cx-complaint-classificationlisted

# Complaint identification and classification > **This is operational guidance, not legal advice.** Complaint definitions and > reporting duties are jurisdiction-, sector-, and licence-specific. Every > definition and threshold here must be signed off by your compliance or legal > function before it drives a process. Getting this wrong is a regulatory matter, > not a data-quality one. ## The error that causes regulatory findings **A complaint is a definition, not a feeling.** Most support operations detect complaints by sentiment or by escalation. Both under-identify, in the same direction, for the same reason: the regulatory definition usually does not mention emotion at all. | Situation | Sentiment view | Typical regulatory view | | --- | --- | --- | | Calm, factual "I was charged twice and I'm not happy about it" | Not a complaint | **Is a complaint** | | Furious customer, issue resolved on the call, no allegation of loss | Complaint | Often **not** a complaint | | "This is the third time I've had to call" | Maybe | **Usually a complaint** | | Frustrated venting about a policy, no dissatisfaction with service | Complaint | Often **not** | The polite, articulate customer stating a factual grievance is the one most often missed — and the one most likely to escalate to an ombudsman when it is. ## Step 1: get the definition, in writing, from compliance Do not draft it yourself. Obtain the definition that applies to your entity and licence, and hold it as the single sou