Improving our complaint handling

To ensure our complaint handling processes are fair, efficient and up-to-date with the ever-changing industry, we have a Quality Team that undertakes in-depth, assessments of our work. 

The team look at whether we’ve followed our complaint-handling and investigations procedures and policies and help us to focus on continuous improvement. They also review complaints about our services.

Here are the steps we take to focus on quality.

Step 1: Dispute Resolution team

The quality assurance process begins well before complaints are finalised. During an investigation, progress of the complaint may be:

• peer reviewed: Dispute Resolution Officers review complaints with their trained and experienced peers
• reviewed by a Dispute Resolution Manager
• presented for consideration by the Ombudsman.

Step 2: Quality Team

The Quality Team is responsible for analysing the quality of complaint management once a complaint has been closed. They undertake:

Data Audits
Every month, the Quality Team undertake a thorough integrity check of the data captured during our complaints management.

Complaint Management Reviews
Monthly reviews of a sample of randomly selected complaints make sure we adhere to our complaints management policies and procedures.

Internal Reviews and complaints about EWON
Complaints about EWON are dealt with by the relevant manager with support from the Quality Manager. We take action to address any deficiencies or areas for improvement. This can include a change in a system, development of a new process or extra guidance to staff.

Step 3: Customer satisfaction surveys of referred and investigated complaints

Our quality work includes asking customers to provide feedback about their experience after their complaint is finalised. We send Customer Satisfaction Surveys to all customers with investigated complaints and to a sample of customers whose complaints we refer to their provider’s specialist dispute resolution teams. The results, including free text comments, are used to monitor EWON’s performance and inform our continuous improvement. In 2021/2022, we conducted quarterly Customer Satisfaction Surveys and introduced a dedicated survey category for investigated complaints to distinguish between complaints finalised by conciliation and those we fully investigated.

In 2022/2023 we received 17,852 complaints, up 22% on the previous year. We resolved 94% of complaints in under 30 days and answered 72% of calls within 30 seconds. NSW customers expressed their satisfaction with our service with a 71% customer satisfaction rating. Read more in our 2022/2023 Annual Report

Read more about how we investigate complaints.