Complaints professionals now play an important role for consumers as an essential connection point between consumer, organisation, industry and community. 

However, it is not the role of complaint professionals to act as a counsellor or to provide long-term support; it is to listen and hear, respond without judgement, with empathy, be culturally appropriate, provide fair processes, appropriate referrals and be empowering for the customer.

For complaint handlers to maintain this self-awareness and continue to provide effective high level communication skills, resilience is key. Being able to maintain resilience and process difficult emotions is a crucial attribute for all consumer affairs professionals and supports the setting of healthy professional and personal boundaries. Ensuring frontline and complaints teams are trained and prepared for effective complaints management will serve your organisation to present a customer experience that is fair, empathic, responsive, and timely.