TIO Annual Report 2002/03

Summary Of Complaint Handling Performance - Complaint Resolution Times

Complaint resolution data is collected for Level 2 complaints and above, with Level 1 complaints usually being closed on the spot after giving the complainant advice and a referral to a TIO member.

The TIO’s current key performance indicators (KPIs) for complaint resolution timeframes are 48 days for Level 2s, 62 days for Level 3s and 90 days for Level 4s.

As the data indicates, with the exception of Level 4 complaints, resolution timeframes for all complaint levels have increased steadily over the past two years. The data reflects a complex suite of interacting factors. The KPIs were established by Council based on actual figures at the time of the restructuring of the TIO’s investigations area and were intended to reflect an interim set of benchmarks for the investigations area. A review of the benchmarks will be undertaken in 2003/04. A second factor is the continuing trend towards increasingly complex complaints, requiring greater time to resolve. Allied to this is the factor of the increasing numbers of Level 2 complaints. Finally, the TIO’s undoubted success in continually meeting performance benchmarks for call answering has been achieved to some extent at the expense of the resolution benchmarks – the overall result being a blow out in average resolution times.

A current work value study being undertaken aims to capture the time (in minutes and hours) that staff spend on individual cases, as well as the number of tasks (such as talking with the complainant and member, analysing evidence, and writing letters) staff carry out and the period (days) over which this occurs. The information captured through this study is intended to give a clearer picture of the work of the TIO and the cost of that work.

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