Complaint handling processes

Complaint handling

Complaints are customer complaints that are processed.

This process comprises three steps:

1. Initial analysis
   • Recording of the items subject to complaint
   • If necessary, splitting the complaint into several processes if it concerns several items whose processing times vary or which require different processing steps
   • If necessary, merging the complaint with other complaints that were incorrectly recorded separately
2. Claim - legitimate?
   • Checking whether the complaint is justified or not
   • Creating a 4D report with responsibility, problem description, immediate action and cause of error
   • Recording the costs and the respective cost units, obtaining approval if necessary
3. Fix and close
   • Resolve the problem, e.g. by repairing it, or implement immediate measures
   • Complete the process
   • If necessary, create a process for generating an 8D report to monitor corrective measures

Activities in the claim process

The following activities are available regardless of the status of the process:

• Create task: Opens a form for creating a new task. Tasks are used to track individual steps required to process the complaint. They can be assigned to different agents. The task is automatically linked to the complaint.
• Set on hold: Opens a form in which you can select the date on which the resubmission should automatically end. Alternatively, you can select a time period. The process is moved to the follow-up and automatically returns to the active process when either the follow-up date is reached, an email has been received for the process, or the contact has written a comment in the portal. You can also manually remove the process from the follow-up at any time
• Email has been read: Removes the email overlay that appears when a claim email is received.
• Customer comment (portal) read: Removes the comment overlay that appears when a customer writes a comment about a complaint in the portal.
• Update similar claims: Opens a form where you can select a time period for searching for similar claims. Similar incidents are determined based on the subject, first history entry and category, and are displayed in the detailed data.
• Split cases: Opens a form in which you can split a claim that concerns several issues into individual processes based on the items complained about. The newly created claims are automatically linked to the current complaint and can be processed and completed independently of each other.
• Join requests: Opens a detail search, where you can select the other claims that are linked to the current claim as subordinate processes and are automatically rejected. Then click on the activity Merge operations in a claim and select the current claim in the search. The items complained about in these operations are automatically linked to the selected main claim so that all of them can be handled in one operation.
• Discard request: Opens a form for discarding the claim. Here you can select why the claim is being discarded, enter a comment and decide whether the contact should be informed automatically. If you write a comment, it will be saved in the claim's history.

The following activities are available depending on the status of the process:

View Claim | New

• Accept claim: Opens a form in which the items subject to the claim are listed. You can choose whether all items subject to the claim should be processed individually (i.e. in separate transactions) or collectively. If a claim is split up and processed in separate transactions, all related claims are bundled in a claim overview so that you can keep track of them. The responsibility (responsible team and team members), problem description (reason for the claim and description) and immediate action (action and comment) are specified below.

View Claim | In analysis

• Complete Claim - Cause analysis: Opens a form in which data on the four dimensions of the claim (4D) can be entered. These are responsibility (responsible team and team members), problem description (reason for claim and description), immediate action (action and comment) and cause of error (selection from an error catalogue and description).
• Claim legitimate, proceed claim type: Opens a form in which you can select and describe the action to be taken and check the cause of the error. You can also transfer the process to a colleague or team with a comment.
• Claim not legitimate, get back to contact: Opens a form where you can select and describe the reason for rejection.
• Contact informed, wait for feedback...: Only available if the claim is not justified. Opens a form in which you can select a resubmission date. By doing so, you confirm that you have manually informed the customer (e.g. via email or comment in the portal) about the rejection.
• Feedback received: Only available if customers have been informed of rejection. If feedback is received before the resubmission date, it can be recorded with this activity.
• Hand over to the approver: Opens a form with a table for costs. Enter the amount, select the category and cost centre, and enter a comment. You can enter information for the approver at the bottom.
• Enter 4D data: Opens a form in which data on the four dimensions of the claim (4D) can be entered. These are responsibility (responsible team and team members), problem description (reason for complaint and description), immediate action (action and comment) and cause of error (selection from an error catalogue and description). You can attach the 4D report to the process as a PDF document.
• Enter costs: Opens a form with a table for costs. Enter the amount, select the category and cost centre, and enter a comment. You can attach the costs to the process as a CSV file.

View Claim | In processing

• Close claim: Opens a form in which you can close the claim after checking the entered costs. You can attach the 4D report as a PDF and the costs as a CSV file to the process. The main contact for the claim can be automatically informed of the closure by email. If the corrective measures are to be checked in a separate process, you can generate an 8D Report for this purpose. If there are tasks associated with the claim, you can also close them in necessary. Finally, you can decide what you want to work on next.
• Enter 4D data: Opens a form in which data on the four dimensions of the claim (4D) can be entered. These are responsibility (responsible team and team members), problem description (reason for claim and description), immediate action (action and comment) and cause of error (selection from an error catalogue and description). You can attach the report to the process as a PDF document.
• Enter costs: Opens a form with a table for costs. Enter the amount, select the category and cost centre, and enter a comment. You can attach the costs to the process as a CSV file.
• Handover back: Opens a form where you can enter a comment to return the process to the original processor.

View In approval

• Approve: Click on this activity if you wish to grant the requested approval. This will be noted accordingly in the process.
• No approval: Click on this activity if you do not wish to grant the requested approval. This will be noted accordingly in the process.

View On hold

• Follow up: Moves the transaction back to the active process so that it can be further processed.

The View Claims | Active contains all open transactions that are not in the follow-up list.

8D Reports

8D reports can be generated following a claim to check the corrective measures.

