4.1 Distribution and recording of electronic contacts

Online Complaint Service submissions arrive as ‘pending cases’ in ECHO. Advisors accept and administer these cases giving priority to dealing with the oldest first.

A central ‘Intake’ Outlook mailbox directly receives other admin work such as joint working team transfers for the PHSO, consent forms and direct emails from complainants (see section 4.3). These contacts are dealt with by the advisors and again given work priority in date order.

The ITLs will regularly check the progress of the work in the Intake mailbox and pending ECHO cases. ITLs are responsible for recording the volume of online correspondence received and the associated outcomes.

At the end of the shift each advisor will report the number and type of decisions to the ITL. This is recorded on the complaints spreadsheet to ensure the completion of work and for reporting purposes.

4.2 Accepting OCS complaint submissions

The following is step by step guide to accepting web complaint forms.

• In ECHO click on ’pending cases (NEW)’ and the submissions are displayed as a list. The list should always be refreshed prior to taking any new cases by pressing the green circular arrow
• To accept a case, select the tick boxes next to the forms and click accept. This will create a reference and a new tab for each form.
• A postcode search must then be completed to check for any previous or continuing complaints.
• The contact details will need to be checked and corrected so they are displayed in the correct format.
• Any information in the ’Reasonable Adjustments’ section will need checking and correcting so that it is in the correct format.

If a complaint is being referred to the BinJ as premature, then the reason for contacting LGSCO will pull through to the correct letters and the reasons should not be amended. The advisor must ensure the letter to the BinJ states that the complaint has been received online and has not been amended.

If a complaint is received that is the same as, similar to or related to a complaint that is already in ECHO, the following rules apply:

• If the old complaint reference has not been file managed and remains live with Intake, a copy of the complaint form and any documents should be moved to the old case. Notes should be placed on old case record to explain this and care should be taken to add any newly requested reasonable adjustments. The case should be then worked accordingly.

• If the previous complaint has gone through to the teams a complaint form should be created. This and all supporting documents should be transferred to the existing case and the new submission closed as ‘insufficient info’. A record of the new case reference should be made in the notes and a task should be set on the case asking the previous investigator to review the new documents. The investigator will then decide if it is a new complaint and will advise accordingly. If the case is new, the submission can be reopened and worked as needed.  If it is deemed to be a continuation of the existing case, then the new record should be voided.

• Occasionally, an OCS user will submit a new complaint that is deemed to be a duplicate of an existing case. Or the user may submit a new complaint to us with the intention of providing us with supporting evidence for an existing case. If this happens, and providing the existing case is an OCS submission, the documents should be moved to the existing case and the new reference voided.

• Special attention should also be given to any reasonable adjustments that are recorded. If necessary, transferring the reasonable adjustment data from the void case to the existing case.

  On a quarterly basis, an ITL will review 20% of the void cases where reasonable adjustments were noted. This is to ensure we have a consistent practice of moving across notes about reasonable adjustments.

4.3 Handling email communication

The email address for the Intake mailbox can be provided to complainants where this has been requested as a reasonable adjustment to access the service.  This should only be done as an exception.  Advisors should firstly explore the barriers to our standard contact methods being used and offer alternatives, such as capturing the information while on a telephone call. 

It is important that expectation about usage of the email address is made clear to prevent misuse.  When provided, the advisor should: 

• Create a skeleton case in ECHO and provide a reference number. 
• Request that only contact information, an outline of the complaint and a copy of the final response (or evidence of delay) is provided. 

Explain clearly that the email address is only for the submission of a new complaint and not for ongoing communication unless otherwise requested

It may however become necessary to manage contact when these requests are not adhered to.  Therefore, when we receive: 

• a clear new complaint submission or enquiry - it should be processed as normal and, where possible, assigned to the pre-created case record. 
• ongoing communication on an existing complaint with the Intake team – it should only be processed if it contains the final BINJ response, a complaint about our service, a decision challenge, or further evidence we have directly requested.  Otherwise, it should be added to the case and a note made of the reason why no further action was taken. 
• ongoing communication on an existing case with Investigation – it should be deleted. 
• or are copied into random communication with other organisations – it should be deleted. 

When used, the Intake Mailbox sends an automatic response to the complainant which notifies them that the above actions will be taken.

Continued and frequent unsolicited contact from complainants using the email address should be referred to the ITL and CSM for consideration in line with the guidance on managing challenging complainant behaviour.