But when this isn’t enough and communication starts to break down, things can soon spiral downwards, and a dispute begins. This is when it can really help to call in an impartial third person who can help to facilitate a positive conversation, like one of our expert complaints mediators.
Complaints mediation is used to address:
Faulty, poor quality, or mis-sold goods
Services not meeting expectations or deadlines
Poor customer service
Breakdowns in customer-supplier communication
And benefits include:
Customers can be retained and trust in the supplier is restored
Distraction, expenses, and delays of formal action are avoided
The business conforms to legislation and good practice
A completed referral form, providing us with details of the dispute and of the parties, and a signed booking form all are that is needed to book in the case.
The case manager will liaise with the referrer to organise the logistics, including timings, contact information, and online links (if required).
The mediator will meet with each party individually to discuss the dispute to date. These private sessions will last for approximately 1½ hours each.
Getting parties together for half a day allows for a comprehensive airing of views, as well as a discussion with a view to building an agreement.
The agreement is a joint plan of action decided upon by the participants. The mediator can write it up as a good faith agreement to give to both parties.
If there is a third-party referrer, UK Mediation will provide them with a Mediation Summary on the next working day (subject to parties’ consent).
The case manager will follow up the situation after an agreed period by contacting the parties confidentially to see if the agreement is working.
We understand that you may have some queries about how complaints mediation works.
We’ve answered some of the most Frequently Asked Questions below.
Here at UK Mediation, we treat conflict as a failure of dialogue and as a breakdown in a relationship.
Our relational model, re:talk, aims to restore dialogue, repair relationships, and rebuild teams, while re:connect allows us to achieve the same objectives through online mediation.
Want to find out more or get a quote from us?
We're a friendly bunch at UK Mediation and we're always happy to talk about our mediation services.
Please get in touch!
This free webinar, presented by our Founder Dr Mike Talbot, explores how mediation can be used and why it works so well for resolving customer complaints.
Watch the webinar