I consulted my colleagues. Most of them only regard “Customer’s complaints on product quality” as “customer complaint”.

I think “customer complaint” includes more. I think the nonconformities that customers find when they audit, their suggestions, and their complaints on product issues, all should be included in “customer complaint”.

What about the internal customers, such as headquarter? If the headquarter gives a CAR, should it be considered as a “customer complaint”?

What about the registration institutes? If UL audits us and gives us a CAR, should this CAR be included in “customer complaint”?

What do you think “customer complaint” includes?

Here is a unique concept...

How about if a customer complaint contains anything the customer is unhappy about with the product or service?

Waddya think?

Complaint indices should recognize the degree of dissatisfaction as viewed by the customer. A complaint does not mean a rejection. Often, the customer wants to continue doing business with you but want you to improve.

Based on the Ishikawa's TQC Philosophy, the next process is customer.

Good article to share on the 8 facts about customer behavior and complaints.

Here is a unique concept...

How about if a customer complaint contains anything the customer is unhappy about with the product or service?

Waddya think?
Were that it was that simplistic. There are also 'invalid' customer complaints. Not addressing this aspect will have a company chasing ghosts... Just because a customer complains doesn't mean it is a valid complaint.

What one defines as a customer complaint is very specific to the product and/or service. Consideration must be given to the reality of whether a valid customer complaint is valid. Lawsuits are filed over what a person feels is a valid complaint and the company believes otherwise.

I suggest you look at these existing discussion threads for some thoughts on customer complaints: Customer Complaint (http://Elsmar.com/Forums/search.php?do=process&titleonly=1&query=customer+complaint).

We defined customer complaints as any negative remark/ reaction from the customer about our product/ service/ performance is a customer complaint. Whether the customer indicates items as an official complaint or as "just" a negative remark; we handle them the same way.
We use this system for several years now (since 2001), and the results are quite good. Our customers are possitive about this attitude and the complaints numbers decreased considerably.
Of course there are non-vallid complaints, but we also handle with the same procedure. If during the investigation we see that the remark or complaint was not due to our performance we inform the customer about these findings.
Furthermore we count the number of non-vallid complaints and in case a customer would have a relative high number of these non-vallid complaints; for us this is an indication that there might be something going on, the customer has a negative feeling about our performance. We then discuss this with our customer and try to solve these problems together.

Myriam

Complaints made by a customer is always valid for that customer. Whether or not the complaint can be acted upon or corrected is the challenge faced by the organization.

What about the registration institutes? If UL audits us and gives us a CAR, should this CAR be included in “customer complaint”?

They are not your customers but your suppliers !!!

You pay these guys :2cents: to come to your facility, audit and give certificate.

Thus cover thru CAR report not Customer Complaint ;)

Theoretically that is true, Randy, but we all know that in reality customers often have unrealistic expectations and thus complain about something that cannot be addressed. My point is to make sure the organization takes that into consideration. I have gone through many implementations where, when we got to customer complaints and I said sonething like 'Every customer complaint must be logged, evaluated and acted upon', the people went nuts thinking that they would have to do a corrective action or such for every complaint including ones like "I know the warranty was only 1 year, but it broke down in 2 years and I expected my <whatever> to last longer than 2 years".

I had one client whose service manager went nuts. As he said, I get complaints when we don't have a part for a machine we stopped making 10 years ago. We stop making repair parts for discontinued models after 8 years, and when stock runs out that's it - No more parts. So now I have to keep repair parts in stock for every maching we make for 20 years? For 40 years?

Does the customer have a valid complaint? I'm sure in their mind they do. The customer believes the manufacturer should carry repair parts as long as any customer has one of their products no matter how old the product is, But what company is going to keep replacement / repair parts in stock theoretically forever?

Just trying to make a point, Randy. Sometimes customers have complaints which admittedly they believe are valid. That doesn't mean the complaint is valid in the eyes of the company and that the company has to do a corrective action no matter what, for example.

Your reply in post 6 clarifies your original post (Post 2 in this thread).

I consulted my colleagues. Most of them only regard “Customer’s complaints on product quality” as “customer complaint”.

I think “customer complaint” includes more. I think the nonconformities that customers find when they audit, their suggestions, and their complaints on product issues, all should be included in “customer complaint”.

What about the internal customers, such as headquarter? If the headquarter gives a CAR, should it be considered as a “customer complaint”?

What about the registration institutes? If UL audits us and gives us a CAR, should this CAR be included in “customer complaint”?

What do you think “customer complaint” includes?

