied with the response to their complaint at Stage 1, they may request that the matter be escalated to Stage 2. In requesting escalation, the customer should identify which elements of their complaint they feel have not been adequately addressed.
Complaints will be escalated to Stage 2 where the response at Stage 1 is considered to be incomplete, unclear or unhelpful.

When a complaint is escalated to Stage 2 it will be investigated by the Chief Executive who will:
** Summarise the main issues to be resolved, and agree these with the customer
** Investigate the complaint
** Record the outcome(s) of the complaint
** Provide a detailed response to the customer setting out the findings and the reasons for the findings.

Normally Stage 2 will be completed in 7 working days.

External Appeal:
If, following a Stage 2 investigation the customer remains dissatisfied with the response to the complaint, they may escalate the complaint by complaining to the Ombudsman.

Customers Making Multiple Complaints At One Time:
At times a customer may choose to complain about a number of aspects of Agency services in one letter/form. Where the complaints relate to a single service or a single experience, they will be managed to enable a consolidated response to be prepared. Where the complaints made relate to different services or events, the customer will be informed about who will respond to each complaint made.