Complaint Handling

This page covers the complete complaint lifecycle — from initial intake through investigation, escalation, legal referral, resolution, and closure.

Complaint Status Flow

flowchart TD
  O[Open] --> AS[Assigned]
  AS --> IP[In Progress]
  IP --> WC[Waiting for Customer]
  IP --> WI[Waiting for Internal Dept]
  IP --> ESC[Escalated]
  IP --> LE[Legally Escalated]
  WC --> IP
  WI --> IP
  ESC --> IP
  LE --> RES[Resolved]
  IP --> RES
  RES --> CL[Closed]
  O --> CL

Business Tip: Every complaint must have an owner. Unowned complaints breach SLA targets and damage customer trust.

Status Definitions

Complaint Categories

Phase 1 — Intake

What happens: A complaint is received through any channel and logged into the system.

Who does it: Front Desk Agent, Customer Service Agent, or Customer (self-service portal)

Screen: Complaints > New Complaint

Permission: complaint:create

Intake Channels

Required Information

Status Change: Complaint: Open

Business Tip: Always acknowledge the complaint immediately. A simple "we received your complaint and will respond within 24 hours" reduces escalation rates by 30%.

Phase 2 — Assignment

What happens: The complaint is assigned to an investigator or resolution owner.

Who does it: Complaint Manager, Branch Manager

Screen: Complaints > Assign Complaint

Permission: complaint:assign

Assignment Rules

Status Change: Complaint: Open → Assigned

Ownership Transfer

At any point, the complaint owner can transfer ownership to another person or department.

Permission: complaint:transfer

Phase 3 — Investigation

What happens: The assigned owner investigates the complaint by reviewing evidence, interviewing staff, and gathering facts.

Who does it: Complaint Owner

Screen: Complaint Detail > Investigation

Permission: complaint:update

Investigation Checklist

• Review complaint description and evidence
• Check related contract and vehicle history
• Review inspection photos (checkout and check-in)
• Interview relevant staff members
• Check system audit logs for relevant actions
• Contact customer for additional information if needed
• Document findings in investigation notes
• Propose resolution

Investigation Notes

All investigation steps must be documented in the complaint timeline. Each note should include:

• Date and time
• Action taken
• Findings
• Next steps

Status Change: Complaint: Assigned → In Progress

Business Tip: Document everything during investigation. If the complaint escalates to legal, the investigation record becomes the primary evidence.

Phase 4 — Customer Communication

What happens: The complaint owner communicates with the customer during the investigation and before resolution.

Screen: Complaint Detail > Communications

Communication Rules

Waiting States

Status Change: Complaint: In Progress → Waiting for Customer or Waiting for Internal Dept

Phase 5 — Escalation

What happens: The complaint is escalated to senior management when it cannot be resolved at the initial level, or when the customer requests escalation.

Who does it: Complaint Manager, Operations Manager

Screen: Complaint Detail > Escalate

Permission: complaint:escalate

Escalation Triggers

Status Change: Complaint: In Progress → Escalated

flowchart TD
  A[Complaint In Progress] --> B{Escalation Trigger?}
  B -->|SLA Breach| C[Auto-Escalate to Manager]
  B -->|Customer Request| D[Manual Escalation]
  B -->|High Financial Impact| E[Operations Manager]
  B -->|Media Exposure| F[PR + Director]
  B -->|No Trigger| G[Continue Investigation]

Business Tip: Track escalation reasons. If the same category keeps escalating, the root cause is a process gap — fix the process, not just the complaint.

Phase 6 — Legal Escalation

What happens: The complaint is referred to the legal team when it involves potential litigation, regulatory complaints, fraud allegations, or significant financial disputes.

Who does it: Legal Manager, Compliance Officer

Screen: Complaint Detail > Legal Escalation

Permission: complaint:escalate_legal

Legal Escalation Triggers

Legal Lock

When a complaint is legally escalated, certain actions are restricted:

Status Change: Complaint: In Progress or Escalated → Legally Escalated

Business Tip: Legal escalation adds 30+ days to resolution time. Exhaust all reasonable resolution options before escalating unless litigation is imminent.

Phase 7 — Resolution

What happens: A resolution is determined and proposed to the customer.

Who does it: Complaint Owner (or Legal for legally escalated)

Screen: Complaint Detail > Resolve

Permission: complaint:resolve

Resolution Types

Resolution Approval Matrix

Status Change: Complaint: In Progress → Resolved

Phase 8 — Closure

What happens: The complaint is formally closed after the customer accepts the resolution (or after a timeout period).

Who does it: Complaint Manager

Screen: Complaint Detail > Close

Permission: complaint:update

Closure Rules

Status Change: Complaint: Resolved → Closed

Business Tip: Always conduct root cause analysis for high-priority complaints. Individual fixes resolve one case; process fixes prevent hundreds.

SLA Tracking

SLA Clock Rules

Complaint Metrics