Electronic Corrective/Preventive Action Report for our Customer Service Department

[biboy2012]

I am looking to integrate an Electronic Corrective/Preventive Action Report for our Customer Service Department. I don't want to over burden the Customer Service Representatives by requiring them to fill-up additional form -CAR. Instead of recording root cause, corrective action, and follow-up results into a hardcopy form, I am planning to make a recommendation of integrating them to the existing system. The Customer Service Department has a Customer Account Log Module. It is a custom made repository of all customer concerns or booked accounts. e.g. inquiries, requests, status of payments, tranfer certificate of title, vital information of customers etc). The existing module should be enhanced by adding recording of a root cause analysis, corrective action, and follow-up results though we are not an ISO 9001 practitioner.

By the way, we are a real estate developer, about 500 employess. I hope the forum can be of some assistance to me in crafting my proposal. The newly created Corrective/Preventive Action Procedure and systematic Root Cause Analysis will be introduced together with this integrated Customer Account Log Module and CAR control automation proposal.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Stijloor]

A Quick Bump!

Can someone help?

Thank you very much!!

Stijloor.

[biboy2012]

In Reply to Parent Post by Stijloor

A Quick Bump!

Can someone help?

Thank you very much!!

Stijloor.

Hi Stijloor,
Thanks for bumping up my thread. I greatly appreciate it especially I am time squeezed. I understand that experts here must work from time to time so I need to be a little patient. I'm sure they will respond in due course.

[Pancho]

In Reply to Parent Post by biboy2012

I am looking to integrate an Electronic Corrective/Preventive Action Report for our Customer Service Department. I don't want to over burden the Customer Service Representatives by requiring them to fill-up additional form -CAR. Instead of recording root cause, corrective action, and follow-up results into a hardcopy form, I am planning to make a recommendation of integrating them to the existing system. The Customer Service Department has a Customer Account Log Module. It is a custom made repository of all customer concerns or booked accounts. e.g. inquiries, requests, status of payments, tranfer certificate of title, vital information of customers etc). The existing module should be enhanced by adding recording of a root cause analysis, corrective action, and follow-up results though we are not an ISO 9001 practitioner.

By the way, we are a real estate developer, about 500 employess. I hope the forum can be of some assistance to me in crafting my proposal. The newly created Corrective/Preventive Action Procedure and systematic Root Cause Analysis will be introduced together with this integrated Customer Account Log Module and CAR control automation proposal.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

You say that you "don't want to over burden the Customer Service Representatives by requiring them to fill-up additional form -CAR", and that you, paraphrasing "plan to recommend integrating CARs to the existing custom made repository of all customer concerns or booked accounts".

Ok.

But I really can't tell what is the specific advise that you are seeking. Can you please clarify what type of suggestions are you looking for?

[biboy2012]

In Reply to Parent Post by Pancho

You say that you "don't want to over burden the Customer Service Representatives by requiring them to fill-up additional form -CAR", and that you, paraphrasing "plan to recommend integrating CARs to the existing custom made repository of all customer concerns or booked accounts".

Ok.

But I really can't tell what is the specific advise that you are seeking. Can you please clarify what type of suggestions are you looking for?

I am trying to write a proposal regarding enhancement of the existing Customer Account Log Module by adding up Corrective/Preventive Action Report. I have no idea where to start, what to write to get management and members of the organization accept my idea. I am neither IT nor ISO expert.

[Pancho]

Sure sounds like your "Customer Account Log Module" is good to capture Customer Service Department NCs, and it can likely be expanded to include Corrective Action / Preventive Action. But then you might end up with two (or more) different CAPA systems. This could make finding root causes that cross boundaries between departments more difficult.

Do you already have a working CAPA process in your organization?

If you do, I'd suggest you train Customer Service Department personnel (and everyone else) on it. This involves root cause analysis as well as the specifics of your system. If you do not have a CAPA system, then perhaps you should think about creating one that supports all processes in your organization, and not only customer service.

Remember that handling non-conformities and taking corrective actions are not the same thing. The first is done in accordance with §8.3 of ISO 9001; the second through §8.5. These two are connected with the analysis of data prescribed by §8.4. Handling NCs can be more easily split into distinct procedures that apply to each process, as correction and containment of, say, a service component of your product, is probably different than that correction and containment of hardware. But corrective action is a more general activity that involves modifying processes. IMO, you should not divide CAPA by departments.

Practically, for your case, you could state in your Customer Service procedure that when a NC logged into the Customer Account Log Module require corrective action, a Corrective Action Request is raised in your (company-wide) CAPA system. If you have a lot of NCs, the determination of when NCs trigger CARs could be made by a periodic analysis of the NCs. The analysis could be via Pareto or some other ranking.

Good luck!
Pancho

[biboy2012]

In Reply to Parent Post by Pancho

Sure sounds like your "Customer Account Log Module" is good to capture Customer Service Department NCs, and it can likely be expanded to include Corrective Action / Preventive Action. But then you might end up with two (or more) different CAPA systems. This could make finding root causes that cross boundaries between departments more difficult.

I agree.

In Reply to Parent Post by Pancho

Do you already have a working CAPA process in your organization?

I will be introducing one. Please refer to post #5 of this thread http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=53321

In Reply to Parent Post by Pancho

If you do, I'd suggest you train Customer Service Department personnel (and everyone else) on it. This involves root cause analysis as well as the specifics of your system. If you do not have a CAPA system, then perhaps you should think about creating one that supports all processes in your organization, and not only customer service.

I agree.

In Reply to Parent Post by Pancho

Remember that handling non-conformities and taking corrective actions are not the same thing. The first is done in accordance with §8.3 of ISO 9001; the second through §8.5. These two are connected with the analysis of data prescribed by §8.4. Handling NCs can be more easily split into distinct procedures that apply to each process, as correction and containment of, say, a service component of your product, is probably different than that correction and containment of hardware. But corrective action is a more general activity that involves modifying processes. IMO, you should not divide CAPA by departments.

Practically, for your case, you could state in your Customer Service procedure that when a NC logged into the Customer Account Log Module require corrective action, a Corrective Action Request is raised in your (company-wide) CAPA system. If you have a lot of NCs, the determination of when NCs trigger CARs could be made by a periodic analysis of the NCs. The analysis could be via Pareto or some other ranking.

Good luck!
Pancho

I am just curious to find out if most people (ISO practitioners) have a Root Cause Analysis Procedure? Should it be a separate procedure or integrated in the CAPA procedure?

[JaneB]

In Reply to Parent Post by biboy2012

]I am just curious to find out if most people (ISO practitioners) have a Root Cause Analysis Procedure? Should it be a separate procedure or integrated in the CAPA procedure?

Depends. As a root cause procedure doesn't (or shouldn't)ever exist in isolation from responding to an identified fault or weakness, it makes sense to me to integrate finding root cause with CA/PA procedure/s. But you might choose to have something separate to provide more guidance for people new to/needing help with it. I'm not sure I'd do it (root cause) as a procedure though, as it's more of a process or even a tool.