Case Study: Building Strong Foundations for Complaints Handling
The Context
Elmbridge Borough Council had recently become a Registered Provider of Social Housing. As part of this change, they wanted to develop a clearer and more robust approach to handling tenant complaints. Getting this right was critical, not just for regulatory compliance, but for building trust with tenants and creating a positive complaints culture from the outset.
Our Approach
think together worked closely with Elmbridge to put the right structures, knowledge and confidence in place across the organisation:
Policy and Process: Developed a clear complaints policy and process aligned with Housing Ombudsman requirements and best practice.
Training for Colleagues: Delivered training sessions for customer services, housing, asset and property teams, equipping staff to log, triage and respond to complaints effectively.
Practical Tools: Created model complaint response letters to give colleagues confidence in drafting high quality responses and used real-life scenarios and quizzes to build skills.
Roles and Responsibilities: Clarified accountability across teams, including the role of the councillor with lead responsibility for complaints.
Regulatory Context: Set the work in the wider framework of the Housing Ombudsman, Regulator of Social Housing, and Local Government Ombudsman.
Councillor Briefing: Ran a dedicated session with councillors, including the Member Responsible for Complaints, to strengthen their understanding of roles, responsibilities and assurance.
The Outcome
The project created strong engagement across services, with colleagues at every level embracing their role in complaints handling. Staff left the training with greater confidence, a clearer understanding of their responsibilities, and practical tools to apply in their day-to-day work. The model letters provided a ready resource to support consistent and good quality responses.
Councillors gained a stronger grasp of their role in providing oversight and assurance, while frontline colleagues developed the skills to resolve issues with empathy, confidence, ownership and timeliness.
The Impact
By laying these foundations, Elmbridge is better equipped to:
Respond to complaints consistently and fairly
Learn from tenant feedback to improve services
Build trust with tenants and stakeholders
Reduce the risk of escalation and reputational damage
This work has helped to establish a positive complaints culture, one where listening, learning and improving are at the heart of service delivery.
Feedback
”think together have provided an outstanding service to us. Rachael and Esther have used their skills, knowledge and experience to guide us not only in the nuts and bolts of complaints-handling but also in the importance of having a healthy culture towards receiving and learning from complaints” Colin Waters, Head of Housing