CHG310 - Complaints: an overview: What value do complaints and good complaint handling bring to the department?

As the Ombudsman has said, good complaint handling matters because it is an important way of ensuring that customers receive the level of service they are entitled to expect.

Complaints are important because:

• they are a valuable source of feedback on the service we provide
• they provide an audit trail of service delivery and can be an early warning of failures
• they help restore our relationship with our customers and thereby encourage ongoing customer compliance.

When complaints are handled well (see CHG620), they provide an opportunity for us to improve our service and reputation. This directly contributes to our high level commitment to improve our customers’ experience of HMRC.