Operating any client relationship style business will, from time-to-time, result in dissatisfaction on the part of the consumer. Some common reasons for complaints and dissatisfaction include:
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Errors or rudeness on the part of the provider.
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Miscommunication.
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Faulty or inappropriate products / services / equipment.
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Unrealised goals.
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Price shock.
Complaint handling procedures may already be in place in your workplace, however, if you are a sole-operator or the owner of a business you will need to implement a complaint handling procedure and also be aware of conflict resolution strategies.
Having a formal complaints and conflict resolution policy/procedure helps by providing a consistent structure for the satisfactorily and timely resolution of complaints. The Commonwealth Ombudsman of Australia has produced a helpful guide: Better Practice Guide to Complaint Handling, which may assist with the development of an appropriate policy. Some of the main elements for handling complaints and conflict are summarised below.
There are five elements of effective complaint handling:
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Culture - Fitness professionals must value complaints as a means of strengthening their administration and improving relations with the public.
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Principles - The complaint handling procedure must be modelled on the principles of Fairness (no discrimination or bias); Accessibility (a complaint lodgement process exists and is made available); Responsiveness (complaints are dealt with appropriately); Efficiency (a timely response and outcome is determined); and Integration (any outcome that affects operations or systems is integrated into the business).
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People - Complaint handling staff (if there is more than one) must be skilled and professional to ensure a consistent and thorough response.
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Process - The formal process should include Acknowledgement; Assessment; Planning; Investigation; Response; Review; and Consideration of Systematic Issues.
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Analysis - Continuous improvement should be undertaken to review systems and processes to ensure repeat occurrences do not occur.
When undertaking the process of dealing with a complaint ensure that all seven stages are considered (some of these may be conducted simultaneously or may even be omitted):
Reassuring the client that their complaint is receiving attention is essential. Some complaints are relatively simple to resolve and therefore the acknowledgement may incorporate some of the other stages including the response decision. However, for more complex complaints the acknowledgement should outline the process steps you intend to take to investigate, respond and follow-up (including time frames).
Whilst written acknowledgement can be beneficial for record-keeping purposes and may assist continuous improvement in the future it is not essential and may not be practical. For example, in-person or telephone complaints will probably require instant verbal acknowledgement.
If your business has an electronic lodgement system for complaints then this can be programmed to send an automatic acknowledgement.
Complaint types and severity vary considerably, some may be simple and able to be resolved by a simple apology or explanation, others will be more complex and will require an assessment process to determine the appropriate severity, allocate a priority status, and determine who may need to be involved in the resolution process.
This step is usually conducted in conjunction with the assessment step and involves the documenting of a formal plan outlining how the complaint will be handled. As previously stated, some complaints will be able to be instantly resolved in which case this planning step (and possibly the assessment before it) may not be required. However, if the complaint is complex and likely to take a longer time period to resolve and/or involve other stakeholders then having a formal plan in place will help to avoid confusion and achieve consistency.
The plan that is documented does not need to be shown to the client, however, its structure may mirror all or part of the information conveyed in the acknowledgement step.
When conducting an investigation it is important that you are:
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Impartial - Do not make assumptions or allow bias to impact upon your investigation. Look for facts and evidence to base your decision on.
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Maintain confidentiality - Any details that are recorded as part of the complaint process must be kept secure and discretion observed when discussing the complaint with others.
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Transparent - Ensure the complainant is aware of the steps you are following, any timelines for resolution, is provided with a response in a reasonable time frame and is provided with a right of reply.
This step may consist of an informal approach, in the case of a simple easily resolved complaint, or it may be a formal written response. Certainly, a written response is warranted if the complaint was in relation to a serious, complex or disputed issue. It is worth also communicating with the complainant verbally to inform them of the written response that will be sent to them.
Response outcomes will vary depending on the type of complaint however may include:
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A full explanation.
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An apology.
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Changing or reconsidering a decision.
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Expediting action.
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Removing a debt or penalty.
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Providing financial compensation.
In some situations, the claim made by a complainant may not be accepted or is found to be incorrect and therefore the outcome (to close off the complaint) is unlikely to be to their liking. The response should outline how this outcome was determined and if need be provide an avenue for them to seek a review of the decision (this may be via an external stakeholder).
It is good practice to offer complainants the opportunity to communicate if they are satisfied with the outcome and the overall process. If they are continuing on as a client then this step may include a check to determine if they are satisfied with the service quality on offer. As per the previous step, this part of the process may include the provision of a third-party organisation or person who they can escalate their complaint to if they are still not satisfied with the outcome.
Complaints often result from a systematic issue that if not corrected may mean other similar complaints will be received. This may be a glitch in a software program, incorrectly trained staff, an issue with a supplier or a certain type of product to name a few types of issues. As part of the investigation step, any systematic issues should have been identified and it now time to ensure they are corrected.
Maintaining a written record of complaints is advisable for future reference, even minor complaints which have been easily rectified. This may be a simple document that is kept on the client's file or it may be a separate file solely for complaints. Key information to record include:
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Name and contact details of the complaintant.
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The date the complaint was received.
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Details of the complaint.
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Which staff member was allocated to investigate, respond and and follow-up the complaint.
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Details of the final outcome.
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The date the outcome was communicated to the client.
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Whether or not this outcome was accepted by the client as a satisfactory resolution.
Always ensure that any written records are maintained securely, this means locked cabinets for paper-based records and password protected software programs for electronic records.
There are five common strategies that may be utilised to deal with a conflict situation, which ones are used will depend on your personality, the type of conflict that is occurring and other circumstances such as deadlines:
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Avoidance - Walking away and ignoring the issue entirely. This strategy may be appropriate for trivial issues that will work themselves out with time, however, as a resolution is not reached the issue may grow or resurface in the future.
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Accommodation - Essentially means allowing the other party to win. This strategy may be appropriate if the issue is really not that important, you want to keep the peace, you are actually wrong, or you don't really have a choice.
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Competition - This is a forthright strategy whereby one person's views are overruled in favour of yours. This strategy may be appropriate if the issue relates to a moral, ethical, legal situation, or and emergency.
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Compromise - Reaching a solution that partially satisfies both parties. This strategy may be appropriate if a deadline is imminent, you're at an impasse, or you need a temporary solution in order to move on.
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Collaboration - This gold standard strategy seeks to find a solution that is satisfactory to all parties. This is a helpful strategy for complex high-stakes conflict situations where a dissatisfied party may escalate a situation.
