Customer Care and Complaints Policy

Purpose and Scope

This policy guides all staff, volunteers, and trustees to ensure that customers receive excellent service and have a fair and structured process for providing feedback, compliments, or complaints. Aligned with the CCA’s commitment to quality service, equality, and continuous improvement, this policy can also be accessed on our website.

Our Commitment to Customer Care

We are dedicated to delivering responsive, inclusive, and respectful service. To fulfil this commitment, we will:

• Gather customer information sensitively and with courtesy to address their needs appropriately.
• Follow our Equality and Diversity Policy, ensuring that all customers receive fair and unbiased service.
• Understand and adapt to customer needs, developing our services based on their expectations.
• Incorporate customer feedback into service planning, allowing customers to help shape our service delivery.
• Maintain transparency about what we can and cannot provide, managing expectations honestly.
• Provide accessible options for customers to contact us and access services, ensuring ease of use and multiple points of entry.
• Keep information about services readily available, including how to access them and what they entail.
• Create welcoming environments that are safe, inclusive, and accessible to all individuals.
• Respect confidentiality in all customer interactions, protecting personal information at every step.
• Explain any delays and respond promptly to requests, offering a clear timeline whenever possible.

Communication Standards

 Our goal is to ensure that each customer interaction is constructive, courteous, and helpful. In support of this goal, we will:

• Listen attentively to customer concerns and feedback.
• Communicate with politeness and honesty, treating each customer with respect.
• Provide guidance if we are unable to directly address an issue, referring customers to suitable resources or contacts.
• Ensure confidentiality in all communications and interactions, fostering trust and openness.
• Craft clear and accessible communications, using language that is easy to understand in all letters, emails, and publications.

Performance Measurement

To assess and continually improve our Customer Care standards, we:

• Regularly solicit customer feedback through surveys, comments, and informal input.
• Make it easy for customers to provide feedback, offering visible and accessible ways to submit complaints, compliments, and suggestions.
• Investigate and address complaints comprehensively and promptly, learning from mistakes to prevent recurrence.
• Report complaint summaries and resolutions to the Board of Trustees periodically to maintain accountability.

Managing Complaints

A complaint is defined as any expression of dissatisfaction, verbal or written, that requires a response. Complaints can be submitted in person, by phone, email, or in writing.

The CCA strives to meet the needs of our customers, but there may be instances where expectations are not met. This Complaints Policy outlines a fair, accessible process for customers who are dissatisfied with their experience to voice concerns and seek resolution.

A complaint should be made within three months of the incident or action. In exceptional cases, CCA trustees may extend this period if reasonable under the circumstances.

Complaint Handling Process

• Informal Resolution at the Source
  Staff members should aim to resolve complaints immediately, informally, and at the source if possible. Customers are encouraged to speak directly with the involved staff member. Where an issue is resolved on the spot, staff should log the details in writing, including the nature of the complaint, actions taken, and the resolution. This should then be shared with their line manager.

• Formal Complaint Submission
  If the complaint cannot be resolved informally or if the customer prefers, the issue may be escalated by submitting a written complaint to the Chief Executive (CEO). Upon receiving a written complaint:

1. • Acknowledgment will be sent within five working days, confirming receipt.
   • Investigation will be conducted promptly, with a written response provided addressing all points raised by the complainant. The response should also offer options for additional steps if needed.

• Escalation to Review Panel
  If the customer remains unsatisfied, they may request a Review Panel. The panel, consisting of two trustees and an external appointee, will review the complaint, documentation, and previous responses. The Review Panel’s decision will be final.

• Final Decision and Vexatious Complaints
  If the complaint persists beyond the standard process and exhibits characteristics of a “habitual or vexatious” complaint (e.g., persistent, unreasonable demands or hostility), the Board may designate it as such, thereby limiting further responses.

Record-Keeping

All complaints, both informal and formal, are recorded and securely stored in line with data protection legislation:

• Verbal complaints are retained for one year.
• Written complaints are stored for three years.
• Habitual or vexatious complaints are retained indefinitely or as the trustees deem necessary.

Confidentiality and Staff Support

All stages of the complaints process are conducted with strict confidentiality. Staff involved in a complaint may receive support from trustees or appointed individuals. Complainants are also expected to respect confidentiality requirements throughout the process.

APPENDIX

Habitual or Vexatious Complaints

Definition of Habitual or Vexatious Complainant
A complainant may be designated as habitual or vexatious if their behaviour or demands are unreasonably persistent or obstructive. This includes:

• Refusal to accept documented responses.
• Unreasonable or excessive contact with staff or trustees.
• Hostile, aggressive, or harassing behaviour.
• Continually raising new issues after initial responses.

Options for Response
Depending on the severity, the Board may:

• Issue a written notification informing the complainant of their habitual or vexatious status.
• Limit or cease future contact, including declining further responses or restricting access to CCA services and events.
• Seek legal counsel in extreme cases to prevent further disruption.

Withdrawal of Habitual or Vexatious Status
CCA may lift this designation if a subsequent complaint meets standard criteria, allowing the complainant to resume normal communication.