BackThe Commonwealth Ombudsman delivered online intake training to frontline staff from the Ombudsman Republik Indonesia for the first time.
As part of the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s (the Office) ongoing relationship with the Ombudsman Republik Indonesia (ORI), the Office seeks and receives valuable feedback about specific activities that would provide the most benefit for ORI staff. Intake training was identified as a priority activity as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase in complainants calling to make complaints on the phone.
The training was delivered online in two sessions (on 3 and 4 June), focusing on best practice principles and elements of good complaint handling. Topics included how to handle incoming calls in intake (including clarifying issues, confirming identity, out of jurisdiction matters and early resolution), identifying and asking for useful information from complainants and managing unreasonable complainant persistence.
Translation support was provided by Indospeak in the form of simultaneous interpreting between English and Bahasa during the presentations and Q&A sessions, as well as written translation of presentation materials and the Office’s Parliamentary Complaint Handling Procedures into Bahasa.
19 staff members from ORI’s intake team attended the training, which was designed and delivered by members of the Office’s Complaints Management and Education Branch who, in addition to the prepared presentations, shared their own personal experiences of the intake process and complaint handling as part of the open discussion Q&A session each day.
Each Q&A session was productive with a range of insightful questions and lived experiences from ORI staff being shared for an engaging and informative exchange between the two Ombudsman Offices.
ORI staff received Certificates of Completion for Intake Training upon completion of both sessions, and the Office looks forward to further opportunities to engage with its partners at ORI.
Source: The Commonwealth Ombudsman, Australia
