This specialized course tackles the issue of customer complaints by focusing on its two components: the behavioral aspect related to the individual employee who deals face to face with the complainant and the system's or procedural aspect related to how the organization should process a complaint, every step of the way, from the moment it is raised to its conclusion. In addition the course also covers the necessary preparations an organization must go through in terms of culture development and openness before it can hope to benefit from complaints, recover complaining customers, improve internal processes and achieve new heights in customer satisfaction.

Course Methodology

In addition to short presentations by the consultant and the resulting written or oral questions that are debated by the group, this course relies on case studies, exercises and the design of procedures and forms by work teams as well as role plays.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Defend the vital role of a customer complaints management system in enhancing organizational performance
• Demonstrate how a properly trained employee handles, step-by-step, complaining customers, gains their confidence and gratitude and secures their satisfaction
• Implement a customer feedback system that will maximize customer satisfaction and retention
• Manage every phase of the complaint handling process from preparation to closing including receipt, analysis, escalation, tracking, and all internal and external communication
• Formulate relevant key performance indicators to assess and audit complaint systems

Target Audience

Customer complaint system managers and staff, customer service managers and staff, as well as managers and staff of support departments such as HR and IT, that provide services to other departments (internal customers) in the organization.

Target Competencies

• Customer orientation
• Empathic outlook
• Emotional control
• Meeting standards
• Systems judgment
• Organized workplace
• Quality orientation

Course Outline

• Introduction to understanding your customers
  • Interesting facts and figures
  • Customer retention
  • The principal foundation of retaining and developing our customer base
  • The 'PRIDE' model for understanding customer needs
  • Service mix elements
  • The service quality model and service gaps
  • Managing customer expectations
• Introduction to complaints management
  • 'Customer complaint' definition
  • The importance of complaints
  • Customer satisfaction and customer loyalty
  • The 'Kano' model
  • The danger of ignoring complaints
  • Levels of complaints
  • Complaints handling: process and behavior
  • Sources of customer complaints
  • Dealing with customer complaints
• Complaints management standards and Complaints Handling Process (CHP)
  • Complaints management standards - background
  • ISO 9001 process model
  • ISO 9001 and requirements for complaints management
  • Essential elements of a complaints management system
  • ISO 10002:2008 guidelines for CHP
  • Scope and guiding principles
  • The complaints handling policy
  • Responsibility and authority
    • Top management
    • Management representative
    • Other managers
    • All personnel in contact with customers
    • All other personnel
  • Planning and design
    • Objectives
    • Customer satisfaction, linkages and alignment
    • Resource requirements
    • Competency requirements
  • Operation and communication
    • Essential elements
    • Receiving, recording and tracking
    • Assessing, investigating and closing
  • Maintenance and improvement
    • Collection of information
    • Satisfaction with CHP
    • Monitoring the CHP
    • Auditing the CHP
    • Management review
  • Assessing and monitoring a complaints management system
    • Quotes on measures
    • Metrics, measures and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
    • Where do KPIs come from
    • Some organizational Key Result Areas (KRAs)
    • Criteria for ‘good’ KPIs
    • Analysis of complaints: root cause analysis
    • Prioritizing problems
    • Finding effective and efficient solutions

Duration: 4 days

Customize Your Training

This training solution and other training topics from McTimothy Associates are currently available as a residential/in-house option.

Please Note

McTimothy Associates Reserves the right to postpone or cancel a course due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control. In such cases, delegate(s) will be registered for the next run of the Course.