This is an establised service that we offer to organisations to help co-ordinate the entry into our dispute resolution services. There can be up to four steps in our application service and these can be tailored according to how your disputes with your organisation arise.
Entry service
This service is designed to ensure people access your organisation's dispute resolution system. This entry service can be a stand-alone service, or incorporated into a wider system. It is possible that this in done internally through an organisation's system, however we recommend that this be established externally to ensure transparency and independence.
Initial contact
This is an optional contact stage when the person raises the issue in dispute, either with your organisation or directly with the service or both. This sometimes occurs in the context of an organisation making decisions that a person disagrees with or in the context of a dispute arising or sometimes following an internal complaints process. (indicative timeframe 0-2 working days).
It is best practice to allow multiple options for users to access the service and obtain information, including website, email, phone and specialised navigation services. This approach helps remove access barriers.
The request to use the service
This step is where the person exercises an option or a right to use the service. This is either done through a statutory process or through a process that we can help you develop.
Sometimes the contact and request step is combined into a single service. Sometimes the contact can be managed through a navigation service or an advocacy service.
This is the step where the relevant information is obtained. There should be different methods of collecting this information including by email, phone and a website to remove barriers to access.
Our triage and acknowledgement
Once we receive the application, we will screen the case, obtain any further information necessary and then undertake our triage. The purpose of this is to ensure it's within the scope of the resolution service (the dispute is in the right place to be resolved), formally acknowledging the complaint and advising the person who made the request about the next steps. This may include interim steps of obtaining further information from the person who lodged the request, or your organisation or someone else, or clarifying to the person exactly what the dispute is about.
We advise the people involved that the requst has been accepted and next steps
We will advise the person who lodged the request and your organisation that the dispute has been accepted for resolution using our service. We will also advise everyone involved of the next steps, for example, we may request further information be provided to us and the person lodging the request, or we may explain that the next step will be us getting in contact to arrange our Talk – Meet – Resolve service.
Outcome of entry service
The outcome of our entry services is that the person who has experienced the dispute with your organisation has made contact or requested to use the service, has received the necessary information and support to decide whether to use the service and has been formally advised whether we can accept the request. Any requirements to interface with regulatory systems or your organisation have been met and this has happened in a timely manner with a positive experience for the people involved.
