A complaint about a report from the spring
A buyer who moved in some months ago writes to say the survey report missed a problem with the roof. The letter arrives at reception. The partner who handles complaints is on holiday. The surveyor who did the report forwards it to a colleague. Nobody is quite sure whether the acknowledgement has gone out.
When the partner returns, they need the report, the site photos, the surveyor's notes, the terms of engagement and the correspondence with the buyer. Some are in the survey software, some on a laptop, some in the surveyor's inbox. Your written complaints procedure sets out steps and timescales, and the practice has to follow it.
Why complaints records scatter
- Complaints arrive through every channel and to any member of staff.
- The procedure is a document, not a set of steps anyone is prompted to follow.
- Evidence is spread across survey software, file stores and inboxes.
- Dates in the procedure are tracked by memory.
- Nobody has a view of complaints across the practice, so patterns are missed.
What scattered records cost
Time spent gathering evidence while the complainant waits. Steps in your own procedure missed or late, which makes a complaint harder to resolve and can create problems with any body you are accountable to. Difficult conversations with your insurer when the file is thin. And lessons not learned, because nobody sees the same issue recurring.
| Need | Today | With the complaints log |
|---|---|---|
| Record the complaint | Email forwarded around | Logged with channel, date and summary |
| Gather evidence | Searched for across systems | Report, photos, notes and terms linked |
| Follow the procedure | Memory | Steps and dates from your procedure prompted |
| Record the outcome | Letter in a folder | Outcome and reasons recorded |
| Learn from complaints | Rarely | Themes reviewed by partners |
The complaints log we build
- Your written complaints procedure is turned into a set of steps with the timescales it specifies, for your practice to confirm.
- Anyone in the practice can log a complaint in a minute, from whatever channel it arrived through, and it goes to the named complaints handler and a deputy.
- The log links the job's report, photos, site notes, terms of engagement and correspondence automatically where they are stored digitally.
- Each step, such as acknowledgement, investigation and response, is prompted before its date, with draft letters from your templates.
- Correspondence is filed against the complaint, and the handler records decisions and reasons as they are made.
- Partners see a summary of open complaints, their stage and dates, and a periodic review of themes.
The log follows your procedure. It does not decide the outcome of a complaint, and your obligations to any regulator, redress scheme or insurer are for your practice and its advisers to judge.
Complaints handled on the record
When a complaint arrives, it is logged at once and reaches the right person, even if they are away. The evidence is gathered in minutes. The procedure's steps happen on time. Outcomes are recorded with reasons. Partners can see whether the same issue keeps coming up and change training, wording or processes accordingly.
If the matter goes to your insurer, the file is complete and in order, which makes those conversations far simpler.
Expressions of dissatisfaction that fall short of a formal complaint can be logged too, if your practice chooses. A buyer who grumbles on the phone about a delayed report is not making a complaint, but a record of such comments often shows where a process is fraying before it produces a formal one.
Are your complaints records scattered?
- Complaints evidence is spread across inboxes and systems.
- Your procedure's dates are tracked by memory.
- Complaints wait when the handling partner is away.
- Nobody reviews complaints for recurring themes.
- Pulling a complaint file together for your insurer takes days.