Agenda item

[To review complaints management and performance for the period April 2014 to March 2015.]

Sue Handy, Head of Customer Services, presented the Complaints Report and drew the Boards attention to the last quarter and annual performance of 2014/15. She summarised the report noting the following key findings:

• The Complaints Team responded to stage one complaints well within their targeted timescale.
• There was an increase in the number of complaints recorded due to improved awareness of the complaints process and greater transparency.
• Focus groups with customers have been providing feedback in trend areas, which is then fed back to the relevant service area.
• There were over a hundred compliments in the third and fourth quarter of 2014/15; efforts are being made to monitor compliments through a central point
• A policy has been introduced to manage unreasonable complaint behaviours

Cllr Bolshaw queried the purpose of ward level data for the Complaints Team. The Head of Custer Services explained this information is used by the Equalities Team to better understand if vulnerable demographics in Wolverhampton are being included. This feedback is also used to improve service areas as it helps the Complaints Team identify trend areas. Cllr Simkins requested for greater Councillor involvement in the process.

Cllr Collingswood queried the role of the Councillor SPOC. This contact point is a trial in the People Directorate; Councillors can email a specific mailbox, call the complaints team or register an issue with councillor support officers. This allows data to be managed by central point and to be analysed in same way as customer complaint data. Corporate leadership and SEB have considered this proposal. The Head of Customer Services noted that there was a need not to create a two tier complaints system whereby Councillor complaints were fast-tracked ahead of other complaints. She also informed the Board that Wolverhampton Homes use a SPOC.

Cllr Collingwood also questions what sort of customer service training had been provided to front-of-house staff and whether standards were monitored. The Head of Customer Services explained that City Direct employees receive mandatory customer service training, which will also be rolled out to all staff in the new appraisals package. She added that this will be monitored by Agresso. She informed the Board that the Complaints Team have been using mystery shoppers and customer satisfaction reporting to assess services.

Cllr O’Neill praised the quick response times of the Complaints Team. However he drew the Board’s attention to the number of Ombudsman complaints and questioned whether there was a weakness in the system that had resulted in complaints being escalated to this level. He also raised the issues of an abandoned fridge in his constituency and long waiting times on the phone reporting it to City Direct. The Head of Customer Services explained that whilst the targeted waiting time is no more than eight seconds, at peak times there can be a higher volume of calls. This standard is monitored on a monthly basis to ensure City Direct is adequately staffed.

Cllr Findlay praised the ethos of the complaints report and the work of the focus groups with customers. However he echoed concern about the Councillor SPOC, and commented that officer-councillor relationships were very important. He also questioned how the Council will monitor vexatious complaints in a sensitive manner. The Head Of Customer Services explained there is a robust process in place for a customer complaint to be labelled as vexatious, often with the Managing Director making a decision on the case. If a customer complaint is labelled vexatious then the individual is written to and informed they will have a SPOC for a 12 months period, after which the situation is reviewed.

The Head of Customer services explained that the Audit Committee process internal complaint information, such as complaints made about an employee by a colleague. An update report of this information will be presented to the Confident Capable Council (C3) Scrutiny Panel on 22 July. It was suggested that the outcomes of this report be summarised by the Chair of the C3 Panel at the next Scrutiny Board meeting.

Resolved:

1)    That Councillors be invited to future complaints groups.

2)    That the future Corporate Complaints reports include timescales for complaint resolutions, and that the report contains feedback made specifically about the Corporate Complaints Team.

3)    That internal complaints report presented at the Confident Capable Council Scrutiny Panel be summarised at next Board meeting by the Chair of the panel, Cllr Potter.