The main workflow, step by step
The window follows one billing complaint from the customer's first contact to its closure and the report that follows. Choose a step to see its screen. The utility, the customer and the account shown are invented for the demonstration.
New complaint
CMP-60218Received- About
- Estimated bill far above usage
- Account
- Matched from the customer's sign-in
- Evidence
- Photo of the meter reading
- Reply by
- Email, with a reference
Off the pathA complaint made by phone or letter is entered by an agent into the same form, so that no channel has a separate log.
Triage
CMP-60218Assigned| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Category | Billing, estimated reading |
| Priority | Standard |
| Deadline | From the complaints policy |
| Owner | Billing investigations |
Off the pathA complaint that mentions safety, vulnerability or legal action is flagged at once and follows a faster route.
Investigation
CMP-60218Upheld| Finding | Detail |
|---|---|
| Meter history | Two estimates in a row |
| Reading supplied | Accepted as actual |
| Bill | Recalculated, lower |
| Redress | Goodwill credit proposed |
Off the pathRedress above the investigator's limit is sent to a supervisor for approval before the customer is told.
Response
CMP-60218Awaiting customer- Outcome
- Upheld, bill corrected
- Credit
- Applied to the account
- Explanation
- Plain-language letter
- Next step
- How to escalate if unhappy
Off the pathIf the customer rejects the outcome, the case reopens at the next stage and the original deadline record is kept.
Overview
This monthThree near deadline| Measure | State |
|---|---|
| Open cases | Shown by age band |
| Near deadline | Three cases |
| Top cause | Consecutive estimates |
Off the pathA cause that rises month on month is raised with the department that owns it, with the cases attached as evidence.
Who uses it, and what each role can do
Complaints cross departments and can end up before a regulator or an ombudsman. The roles make ownership explicit at every stage.
| Role | Sees | Can do |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | Their own complaints and responses | Raise, add evidence, accept or escalate |
| Complaints agent | Cases in their queue | Record, categorize, assign and respond |
| Investigator | Cases assigned to their department | Investigate, decide and propose redress |
| Supervisor | Their team's cases and approvals | Approve redress and review rejected outcomes |
| Complaints manager | All cases, deadlines and root causes | Report, escalate and own the policy |
When the work leaves the usual path
Complaints handling is judged by how the awkward cases are treated. Each of these has its own route, agreed with your complaints policy owner.
| Situation | What the system does | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Safety, vulnerability or legal threat | Flags the case and applies the faster route | Complaints manager |
| Deadline approaching | Alerts the owner, then the supervisor | Supervisor |
| Redress above the handler's limit | Requires approval before the reply | Supervisor |
| Customer rejects the outcome | Reopens at the next stage with history intact | Complaints manager |
| Same complaint through two channels | Detects and merges the duplicate | Complaints agent |
| Case referred to an outside body | Records the referral and packages the file | Complaints manager |
| Complaint about a member of staff | Restricts the case to named handlers | Complaints manager |
What it connects to
An investigator needs the customer's history without opening five systems. The connections below are typical, and each depends on what your systems provide.
| System | What moves | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and billing system | Accounts, bills, payments and contact history | Into the system |
| Contact centre or telephony | Calls and recordings linked to a case | Into the system |
| Email and web forms | Complaints received in writing | Into the system |
| Field service or operations | Jobs raised to fix the underlying fault | Both ways |
| Reporting or data warehouse | Case data for regulatory and board reports | Out of the system |
What a first release includes
Single complaint record
One record per complaint from web, email, phone, letter or social channels, with every contact attached.
Categories and deadlines
Categories, priorities and deadlines taken from your policy, with clocks that start at first contact.
Investigation workspace
Customer history, evidence, notes, the decision and any proposed redress, together on one screen for the investigator.
Responses and redress
Response templates in plain language, approval limits for redress and a record of what was offered.
Escalation stages
Stages for review, final response and referral to an outside body, each with its own deadline.
Root cause reporting
Causes coded per case, trends by product, area and department, and the reports your regulator asks for.
Often added after the first release
- A customer view of complaint progress
- Suggested categories from the complaint text
- Quality checks on closed cases
- Surveys after closure
- Links to improvement actions
What we need from you
- Your complaints policy and the deadlines that apply to you
- Your current categories and how complaints are logged today
- The customer and billing systems an investigator consults
- Redress limits by role
- A complaints manager and an investigator to test with real cases
Ownership and licensing terms are defined in the project agreement.
What to do next
Send us your complaints policy and a month of anonymized complaint categories. We reply with the stages we would configure, the connections and a proposal. Start a conversation or book a 30-minute call.
Common questions
Is this different from a help desk or ticketing tool?
A ticketing tool tracks requests to a resolution. Complaint handling adds obligations: formal stages, deadlines set by policy or regulation, redress, escalation to an outside body and reporting on causes. Some ticketing products can be configured for it. A dedicated system is justified where those obligations are heavy or the volumes are high.
Does it enforce our regulator's rules?
It applies the deadlines, stages and reporting categories you configure. Which rules apply to you, and how they are interpreted, is for your compliance team to determine, and requirements change over time. The system is built so that your team can adjust deadlines and categories without a developer when they do.
Can complaints arrive from any channel?
Yes. Web forms and email create cases directly. Phone, letter and in-person complaints are entered by an agent into the same record. Social media messages can be brought in where you choose. What matters is a single log, so that totals and deadlines are complete whichever way the customer made contact.
How does it help reduce complaints?
By coding the cause of each case and showing trends. When one cause, such as consecutive estimated bills, accounts for a rising share, the evidence is in front of the department that can fix it. The system supplies the pattern and the cases behind it. Acting on that remains a management decision.