Once a complaint has been identified then the IS staff member should collect all relevant information and include this in the incident or request that relates to the complaint. The customer should be informed that a manager will be contacting them within 24 hours to discuss this with them and the details of the complaint should be emailed to their manager and they will take ownership of the complaint.
The manager will then asses the details and contact the customer to advise they have taken ownership of the complaint and provide contact information. At this point the manager will advise next steps, the method of communication, when regular updates will occur and that our timescale for resolving complaints is 5 working days. The manager will also explain the Complaints Procedure and how this integrates within the university procedure (Stage 1 vs Stage 2).
The manager will then try to resolve the complaint. This may mean that other IS team members will be brought in to either resolve the issue or try to find the root cause of the complaint. Their manager must be made aware that resource is being taken to resolve the complaint. If the manager is unable to resolve the complaint, then they must ensure they have the reasons behind why this complaint cannot be resolved and this must be relayed to the customer. If the customer is unhappy with the outcome of the complaint at this point, then the complaint should be escalated. There are three levels of escalation.
Level 1: Service Desk Team Leader
Level 2: Head of Service Management
Level 3: IT Director
At each level the escalation manager will try to resolve the complaint and keep the customer informed at all times. If they are unable to resolve the complaint to the customer’s satisfaction it must be escalated to the next level.
Finally, if the complaint has been resolved, or the escalation path has been exhausted, the customer must be contacted with the final outcome. If unresolved, once again the University Complaints Procedure must be advised to the customer so they know what further steps could be taken. It must be with the customer’s agreement that the complaint be closed. Once the complaint has been closed the complaint should be documented within the complaints spreadsheet which can be found within the file section of the Staff IT ISOG Team.
As part of the university complaints procedure all complaints need to be documented in the Complaints team spreadsheet, provided by the Complaints team and sent to them quarterly. All information from the complaint should be included in the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is sent by the Complaints team when they request for complaint data and is also included on Staff IT ISOG Team.
The overall responsibility for complaints management within Information Services rests with the IT Director
The responsibility for management of the complaints procedure rests with the Service Desk Team Leader. This includes maintaining this procedure, ensuring the complaints spreadsheet is kept up to date and providing advice and assistance on the implementation of this procedure.
The Head of Service Management is responsible, with the Service Desk Team Leader for any complaint which requires escalation.
All managers are directly responsible for implementing this policy when applicable.
Information Services staff are responsible for raising complaints to their manager when applicable.
University Complaints Procedure
For more information regarding the University’s overall complaints procedures can be found at the link below.
https://www.gcu.ac.uk/gaq/complaintsstudentconduct/complaints/