Dealing With Customer Complaints

Different Sources

In a manual system, dealining with customer complaints may prove to be more complex than it is profitable. Complaints for example may come from different sources (e-mail, phone, fax, letters, corporate Web site, sales reps, etc.). These complaints may languish in someone's "in" box, especially if there is no formal and standard procedure for processing them. Without a cohesive structure that captures complete information in a timely manner, it is almost impossible to formulate a strategy for complaint resolution.

Centralized Source

MasterControl Customer Complaints software provides a secure and centralized platform for receiving customer complaints and storing all subsequent documentation pertaining to investigation and correction of the problem. A single, cohesive system for dealing with customer complaints makes search and retrieval of complaints and related data easy. The solution offers the capability to formalize and standardize complaint handling through a simple three-step process. MasterControl is web-based, so customers can log complaints from virtually anywhere.

Disconnected Processes

When a company uses different tools that are not connected, tracking complaints and follow-up work can be a major obstacle. If there is no standardized response to complaints, the required documentation may fall through the cracks and correction of the problem, delayed.

Connected Software System

MasterControl connects the customer complaint process to the rest of the quality system, providing links to corrective actions and adverse event handling for better dealing with customer complaints. Via an external link, customers can integrate MasterControl Customer Complaints with other computer systems. For example, a link can be provided on a company Web site, within a CRM application (or any application that supports URL links), so employees, customers, or partners can easily initiate a customer complaint. Connectivity will help managers track a complaint from initiation to completion and give them the ability to proactively improve the complaint-handling process.

Unwarranted Legal Exposure

In a manual system for dealing with customer complaints, record keeping may be inadequate for the purpose of answering a product liability lawsuit. Managers don't have the ability to track complaints and see the compliance program as a whole, both of which are essential in developing a strategy for preventing unwarranted legal exposure.

Controlled Legal Exposure

MasterControl provides advanced reporting capabilities for real-time view of the state of a company's compliance. It allows continuous monitoring and promotes improvement, both of which can help increase a company's readiness to answer any possible lawsuit. A controlled record keeping environment that shows how complaints are investigated and addressed may help reduce legal exposure.

Dealing with Customer Complaints: Inefficient Complaint Processes

A manual system is plagued by bottlenecks: misplaced or overlooked complaints coming from disparate sources, incomplete information, lack of follow up, and inadequate response. All of these can result in delayed complaint resolution.

Dealing with Customer Complaints with an Efficient Complaint Process

MasterControl's complaint software will reduce the life cycle of the complaint process by streamlining different steps and consolidating different sources of complaints under a single platform. It provides a customizable form that captures all necessary information required for dealing with customer complaints, provides automatic follow-up via e-mail notification, and incorporates escalation to ensure timely response.