Customer Complaint vs Corrective Actions

[Rosana]

I saw a Customer complaint flow chart and I don't understand something:
Can I have a complaint from a customer and I won't perform a corrective action?
If it is so, could you give me an example to see the difference?

Thanks in advance

Rosana

(I don't get it............ any of it)

[David Mullins]

1. An unfounded complaint requires no action.
2. A misdirected complaint (they got the wrong supplier) requires no action.
3. A fix that requires technology that is unobtainable or is too expensive to implement.
4. And so on.

EXAMPLES
1. Customer complains about KANBAN system falling apart, only to discover their people have found an innovative use for the kanban cards.
2. Tyre/Tire company blamed for out of balance, when it was the rims.
3. The polyurethane foam you use is exported from Germany to Australia and is past its use by date by the time you receive it - you either build your own plant (NO), fly the freight in (NO), find a new alternate material that performs the same task better (don't have the technology) or put up with the intermittent reject rate (yep).
4. And so on

[M Greenaway]

Corrective action might not be taken on a customer complaint if:-

- investigation reveals that the complaint is not justified.
- investigation reveals that the level of complaints of that nature are within acceptable process performance limits.
- investigation cannot isolate root cause (might happen).
- investigation cannot be undertaken due to lack of information provided by the customer.

Just some immediate thoughts, I am sure others will have ideas.

[Dean P.]

Although this may seem obvious, remember that taking no action on a customer complaint doesn't mean you don't need to respond to the customer. I have had many conversations with people who think that, because we couldn't find the root cause, or there wasn't enough information from the customer, etc., that we didn't even have to acknowledge the complaint.

The best thing is to open dialogue with the customer and let them know what you are doing, what you have found. The more they know about your process of investigation, the more likely you are to get assistance from them in closing it, or even the benefit of the doubt in the future when they are thinking of issuing a complaint.

[Sam]

IMO, the corrective action should always be performed for any and all customer complaints. If the root cause determines conditions that are not your responsibility, then action taken would be your notification to the customer of your findings.
And you would have documention for future reference.

[David Mullins]

Sam, that is not corrective action, as per the original question.

Need someone to split hairs?
Need someone to be pedantic?
I'm in!

[Rosana]

Thanks to everyone for all the feedback

I appreciate your helping someone that doesn't have enough experience, like me

Rosana

[Sam]

Aussie Bloke,
And quite the pedant you are.
Let me say corrective action process as opposed to corrective action.