Agenda item

To receive the Customer Feedback Report 2023/24.

The Service Delivery Manager: Customer Relationships and Welfare Services presented the Customer Feedback Reports for 2023-24 which gave an update on the feedback received during the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.  This provided assurance that the Council’s response to complaints was effective and that lessons were being learnt and continuous improvements being made.

To demonstrate an effective approach to responding to customer feedback and complaint handling, the Council produced an annual report on complaint handling for Children’s Statutory Complaints, Adult’s Statutory Complaints and Corporate Feedback.

The Corporate Feedback Report showed that there has been a sustained increase in compliments which had continued to increase year on year, with an increase of 13% from the previous year and a 120% increase in compliments over the last 5 years.

The Customer Insight Programme now had 214 registered Mystery Customers, an increase of 15% in 2023/24, who were undertaking assignments to help us shape and improve services.

Feedback in relation to the Corporate Contact Centre indicated that performance was excellent with a 93% satisfaction rate in relation to telephone calls and 99% of customers being satisfied with the automated assistant, Ask Tom.

During the year, 72 Customer Insight assignments had been completed with an 87% satisfaction rate.   There had been 277 member enquiries, an increase of 95 on previous year with 92% being responded to within timescale.  MP enquiries had totalled 159 with 83% being responded in the relevant timescale.

A total of 721 complaints were received across the Council, including statutory complaints, in 2023/24 and although this was a marginal increase, it represented a very small percentage of customers.  In 2023/24 659 corporate complaints had been received, an increase from the 601 that were received in 2022/23, although this figure was lower than in 2021/22.  Some 42% of complaints were upheld and this figure was in line with previous years.  No complaints had been received in relation to tenancies and the Housing Ombudsman or specifically on the handling of complaints on CSE.

Despite the challenges, the number of days taking to respond to complaints had reduced from 11 working days to 10 working days, which was in line with the new timescale of 10 working days introduced from May 2024.

During 2023/24, 39 Adult Statutory complaints were received, an increase on the 35 received in 2022/23.  In relation to Children’s statutory complaints, 23 were received in 2023/24, a marginal increase on the 20 received in 2022/23.

In 2023/24 the average number of days to respond to an Adult Statutory complaint across all portfolios was 29 days, this was an increase on the average response time of 25 working days achieved in 2022/23 but remained lower than the two previous years.  The average number of days taken to respond to Children’s Statutory Complaints during the year was 14 working days, which was an improvement on the 16 working days achieved in 2022/23.

Prior to the meeting, a letter had been received from the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) and based on their data 3 complaints had been investigated, two were not upheld and one being upheld.

During the debate, it was asked that where complex enquiries were received what could be learnt in relation to bringing them to a resolution within timescale and what measures would be put in place to reflect and improve the situations.  It was noted that the public were more likely to give negative feedback but the receipt of 639 compliments was testament to the work undertaken by the team.

The Service Delivery Manager: Customer Relationships and Welfare Services felt that although it was disappointed when LGO complaints were upheld, areas for improvement were identified and this was acknowledged.

RESOLVED – that:

a)    the Customer Feedback Reports for 2023-24 in respect of Adult Statutory Complaints, Children’s Statutory Complaints and Corporate Customer Feedback be reviewed; and

b)   the improvement in complaint handing performance and the increase in positive feedback be noted.