An independent review into customer handling procedures at HM Land Registry has made eight recommendations for improvements, but found no fundamental issues that caused significant concern.
The main purpose of the review, which was carried out by Eversheds Sutherland, was to examine whether the legal decisions made in 13 historical customer complaint cases were correct, and that customer complaints and contact closure policies had been correctly applied. The review team were also asked to identify whether customer impact and perspective were fully and properly considered during the process.
Nine cases were selected at random, with a further four recommended by the Customer Care Review Committee commissioned to oversee the review. An additional case was subsequently added, taking the total to 14.
Although no fundamental issues were identified, the report identified minor discrepancies and said there is ‘learning to be derived’ from the review. The issues identified were described as ‘not significant failures’ and customers were not significantly affected.
However, some ‘considerable delays’ were identified when responding to complaints correspondence, along with potential conflicts of interest with HMLR staff who investigated complaints they had been connected with. The tone and clarity of correspondence sent to customers in all 13 files initially reviewed was found to be ‘full of legal jargon’, and caseworkers were found at times to have been dogmatic in their approach to complaints.
One complaint had been ongoing for 24 years, with the average time spent on the filed reviewed 7.8 years. However, there was also an example of a complaint being dealt with within a month.
In their recommendations, the report’s authors said HMLR should focus on ensuring its culture is customer-focused, with a customer charter embedded into every interaction with customers. Commitments should be made to use plain English, ensure responsiveness, establish the customer’s desired outcome, treat them fairly and in a timely manner, quickly identify and rectify mistakes, and remain mindful of the customer’s personal situation.
A clear and accessible complaints process should be introduced, with a central repository for all related correspondence. Training and template documents should be issued to HMLR staff, with regular team meetings to share feedback and identify recurring themes. Complaints files should be reviewed every six months by a senior team member, with a peer review of legal decisions.
A vulnerable customer policy should be introduced, with dedicated complaints handlers to deal with the most vulnerable customers. The option to mediate the complaint could be built into the complaints policy, the report concluded.
In an official response to the report, HMLR said it accepts and endorses the findings and recommendations of the committee.
‘The review looked at complaints over a period of many years, during which we will have served tens of millions of customers’, Simon Hayes, chief executive and chief land registrar, said.
“In that time there have been many examples of excellent customer service and complaints handling. Our colleagues care deeply about the public service they provide. What this review makes clear is that, as an organisation, we must make a step-change in the way we support and enable our colleagues to provide an excellent customer service to everyone all of the time.
“The review provides an important set of findings and recommendations, which we accept and endorse in full and unequivocally. We are already in the process of implementing many of them. We are drawing up a detailed action plan to ensure they are all addressed, which will be overseen by the Board.
“This will give us the organisational infrastructure and culture to be truly and consistently customer focused. It is key to our goal of being a first-class public service that meets people’s diverse needs in the easiest and most accessible manner.”
View the report and HMLR’s full response.
