Communication Accountability in Customer Complaint Handling: An Analysis of Procedural Justice and Information Traceability at Perumda Tirta Albantani

This study examines how complaint registration, interdepartmental responsibilities, and the continuity of service information shape communication accountability at Perumda Tirta Albantani, a regional water utility in Serang Regency, Indonesia. A qualitative secondary analysis was undertaken using a 2026 master’s thesis based on interviews, field observations, and institutional documents, with particular attention to evidence recorded during September–December 2025. Documentary passages concerning customer verification, classification of complaints, task referral, progress communication, escalation, and closure were interpreted through accountability, procedural justice, administrative burden, and organisational coordination. The evidence describes a complaint process in which frontline personnel receive reports directly or through WhatsApp and transfer them to relevant service departments. Interview accounts identify coordination and information-sharing concerns, while two community hearings record continuing water-supply difficulties and requests for clearer follow-up. Importantly, one community representative acknowledged prompt managerial responses despite unresolved distribution problems, indicating that communication responsiveness and technical resolution are analytically distinct. These findings informed a five-stage Communication Accountability Assessment Matrix covering registration, responsibility assignment, progress communication, escalation, and closure. The matrix specifies information requirements and accountability questions for each stage. The study contributes a conceptual approach to tracing communication responsibility across organisational boundaries. Its application to operational complaint records remains a subject for future empirical investigation.