Complaints Procedure Template UK
Complaints Handling & Escalation Procedure Template (UK)
Approx. 7 pages · 14 sectionsBranded PDF + editable WordLast reviewed:
What is a complaints handling & escalation procedure and who needs one?
A complaints handling procedure sets out how your business receives, logs, acknowledges, investigates and resolves complaints, with clear timescales and escalation routes, and how lessons are fed back into service improvement. Buyers of service contracts ask for it to understand how issues raised by their staff or the public will be dealt with.
Sets out how complaints are logged, acknowledged, investigated, escalated and closed, with timescales, responsibilities and how lessons learned feed into continual improvement.
Why buyers ask for this
Buyers are accountable for the service you deliver on their behalf, so they commonly ask how you log, investigate and escalate complaints, and how quickly you respond.
Who needs it
Service providers, contractors and any business asked how it handles customer or public complaints.
Where it comes up in a PQQ, SQ or PSQ
Under the Procurement Act 2023, supplier selection uses the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) plus each buyer's own conditions of participation and quality questions. Typical questions this policy supports:
- "Describe your complaints handling procedure, including timescales and escalation"
- Questions on how complaints data is reported to the buyer during the contract
- Requests for examples of improvements made following complaints
- – Frequently requested for service contracts
- – Buyers may ask for response timescales and escalation routes
What's inside
The full complaints handling & escalation procedure runs to about 7 pages (including the branded cover and document control page) across 14 sections:
- Purpose
- Scope
- Definitions
- Principles
- Routes for Receiving Complaints
- Step 1 – Receiving & Acknowledging the Complaint
- Step 2 – Logging & Classification
- Step 3 – Investigation
- Step 4 – Response & Resolution
- Escalation & Further Stages
- Link to Safeguarding, EDI & Serious Incidents
- Learning, Improvement & Reporting
- Confidentiality & Data Protection
- Non-Compliance & Review
Key points covered
- Definition of a complaint
- How complaints can be made
- Acknowledgement and response timescales
- Investigation
- Escalation stages
- Recording and learning lessons
- Review
Every document carries your logo, company name, version number, approval signatory and next review date, in branded PDF plus editable Word.
UK legislation, standards and guidance it references
- ISO 10002 (voluntary guidance)
Excerpt preview
[Your Company Ltd] (“the Company”) is committed to handling all compliments, comments and complaints in a fair, consistent and timely manner. The purpose of this Procedure is to: This Procedure applies to: This Procedure should be read alongside:
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How to adapt it
- Read every section and remove anything that doesn’t reflect how your organisation actually works.
- Complete the bracketed [ADAPT] prompts with your own arrangements, people and data.
- Have the policy approved and signed by a director or equivalent, and communicate it to staff.
- Keep evidence that you follow it, and review it by the date shown.
Complaints Handling & Escalation Procedure FAQs
What timescales should a complaints procedure set?
Choose timescales you can reliably meet, for example acknowledgement within a few working days and a full response within a set period, with an escalation stage. Buyers may specify their own in the contract, which take precedence.
Is there a standard for complaints handling?
ISO 10002 provides voluntary guidance on complaints handling. The procedure follows its main principles of visibility, accessibility, responsiveness and continual improvement.
Should complaints be reported to the buyer?
Many public contracts require complaints to be logged and reported in contract management meetings. The procedure includes a complaints log that supports this.
How much does the Complaints Handling & Escalation Procedure template cost?
£19.99 per policy, or £199 for all 39 policies. It is a one-off payment with no subscription, and you download branded PDF and editable Word files straight away.
Free guides
General information, not legal advice. Requirements differ between buyers and change over time; always check the tender documents.