Aged care providers make every effort to ensure they provide high-quality care and services to the elderly. It’s important to capture feedback and complaints in a systematic fashion when running a customer centric business. When problems arise, it’s critical that people can express their concerns in a constructive and secure manner. A good complaints handling system should ideally:
- Help gain insights into the needs and wants of clients
- Address minor issues before they escalate and become risks
- Allow issues to be dealt with promptly, effectively and sustainably
- Enhance the ongoing relationship between the care provider and the client, their family and other stakeholders involved
- Contribute to continuous improvement of the service delivery
What is a positive approach to complaints handling?
Your approach towards complaints and resolution can have a significant impact on client satisfaction. A positive attitude and a commitment to resolving complaints can lead to noticeable improvement in client satisfaction.
Looking at complaints as an opportunity to improve systems and services can help providers nurture a healthy workplace culture, that takes away the focus from ‘who is to blame’ and bring attention towards ‘what improvements are needed moving forward.’
Promoting a positive approach to complaints management can include:
- Adopting a continuous improvement model that looks at complaints as learning opportunities
- Engaging with clients and their representatives for ongoing feedback
- Encouraging collaboration to find resolution in a transparent and timely manner, that gives everyone a voice
- Using the complaints to derive insights for improving and developing risk management, staff development and service delivery systems
- Recording and documenting all complaints, comments, suggestions, problems and compliments – no matter how minor they are, they can all contribute towards improving the service
Remember that at the heart of any complaint is a person receiving care, so having a positive approach and looking at the complaints from a place of empathy and understanding can help staff communicate effectively with complainants.
Manage the entire complaints cycle with Centro QMS, from listening to your clients to continuous improvement. Schedule a Centro QMS free demo today and take the digital leap.
