Complaints Handling Policy and Procedure Templates
As a matter of good business practice, it is important that all businesses have in place suitable policies and procedures for the handling of customer complaints.
While it should always be the aim of every organisation to ensure that no customer has a cause for complaint, mistakes – innocent or otherwise – and difficult customers are a reality in most cases. Having a complaints policy and complaints procedure in place not only helps to ensure the efficient and effective handling of complaints but also shows your commitment to providing (and improving) high quality service to your customers.
The Customer Complaint Policy templates and Complaints Handling Procedure templates in this subfolder go hand-in-hand and are designed to help a range of different business sizes and types manage customer complaints effectively, underlining their commitment to high levels of customer service.
Complaints Handling Policy and Procedure Templates is part of Business . Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Business for 1 year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my business legally have to have a complaints procedure? +
For most unregulated businesses there is no general legal duty to run a formal complaints procedure, though it is strongly advisable. Regulated sectors are different: financial services firms, for example, must follow the FCA's complaint-handling rules. Even without a duty, a clear, consistent procedure protects you and improves service. The customer complaint policy and procedure templates here give you a documented process to adopt.
A customer is still unhappy after I have dealt with their complaint. What do I have to tell them? +
If the customer is a consumer, when you tell them the outcome of your consideration of their complaint, you must also tell them about any alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme, ombudsman or similar arrangement that you are obliged to use and that is available to them if they are dissatisfied. The obligation to use it may come from the law, your contract with the customer or another contract, such as a trade association membership. If you are not obliged to use any such scheme, this duty does not apply, although you can still offer ADR voluntarily. The procedure templates prompt this step.
What is the difference between a complaints policy and a complaints procedure, and do I need both? +
A complaints policy is the short statement of your commitment and principles for handling complaints; the procedure is the step-by-step process your staff follow to log, investigate and respond to them. They work together: the policy sets the promise and the procedure delivers it. This subfolder provides both, so you can publish the policy and run the procedure behind it.
How should my complaints procedure handle a customer's personal data? +
A complaint almost always contains personal data, so handling it engages UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018: collect only what you need, keep it secure, use it only to resolve the complaint and keep it no longer than necessary. If the complaint is itself about how you handled their personal data, the law also requires you to make it easy to complain to you, acknowledge the complaint within 30 days, deal with it without undue delay and tell the customer the outcome; the customer can also complain to the ICO. Build these points into the procedure and your privacy notice.
Will a complaints procedure help if a dispute reaches an ombudsman or court? +
Yes. A documented procedure that you follow consistently shows you took the complaint seriously and gave the customer a fair chance to resolve it, which helps before an ombudsman, an ADR body or a court and often stops matters escalating in the first place. The templates give you an auditable process and standard response letters to evidence how each complaint was handled.
