ISO 10002 – Guidelines for Complaints Handling in Organizations
Customer dissatisfaction can damage your business. According to recent research, an average of 25 out of 26 unhappy anonymous customers will subsequently drive away 1,560 of their friends from your business. Smart management will find ways to differentiate themselves from competitors, define customer service standards, and deliver an effective complaint handling system for their customers.
Complaint management is challenging as there is not always a concrete solution to the problem. Success depends on how well you understand the complaint, how it is handled and whether the customer is happy with the solution offered. ISO 10002 for Quality Management: Customer Satisfaction – Guidelines for Complaints Handling in Organizations is an excellent customer service certificate and acts as a 'true-to-life' manual designed expressly for this purpose.
ISO 10002 defines a complaint as 'an expression of dissatisfaction made to an organization, related to its products, or the complaints handling process itself, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected'. ISO 10002 is relevant to any organization that wishes to exceed customer expectations, a basic requirement for businesses of all types and sizes, whether in the private, public or voluntary sectors.
Benefits of ISO 10002
Customer confidence
By adopting the management system, the ability to retain the loyalty of customers is enhanced. Customers feel confident of the commitment to resolve their queries or complaints.
Improved efficiency
Implementation and certification ensure a consistent process for handling customers, which helps identify and eliminate the causes of complaints and improve the organization's operations.
Better relationships
The system helps adopt a customer-focused approach to handle, analyse and review complaints and encourages personnel to improve their skills and behaviour when working with customers.
Continual improvement
It provides a basis for continual improvement and analysis of the complaints-handling process, with improvements to be made.
Transparent system
Provides complainants with an open, effective and easy-to-use complaints process.
Auditable system
The complaint management system is auditable, so auditing the complaints-handling process gives accuracy of system compliance.
Synchronisation
Developed as guidance for an organization's complaints-handling process. It can be used alone or in conjunction with an ISO 9001 quality management system.
Management system
All ingredients of a management system are inherited in the complaint management system, reviewing the effectiveness and efficiency of the complaints-handling process.
Customer satisfaction
Enhance customer satisfaction by creating a customer-focused environment that is open to feedback (including complaints), resolving complaints, and enhancing the organization's ability to improve its product and customer service.
Management focus
Management commitment through adequate acquisition and deployment of resources, including personnel training.
Brand improvement
A certified complaint management system demonstrates to customers and other stakeholders that you recognize and address the needs and expectations of complainants and have processes to handle, analyse and review complaints to improve product and customer service quality.
Credibility
An effective complaint management system helps ensure defined responsibilities and procedures to handle and review complaints are in place.
How it works
TOV America Process
TOV has a unique approach to certification which complies with the requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems.
Enquiry & quote
Tell us about your organisation, scope and sites. We send a clear, fixed quotation.
Application review
We confirm scope, competence and audit time, then agree the audit programme with you.
Stage 1 audit
Documentation review and readiness check of your management system.
Stage 2 audit
On-site audit of how the system is implemented and how effective it is.
Certification decision
An independent reviewer decides on certification and your certificate is issued.
Surveillance audits
Annual audits confirm the system is maintained and keeps improving.
Recertification
A full re-audit in year three renews the certificate for another cycle.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is ISO 10002 a requirements standard?+
ISO 10002 provides guidelines, and organizations are certified against the complaint management system built on them. It can be used alone or alongside ISO 9001.
How long is the certificate valid?+
A management-system certificate is valid for three years, with annual surveillance audits to keep it active and a recertification audit before it expires.
How long does certification take?+
It depends on size and readiness. Once your system is implemented, the Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits and the certification decision typically take a few weeks.
Can several standards be audited together?+
Yes. Standards built on the common Annex SL structure, such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, can be audited together in an integrated audit.
How can my customers verify my certificate?+
Anyone can confirm a certificate with our online certificate search using the company name or certificate number.