A customer calls a service company because a repair appointment was missed. The receptionist apologizes and sends a message to scheduling. A scheduler leaves a voicemail for the technician. The customer calls again the next morning, and a different receptionist starts the conversation from the beginning.
Each employee has taken an action. The customer still needs an answer: who will arrange the repair, and when will someone call back?
A complaint record can carry that work between employees. The record gives the next employee a place to find the customer's account, the person investigating, the action required, and the response already given. A manager can then follow the complaint from arrival through follow-up.
Record the complaint when it arrives
Open a record while the details are available. Complaints Log Book provides a numbered page for each complaint, with a reference field and a date received. The page also records how the complaint arrived, including phone, email, mail, and a visit to the organization.
In the missed-appointment example, enter the customer's contact details and preferred contact method. Give the subject a concrete name, such as “Missed repair appointment at Oak Street.” Describe the appointment the customer expected, what the customer reports happened, and what the customer is asking the company to do.
Keep the account attributable. If the customer says a technician promised to arrive before lunch, record that the customer reported the promise. When a scheduler checks the appointment record, add the scheduler's findings with the date. Those entries give the manager a sequence to examine.
Name the investigator
The log has an Investigator field. Enter the name of the employee responsible for examining the complaint. That employee needs to know the assignment and have access to the information needed to answer it.
For the repair company, the scheduling manager might check the booking, speak with the technician, and contact the customer. Write that assignment into the record. Give the manager the complaint reference so that later messages can be matched to the same account.
An assignment becomes useful when the employee understands the next action. In the Action Required block, record the agreed work: check why the appointment was missed, arrange a replacement visit with the customer, and confirm the arrangement through the customer's preferred contact method.
Date the entry. If the company has promised a callback, write that promise into the record where the employee handling the complaint can find it.
Record what the company carried out
Action Required and Action Carried Out have separate spaces in the log. Use the first space for the work agreed and the second for the work completed.
When the scheduling manager reaches the customer, record the contact and its outcome. If the customer agrees to a replacement appointment, enter the arrangement. After the technician completes the visit, record the completion and the information received from the technician.
If the customer could not be reached, describe the attempt and leave the remaining action visible. The next employee should be able to see which conversation still needs to happen. Update the complaint's status in the front index so a manager reviewing open work can find the record.
Follow up before closing the record
The log's follow-up block separates the action carried out from confirmation of the complainant's satisfaction. Ask the customer whether the replacement visit addressed the concern. Record the customer's answer accurately, including any issue that still needs attention.
If the repair is complete but the customer reports a remaining problem with the appointment arrangements, carry that concern into the next action. Keep the response and follow-up together on the complaint record.
When closing the complaint, complete the closing date and the name and signature fields. Update the index with the status and date closed. Before the next shift begins, check the open complaints in the index and give each named investigator the next action still awaiting completion.
Related book
Complaints Log Book: Organize Concerns, Ensure Accountability, and Improve Service is a paperback for companies and organizations recording the complaints they receive.