BBC announces changes to simplify its complaints process

The BBC has announced changes to its complaints process, vowing to marque it easier and much transparent.

The corp said that successful bid to "maintain assemblage trust" it would marque its complaints website easier to find and use.

It follows a reappraisal by media watchdog Ofcom, which said the BBC needed to beryllium much "open and wide with audiences".

The changes, expected wrong six months, volition purpose to assistance amended however editorial teams respond to complaints.

The broadcaster is besides promising to explicate amended however assemblage feedback is shared and used, portion improving "how we explicate the steps successful the complaints process".

"Trust is simply a halfway worth of the BBC," said manager wide Tim Davie. "If audiences privation to rise a ailment they indispensable beryllium dealt with swiftly, reasonably and consistently and the process indispensable beryllium casual to understand.

"We convey Ofcom for their probe which has helped pass these changes."

In June this year, Ofcom warned the BBC it "must beryllium overmuch much unfastened and wide with audiences astir however it handles their complaints, responds to concerns and meets viewers' and listeners' needs".

As a result, the BBC carried retired its ain interior research, which suggested that 84% of complainants - from a illustration of 1,735 - felt the process of contacting the organisation was already "easy" oregon "very easy".

Overall restitution with the existent complaints process was precise good, according to the aforesaid report.

The BBC said it volition bash the following:

It added that if complainants are not satisfied with their archetypal response, they tin "write backmost to america and expect a further reply".

But it besides said that pursuing its assemblage research, "greater attraction volition beryllium taken" to guarantee these responses incorporate "a much reasoned oregon elaborate response, wherever possible".

The BBC added that 1 of the strengths of the complaints process was that audiences tin prosecute with editorial teams close crossed the corporation.

"At this signifier of the complaints process, we volition marque definite editorial teams are straight progressive successful the response," it said.

"We cognize that delays tin hap astatine this signifier truthful we are improving guidance to teams and volition enforce compliance with the process, aiming to importantly boost the velocity and prime of assemblage interactions."

Last year, the BBC confirmed it received 109,741 complaints from the nationalist implicit its broad sum of the Duke of Edinburgh's death.

However the corp said it was "a important lawsuit which generated a batch of involvement some nationally and internationally".