Original vs. Follow Up Issues
What percentage of issues that come through your case management system are brand-new, original issues? And what percentage of those issues are follow-ups?
The amount of time required to follow-up can greatly hamper you from solving problems and achieving real solutions. It also distracts from your team’s ability to handle new cases.
If you enter a pattern where your compliance team’s day consists of endless follow-ups for existing cases, then the perception of your organization will deteriorate in the eyes of your employees.
Let’s explore the micro and macro reasons why some organizations might struggle to resolve their caseload in a timely fashion and how you can start turning things around in yours.
Get the 2020 report below and see ComplianceLine’s extensive industry-wide benchmarks:
Without accurate data, compliance professionals can’t make mediatory decisions. They need better information from the start of the reporting process.
An adaptive interview process offers a great starting point for better issue intake. Instead of an impersonal, rapid-fire Q&A process that lacks empathy towards the reporter, ComplianceLine preaches for intake specialists to tailor their line of questioning accordingly.
It’s not just about asking questions, it’s about asking the right questions to move towards a solution.
Root Causes of Follow-Ups
Too many follow-ups are usually the result of a systemwide deficiency, caused by either micro or macro-level shortcomings…
Micro-Level Issues
Is your organization reaching out to the people that report, and are you setting expectations about your mediation timeline?
Communicate these expectations from the start. Employees will become disillusioned fast if you don’t make the timetable crystal clear.
If the investigation gets delayed or extended for whatever reason, let the individuals know immediately.
Macro-Level Issues
When micro-level changes prove futile, it’s time to look at the bigger fish. Macro-level follow-up problems are more systemic to an organization and are normally met with larger policy changes or enhanced employee training.
Maybe your protocols are vague. They don’t specify how the process works from start to finish and your employees don’t really know what to expect after their initial report is made.
Education and training are your best friends when it comes to alleviating this confusion. Take your employees through the hotline reporting process from start to finish (and make it clear that there is a finish).
If you get too many follow-ups, it leaves cases open too long and makes employees have to work too hard. They want to have fast results no matter the severity of the case or else they wouldn’t have called the hotline.
The last thing they want to do is come back to your web form or call again when their issue isn’t resolved. A high amount of follow-ups should be optional.
The ComplianceLine Difference
ComplianceLine spends 80% of their time working on original issues rather than following up on open cases. The industry benchmark is 64%, meaning that most compliance professionals waste precious time wading through the follow-up process instead of taking an active approach by addressing more cases.
To see a significant drop in follow-ups, it’s critical to review your intake process. If the problem goes unresolved from there, it’s time to explore broader policy or educational patterns.
