This programme is designed for 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.

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. Relying international best practices, 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

• 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 gain 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 compliant systems 

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.

Module 1: 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 services quality model and service gaps
• Managing customer expectations

Module 2: 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 behaviour
• Sources of customer complaints
• Dealing with customer complaints

Module 3: 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

                     (a) Top management
                     (b) Management representative
                     (c) Other managers
                     (d) All personnel in contact with customers
                     (e) All other personnel

• Planning and Design

                     (a) Objectives of the CHP
                     (b) Resource requirements
                     (c) Competency requirements
                     (d) Customer satisfaction, linkages and alignment

• Operation and Communication

                     (a) Essential elements
                     (b) Receiving, recording and tracking
                     (c) Assessing, investigating and closing

• Maintenance and Improvement

                     (a) Collection of information
                     (b) Satisfaction with CHP
                     (c) Monitoring the CHP
                     (d) Auditing the CHP
                     (e) Management review

Module 4: 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