Yesterday, I supported a Local Authority with some advice on best-practice complaints handling. The complaint itself was complex, sensitive and had been running for almost two years. Multiple decisions. Multiple officers. Shifting information. The kind of case where the history matters just as much as the outcome.
When we talked through it, I shared what I still consider the single most important habit in complaint handling and investigations. One that often determines whether an Ombudsman will investigate at all, and whether a complaint is ultimately upheld.
Keep detailed records of decisions made.
Not just what was decided, but why.
Why decision-making records matter in complaints handling
Over the years, I’ve reviewed hundreds of complaint files and investigation reports. The strongest ones all have something in common. They tell the story of decision-making as it happened. They show the thinking, not just the conclusion.
That means recording the options that were considered, even the ones that were discounted. It means clearly referencing the policies, legislation or guidance relied upon at the time. It means acknowledging wider considerations too. Public spending. Proportionality. Risk. Competing duties. Resource constraints.
Most importantly, it means capturing the judgement call. Because in complex complaints, that’s usually where the scrutiny sits.
What I often see instead are files that jump straight to the final decision. From the outside, it can look abrupt. Or defensive. Or worse, arbitrary. Even when the decision itself was reasonable, the absence of recorded reasoning leaves a gap.
And gaps tend to get filled by assumptions.
Complaints evolve. Your decisions should too.
There’s another part of good complaint handling that doesn’t get talked about enough.
Decision-making in complaints isn’t static.
Information changes. Evidence emerges late. A medical report arrives. A policy is clarified. A new risk becomes apparent. Best practice complaints handling means reviewing decisions throughout the life cycle of the complaint and amending your position if the facts change.
That doesn’t weaken your case. It strengthens it.
An Ombudsman isn’t looking for perfection. They’re looking for fairness, transparency and learning. Being able to show that a decision was revisited, reconsidered and adjusted where appropriate is often the silver lining in a long-running complaint.
It demonstrates openness, not error.
Writing defensible complaint and investigation reports
This is exactly why I spend so much time in my training focusing on writing defensible complaint and investigation reports.
Not reports that are long.
Not reports that are legalistic.
Not reports padded with policy quotes.
Defensible reports are clear, structured and honest. They show how the organisation got from A to B. They allow someone entirely unfamiliar with the case to follow the reasoning without needing to fill in the blanks themselves.
When decision-making is properly recorded as you go, writing the final complaint response or investigation report becomes far easier. You’re not reconstructing history.
You’re explaining it.
And when a complaint does reach the Ombudsman, that clarity can make all the difference.
Supporting organisations to get complaint handling right
If this is an area your team struggles with, you’re not alone. Weak decision records are one of the most common issues I see across public-facing organisations. They’re also one of the easiest to improve with the right tools, structure and confidence.
That’s what my training at The Outcome Practice is designed to do.
Practical. Real-world. Grounded in what Ombudsman scrutiny actually looks like.
Because good complaint handling isn’t just about the outcome.
It’s about being able to stand behind the journey that led you there.