Module Generator: Basic function of the complaints management module

In the template, you will find an empty link field under Data and Views > Reporting and Complaint Follow-up > Knowledge Flow Back into Process. You must select the process module whose pages should be included there.

Module Purpose

The module is designed to manage complaints professionally. Complaints are recorded, evaluated, and managed in a decentralized manner. In the module, it is also possible to define immediate actions for each complaint, track them, and organize error elimination projects.

Approach

Complaints are important interfaces with customers to continuously improve your own processes and products. Therefore, it is important to implement systematic complaint management in your organization.

Complaints or customer feedback that become complaints can be submitted throughout the organization – in sales, product management, team administration, etc. To ensure that no information is lost and that a concern is recorded immediately, every employee is able to create a New Complaint in the module and provide the necessary framework data for recording.

Once the concern has been recorded, the complaint is reported to Quality Management or the designated complaint managers. They have the option in advance to assess whether a complaint is routed or reasonably rejected. Routed complaints are processed by a defined team. Immediate actions are initiated to satisfy the customer, and error elimination projects are organized if necessary to reduce the probability of similar complaints occurring in the future. Once these internal projects are completed, it must be ensured that the knowledge gained and any process changes flow back into the organization. Finally, complaint costs are estimated and documented.

Module Elements

A single complaint is divided into four blocks in the complaint management module:

• Record complaint
• Evaluate complaint
• Implement immediate and corrective actions
• Reporting and complaint follow-up

Record Complaint

When recording a complaint, data such as customer name, customer number, article number, batch number of production, and the number of items complained about are requested. You will also be asked to write a brief description of the complaint and define the contact person at the customer's company. The framework data of a complaint is always visible.

Evaluate Complaint

Once a complaint has been submitted, the content block for evaluating the complaint becomes visible. Here it is decided whether this is a justified complaint so that it can be routed to the subsequent complaint process. In addition, the responsibilities for the complaint and the immediate and corrective actions are defined here.

In the page header of each complaint, there is the option to protect the element. If you activate this function, only the complaint manager, the internally responsible person, and the team for immediate and corrective actions can access the complaint. The complaint manager can also define in this block whether the error is already known and assess the risk of potentially losing the customer due to the complaint.

Implement Immediate and Corrective Actions

When the complaint is routed, the last two blocks become visible. Under Implement Immediate and Corrective Actions, a task management system is implemented that allows you to define immediate actions to address the customer's concern and coordinate an error elimination project if necessary. Actions can be assigned to people and deadlines can be set for when actions must be completed. This area is used to track on a regular basis what has happened since the last meeting and to define new actions as needed.

Reporting and Complaint Follow-up

Under Reporting and Complaint Follow-up, knowledge transfer to existing processes is ensured and complaint costs are determined based on internal processing time, budgeted hourly rates, and material costs.

Rights Management

In the Roles tab, you define which users or groups are assigned to the Complaint Manager role. These role holders are, in addition to the Team for Immediate and Corrective Actions and the internally responsible person, authorized to view protected complaints. Additionally, complaint managers can also view and process all protected risks in which they are not part of the team. Furthermore, complaint managers route submitted complaints so that the complaint process can begin.

Possible Customizations

The complaint management module is ready to use immediately and does not require any mandatory customizations.

Before you use the module, your organization should carefully review what data is needed to completely record a complaint and according to what criteria a complaint should be evaluated. It is also possible to customize the composition of the resulting complaint costs.