Complaint Management is a management technique for assessing, analyzing and responding to customer complaints. Complaints management software is used to record, resolve and respond to customer complaints, requests as well as facilitate any other feedback.
These software solutions are utilized to handle complaints through three main business protocols when implemented:
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- Establishing and agreeing on the complaint
- Quality management during the process
- Compensation or reimbursement
The process of dealing with complaints through complaints management software is broken down below together with related features and benefits in bullets.
Initially one records the complaint, captures it and loads it onto the complaints database.
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- Provides an easy and strategic method of online recording and tracking customer concerns and complaints.
- Each complaint’s history is easily accessible and provides a completely updated status of how a complaint is progressing through the organization and what actions have been taken, if any.
- Complaints can be recorded by any user, but are reviewed by a Complaints Administrator, before being accepted into the complaints workflow.
- Links into Document Control and allows one to attach key documents to the complaint.
Next aspect using complaints management software is the investigation of the complaint. Complaints are categorized in order of severity then one chooses to either inform other users of the complaint or get them to conduct failure investigation and identify the root cause.
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- The responses to the investigation are interactive and the Complaints Administrator can restart an investigation if the results are felt to be insufficient.
- The Complaint management software tracks all investigation results, root cause analysis and recommended actions.
CAPA, speaks of Corrective actions, Preventive actions and Escalation.
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- Assign corrective actions and preventive actions at any appropriate time throughout a complaint’s progress. Repeat the CAPA processes if the results or proof of implementation are unsatisfactory.
- Once a CAPA, request is initiated, the case remains open until the required action is completed and results are checked for effectiveness.
- The Complaint management System automatically escalates the complaint if a response to an event has not been received within a pre-assigned due date.
Complaints management software allows for notifications and reports to be facilitated and printed.
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- The software pre-saves email templates for every workflow stage in a complaint’s process.
- This assists to quickly inform customers of progress at each stage by using the relevant pre-saved template, which can easily be modified with relevant information.
- The Complaint management software has a messaging system that uses in-built task notifications to sends emails to employees when they have tasks that need to be accomplished.
- The system extracts historical complaints, spot trends and common origins of complaints in order to ensure timely precautionary actions.
- The system also reports on and analyzes the complaint resolution process, including CAPA, and identifies areas of improvement.
The system also caters for maintaining customers after the first sale.
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- Reduces costs on attracting new customers as efficiently handled complaints will build greater customer loyalty and a sustainable client base, which can grow.
- Gain more customers through word of mouth advertising from satisfied customers due to the efficient customer service.
The software also enhances and increases operational efficiencies.
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- Complaints may reveal underlying business problems that otherwise would have remained hidden and were allowed to grow in severity.
- Fewer mistakes means less time and money spent fixing them, which leads to an improved bottom line.
The above covers the main features and benefits that organizations can experience after implementing the complaints management software. The importance of handling complaints properly in regards to customer service should be duly noted. Automating the process enables organizations to deal more effectively and speedily with unsatisfied clients.