This process involves two steps:

1. Decision on corrective measures
   • Decision on whether new corrective measures are necessary, whether the problem is already addressed by existing measures, or whether no measures are necessary at all
2. Definition of measures
   • Review and completion of the 4D report with responsibility, problem description, immediate action and cause of error
   • Addition of planned and implemented corrective actions and measures to prevent recurrence of the error
   • Final review with entry of a final comment and generation of the 8D report

Activities in the 8D report process

The following activities are available regardless of the status of the process:

• Discard 8D report: Opens a form for discarding the 8D report. Select the reason for discarding from a list.
• Create task: Opens a form for creating a new task. Tasks are used to track individual steps required to process the 8D report. They can be assigned to different processors. The task is automatically linked to the 8D report.
• Email has been read: Removes the email overlay that appears when an email regarding a claim is received.

The following general activities are available depending on the status of the process:

View 8D reports | New

• Accept 8D report for processing: Opens a form in which you can enter the affected items. You can also edit the data for the 4Ds (responsibility, problem description, immediate action and cause of error) that have already been entered.

View 8D Reports | Active

• Define corrective measure(s): Opens a form in which you can specify the corrective measures to eliminate the root cause. To do this, enter a description and the planned implementation date and specify how the effectiveness is to be checked.
• Corrective measures exist - document for this case: Opens a form in which you can document corrective measures that are already valid for this process. The upper table (6D) contains the corrective measures that have been implemented, including a description, the person responsible, the implementation date, the results check and the effectiveness check. The lower table (7D) contains the measures to prevent the error from recurring, including a description, the person responsible and the implementation date.
• No corrective measure(s): If no measures need to be taken, the 8D report can be closed directly afterwards.
• Plan and schedule corrective measure(s): Only available if new corrective actions have been defined. Opens a form in which you can set a resubmission date by which the actions should be implemented. The 8D report remains in the resubmission until the date is reached or you manually confirm that the actions have been implemented.
• Corrective measure(s) implemented: Only available if new corrective measures have been defined. The upper table (6D) is pre-filled with the planned measures and contains the corrective measures that have been implemented, including a description, the person responsible, the implementation date, the results check and the effectiveness check. The lower table (7D) contains the measures to prevent the error from recurring, with a description, responsible person and implementation date.
• Generate 8D report: Opens a form in which you can complete the 8D report. You can attach the 8D report to the process as a PDF document
• Final check of 8D: Opens a form in which you can review and complete the entire report. The closing comment can only be entered at this point. You can attach the 8D report to the process as a PDF document. If there were tasks associated with this report, you can complete them automatically.
• Discard 8D report: Opens a form in which you can enter a final comment. You can attach the 8D report as a PDF document to the process. If there were tasks associated with this report, you can complete them automatically.

View On hold

• Follow up: Moves the transaction back to the active process so that it can be further processed.

Request processing

Requests are general customer concerns that should be handled in a more streamlined process.

This process involves two steps:

1. Request processing
   • Categorising the request and linking it to customer resources
   • If necessary, splitting the request into several processes if it concerns several topics that require different processing times or different processing steps
   • If necessary, merging the request with other requests that concern the same topic
   • Creating tasks that must be completed to process the request
   • Forwarding the request to colleagues
2. Approval
   • Requesting approval if costs are incurred in the course of processing the request, such as credits to the customer

Activities in the request process

The following activities are available regardless of the status of the process:

• Accept request: Opens a form with a table of costs. Enter the amount, select the category and cost centre, and enter a comment for the approver. The request is moved to the approval process and the approvers defined in the system receive an email requesting approval.
• Create task: Opens a form for creating a new task. Tasks are used to track individual steps required to process the request. They can be assigned to different processors. The task is automatically linked to the request.
• Set on hold: Opens a form in which you can select the date on which the follow-up should automatically end. Alternatively, you can select a time period. The process is moved to the follow-up and automatically returns to the active process when either the follow-up date is reached, an email has been received for the process, or the contact has written a comment in the portal. You can also manually remove the process from the follow-up at any time.
• Email has been read: Removes the email overlay that appears when an email is received for the request.
• Customer comment (portal) read: Removes the comment overlay that appears when a customer writes a comment on the request in the portal.
• Split cases: Opens a form in which you can derive another request from the request, which is processed in a separate process. This is automatically linked to the current request and can be processed and completed independently of it. Enter a subject and a comment, and decide whether the history from the current request should be transferred.
• Join requests: Opens a detail search where you can select other requests that are linked to the current request as subordinate tasks and are automatically discarded. Then click on the Merge tasks in a request activity and select the current request in the search.
• Discard request: Opens a form for discarding the request. Here you can select why the request is being discarded, enter a comment and decide whether the contact should be automatically informed. If you write a comment, it will be saved in the request's activity history

The following general activities are available depending on the status of the process:

View Requests | New

• Accept request: Opens a form in which the request is categorised. You can select the type of request and set the priority. You can also select items in the form of products or services from the resource pool if required.

View Requests | Active

• Accept request: Opens a form in which the request is categorised. You can select the type of request and set the priority. You can also select items in the form of products or services from the resource pool if required.
• Handover back: Opens a form where you can enter a comment to return the process to the original processor.
• Handover to: Opens a form where you can select whether the process should be transferred to a specific processor or to another team. Enter a comment for the person or team to whom you are transferring the process.
• Resubmit for approval: Available if the approver has not granted approval. Opens a form where you can review the costs again and write a new comment. The request is moved back into the approval process and the approvers receive another email requesting approval.
• Close request: Opens a form where you can enter a closing comment and decide whether the customer should be notified automatically. If there are tasks associated with the request, you can also close them directly via the table.

View Request | forwarded

• Handover back: Opens a form where you can enter a comment to return the process to the original processor.

View In approval

• Approve: Click on this activity if you wish to grant the requested approval. This will be noted accordingly in the process.
• No approval: Click on this activity if you do not wish to grant the requested approval. This will be noted accordingly in the process.

View On hold

• Follow up: Moves the transaction back to the active process so that it can be further processed.