In my modest opinnion the ISO 9001 oriented to proccesses, A customer is the next process who receives the output from the before process. Therefore every process is a Customer.

Every process has a Owner

I would ask the external Customer this info for a rejection:

Customer part number and ----- part number

Batch nº, Delivery note nº

Number of affected and defective parts

Physical parts with defect (In case there are, send a.s.a.p.)

Pictures with defect

What is the defect ?

Where exactly on the object can the defect be observed ? (interior/exterior part, superior/inferior, same place/different)

Where in the manufacture plant, was the defective object seen for the first time?

Where in the process, was the defective object seen for the first time?

Where in the process, were the defective objects observed since then ?

When in the process, was the defective object first seen ?
Detection date of the defective object



What is the tendency since then ?

How many objects have the defect?

What is the magnitude of the defect, in terms of physical dimensions, percentages, relations, guidelines, production, trends, etc ?

How many defects there are per defective object?

A customer complaint is, quite simply, every time the customer informs the organization that their requirements have not been met. Assessing the validity of the complaint is part of the whole resolution process.

As for all of those items listed (e.g., customer audits, external audits, etc.), personally I don't believe that they belong under customer complaints.

What you could do as I believe you are aiming to have one system to track all nonconforming issues or abnormalities, is develop one log where you specify the "Type" and "Classification" (and potentially a "Sub Classification" if necessary) of the nonconformance/abnormality.

For example:

Type - Customer Complaint
Classification - Invoicing
Sub-Class - Wrong price entered

Type - Customer Complaint
Classification - Quality
Sub-Class - Out of tolerance

Type - External Audit
Classification - Environment
Sub-Class - Document control

Type - Operational/Process
Classification - Unscheduled delay
Sub-Class - Change-over

Type - Mechanical
Classification - Delay > 45 minutes
Sub-Class - N/A

Having the ability to put all nonconformances/abnormalities into one system will allow you to do some serious data analysis...but it will also give you a lot of data that may be too much to analyze.

Develop a system that works for your organization.

They are not your customers but your suppliers !!!

You pay these guys :2cents: to come to your facility, audit and give certificate.

Thus cover thru CAR report not Customer Complaint ;)

This is how I think:
Many customers make it clear that they wouldn't give us orders if we are not registered. So the customers trust the registration body. So the registration body audits on behalf of the customers. So the opinions from the registration body are as valuable as the customers'.

Of course we pay these registration bodies. That's because they risk their credit to buy our QMS. And we buy their service. So we are each other's customer.

The registration body audits for you, not your customers. Who pays for the registration body, you or the customer? If you don't understand that basic concept then "Customer Complaints" are the least of your problems. You are the registration body's customer.

Darkafar

I'm totally agree with Randy.

The registration body audits is for you, not your customers.
Moreover, the registration body will provide you excellence service & allgn with your expectation because you are the customer who paid for it.
I believe that your customer will not simply trust the registration body & give you the bussiness.There will be more to considered....Price, Quality ,Reputation,Service,Behaviour,Relationship etc.....although you are Not registered but fully equiped on these criteria.:magic:

Thank you,
Kelvin:thanx:

I think "deviation requests" should be included...
(irregardless of whether or not product was accepted).

I've been to too many places where the definition of "complaint" differs from department to department.
Here in flyover country there's a major client who makes things that drag dirt around. If it's an issue of parts quality the system is "customer engineer calls supplier engineer...supplier engineer handles it." If it's delivery or pay, "customer purchasing/accounting calls client account rep/accounting/etc." Those calls go in CRM system.

Same company, same client, different system(s).

The Madfox

Darkafar

I'm totally agree with Randy.

The registration body audits is for you, not your customers.
Moreover, the registration body will provide you excellence service & allgn with your expectation because you are the customer who paid for it.
I believe that your customer will not simply trust the registration body & give you the bussiness.There will be more to considered....Price, Quality ,Reputation,Service,Behaviour,Relationship etc.....although you are Not registered but fully equiped on these criteria.:magic:

Thank you,
Kelvin:thanx:

Yeah, I'm persuadable. And I find I agree with him now.

I agree with the classification concepts and advice.

When receiving a complaint, the customer may not yet be lost. A good personal response to a complaint can result in a save. Books such as Knock Your Socks Off Service Recovery can give some specific response ideas.

For the sake of learning the types of complaints should be understood and used for system learning--this is where supporting the ISO system happens.

When categorizing and analyzing complaints (I do hope there are not so many as that!) one can sort out the whining from true issues; arguably not all customers are worth keeping.