★★★★★ 50+ five-star Google reviews from workplaces, government agencies and communities · Read client stories
Who this is for
Directors and executives who own a complaints function: a backlog that will not clear, conduct that is hard to manage, review recommendations to act on, or a rise in AI-generated complaints that the current process was never designed for.
Leaders in government agencies, regulators and ombudsman offices, universities, large corporates, aged care and disability providers and not-for-profits who need the system around conflict and complaints to hold up under real pressure, not just on paper.
The issue is rarely just the people involved. It is the structure around how concerns are received, triaged and resolved. We help organisations step back from individual disputes and strengthen that structure, so matters are handled earlier, decisions are more consistent and leaders can respond with clarity and confidence.
Is this the right service?
Advisory work happens at the organisational level. It fits when the pattern, not a single matter, is the problem. Not every matter needs the same process, and if advisory is not the right step we will say so and point you to the one that is.
• Complaints escalate, repeat or stall, and nobody can say exactly where the process breaks down
• Policies and procedures exist, but staff work around them or apply them differently from team to team
• A review, audit or ombudsman recommendation has asked you to strengthen how complaints or grievances are handled
• Your team is receiving AI-generated complaints that are longer, more forceful and harder to triage
• Conciliation or early resolution pathways need designing, or redesigning, so fewer matters reach formal stages
• Staff and stakeholders need practical resources so they understand and trust the process
If the matter looks different
One dispute between colleagues or teams that needs an independent third party: Mediation and Conciliation
A team conversation that needs impartial facilitation rather than a system fix: Facilitation and Team Building
Staff who need language, structure and confidence for hard conversations: Training and Workshops
One leader preparing for, or recovering from, a difficult conversation: Executive Coaching
How it works
Four plain stages, from first conversation to embedded change. Good process creates safety, so we show ours up front.
1. Tell us what is happening
Send a short written enquiry or request a proposal: your organisation, the pressures you are facing and the support you think you need. Every enquiry is read personally.
2. A staged proposal
We come back with a proposal setting out the intent, scope and deliverables of each phase, with a budget aligned to your priorities. Nothing starts until the shape is right.
3. Review, design and stakeholder work
We review current systems, engage the people who use them and develop practical improvements: intake pathways, triage and decision frameworks, resolution and escalation steps, and the documents behind them. Regular check-ins keep you across progress.
4. Implementation and embedding
Rollout support through leadership guidance, coaching and practical resources for staff and stakeholders. Recommendations are often implemented through in-house training, so the system and the people using it change together.
What the work covers
Engagements are shaped around your organisation. These are the areas most requests fall into.
Dispute resolution system design
Design or redesign the structures that guide how conflict and complaints move through your organisation, from intake and triage to resolution, escalation and review. Process maps, decision pathways and practical tools staff can use day to day.
Complaints and governance frameworks
Policies, procedures and governance settings that make responses consistent, fair and defensible: policy drafting, compliance alignment and documentation that meets regulatory and organisational requirements, including HR and people-management concerns.
System review and improvement
An independent review of existing dispute resolution and complaints systems to find the gaps, reduce backlog and escalation, and improve clarity, efficiency and staff confidence. Recommendations focus on changes that can be made quickly.
AI in complaints
Advice on fairness, evidence integrity and workload when complaints arrive drafted or amplified by AI, with practical guidance your team can apply from the next matter.
Conciliation and early resolution pathways
Frameworks for triage, early intervention and conciliation so fewer matters reach formal stages, built around your jurisdiction and your real case patterns.
Implementation and stakeholder resources
Leadership guidance, coaching and practical materials such as information sheets, videos and forms that help staff and stakeholders understand the process and engage with it confidently.
Why Shiv Martin Consulting
Organisations choose us when they need more than off-the-shelf advice.
Founder-led, with depth behind it
Shiv Martin is a nationally accredited mediator, lawyer and facilitator with more than fifteen years in dispute resolution. She leads every engagement, supported by a trusted network of specialist practitioners across law, mediation, psychology and governance.
Systems that stand up to real pressure
We work alongside government agencies and large organisations to design complaints and dispute systems that hold under real conditions, not just policy intent. Compliant and defensible, and also realistic, human and workable for the people using them every day.
Independent, confidential, fair
Advice is independent and confidential by default. Our work is grounded in fairness, cultural awareness and psychological safety, so the systems we help design are respectful, defensible and trusted by the people who rely on them.
Programs and related work
The specific programs and engagements that sit under this service.
Flagship, invitation only
Leading Through Conflict Program
A twelve-month program for senior leaders, run as a leadership community with coaching woven through it, for organisations that want their executive team to lead through conflict rather than around it.
Advisory and in-house program
AI in Complaints
Guidance for complaints teams and regulators on AI-generated complaints: fairness, evidence integrity and workload. Available as advisory work and as a tailored in-house program.
Tailored training
Conciliation and early resolution capability
Where a review points to capability, we design and deliver in-house programs for conciliation, complaints and regulatory teams inside their own statutory context.
For procurement teams
Policies and capability statement
Service policies, the capability statement and the documents procurement and governance teams ask for, in one place.
What it looks like when the system holds.
Recent work, described by sector
Client stories
50+ five-star Google reviews from workplaces, government agencies and communities
A dispute resolution agency sought to enhance early resolution pathways and improve consistency across complaint handling and conciliation processes. We reviewed current systems, engaged stakeholders and developed practical process improvements, including intake pathways, resolution frameworks and communication tools. The organisation strengthened early resolution capability, improved consistency and increased confidence in managing complex matters across the complaints lifecycle.
Early resolution and conciliation pathways, dispute resolution agency
An Ombudsman office was strengthening its early resolution capability and required practical skills development for conciliation and complex complaint handling. We consulted with team leaders to identify needs, then delivered interactive, skills-based workshops focusing on communication, early resolution strategies and consistent practice. Staff reported increased confidence and clarity in handling complex matters, and leadership observed improved consistency and early resolution capability across the team.
Early resolution capability, Ombudsman office
"If you're seeking a reliable partner to help navigate conflicts, improve team dynamics, or gain specialised training in mediation and conflict management, please reach out to Shiv Martin. Having worked with Shiv over several years, she offers tailored solutions and has a practical and engaging style. A wealth of knowledge and experience leaders and HR professionals can depend on."
Director Taxation, Statutory Authority
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For the planner
Depth for those comparing and planning. Read, watch, then tell us what is happening.
Watch
Dispute Resolution Consulting Services
Shiv introduces the consulting service in her own words.
Tell us about your situation
The fastest way to get help is a short written enquiry. Tell us what is happening in a few lines and we will come back within 48 hours with the process that fits, what is involved and the costs.
Call or text 0433 904 303 · contact@shivmartin.com