TIO Annual Report 2005/06

Complaint handling performance

Independence, along with procedural and substantive fairness, is the hallmark of an Ombudsman’s office, and the TIO’s practices and procedures reflect this. The TIO ensures that all parties to a dispute are privy to available information and evidence, so that the reasons for decisions are clear. Decisions are explained with direct reference to evidence, the concepts of fair and reasonable and, where applicable, the law, industry codes and TIO position statements.

Complainants and members are given an opportunity to respond to TIO views/assessments and provide additional information that may alter these. In addition, all complainants are given the opportunity to request a review of their complaint by a TIO senior officer, independent of the investigations area, if they remain dissatisfied with the outcome of their complaint but have no additional information or evidence to submit.

Call handling performance

The TIO aims to answer 80% of calls within 60 seconds.

The average weekly number of calls received in 2005/06 was 2,948, up from 2,623 in 2004/05. Calls fluctuated throughout the year, reaching a high at the end of March with 3,580 calls. December and April were the quietest months with calls below 2,500 in some weeks.

Despite an increase in call volumes, the service level achieved was 79%, compared with 77% the year before. A policy of planned recruitment helped maintain an appropriate number of Enquiry Officers throughout the year, resulting in a more consistent call handling performance.

The TIO answered an average of 2,502 calls per week in 2005/06, 10% more than last year. However, the number of calls abandoned after waiting longer than five seconds averaged 65 a week, an increase from 32 a week in 2004/05.

Level 1 complaints are closed on the day that they are logged, and only reopened if the complainant returns to the TIO after contact with the member and the TIO determines that the complaint merits formal investigation.

With Level 2 and 3 complaints, individual actions - such as assessing responses from members and contacting complainants - have benchmark timeframes. However, because of the complex and unpredictable nature of complaints, whereby multiple and prolonged contact with members and complainants may be required and because of the likely impact of the new Level 2 procedures there are no benchmarks for the time to resolve these complaints. Council will review this position in January 2008. The average resolution benchmark for Level 4 cases is 90 days.

In 2005/06 the average resolution time for Level 2 complaints rose from 65 to 79 days. Level 3 resolution times rose from an average of 88 to 108 days, and Level 4 complaints rose from an average of 110 to 164 days. Increasingly, complaint resolution times have been prolonged by the failure of some members to respond to the TIO in a timely manner, or at all.

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