Licensed operators in the UK have been told to make their complaints process more accessible and easy to use for customers as part of the updated guidance on complaints handling recently issued by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).
Updated Guidance
The new guidance comes following the Commission’s review of 34 complaints policies from a wide range of sectors in which it found that some processes were difficult to follow, leading to perceptions operators might be intentionally doing it to discourage their customers from submitting complaints.
To address this issue, the UKGC has urged licensees to adopt certain methods to improve their policies and come up with a streamlined complaints process, one of which is to enable customers to easily navigate to the site’s customer complaints section via a direct link displayed on the home page.
Operators have also been advised to utilize digital tools, including web forms and decision trees, as well as introduce a virtual paper trail to make it much easier and faster for customers to submit a complaint. For customer concerns that need to be escalated, licensees should provide clear signposting to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) providers.
New Changes are Part of 2021/22 Objectives
Improving complaints handling was among key objectives outlined by the UKGC in its 2021/22 Business Plan. The complaints handling requirements are part of the operators’ License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).
