For organisations – both public and private, the maintenance of a relationship between the organisation and customer or service user is a priority for all concerned. There has been a noticeable upturn in the use of mediation for complaints handling from services such as the NHS through to insurance companies and the financial sector. There could be many reasons for this including the current climate which has forced everyone in all sectors to acknowledge that the customer is key to the success of that organisation. Whether the customer is purchasing a product or service or whether the customer is a service user of the NHS, local housing association or social services, for example, the relationship between each party is instrinsic to the resolution and continued dialogue between them. It will always be much more beneficial for an organisation to resolve disputes or complaints without the need to progress onto the more formal stages of their policy, but this does not mean to say the outcome is any less effective. Far from being an “easy option” or a soft-approach, it is mediation that can maintain communication and that all-important relationship throughout the procedure. In comparison, more formal methods of complaint handling can be effective in reaching a result, an outcome or a decision, but it is mediation that promotes a win-win situation, an ongoing relationship and often improvements to services along the way.

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