4 replies to this topic

[ana_baron]

Hi everyone!

 

I have a quick question regarding to SQF section 2.1.5 Customer Complaint Program. What does the customer complaint cover? is it only food safety related when raw material or final product is involved? OR also include all process from receiving to distribution? 

 

Please advise. I have a customer who only wants to log complaints related to health concern (harmful or injurious). 

 

Thanks!

Ana 

[Kelly S]

I admit I'm not that familiar with SQF however IMO a Customer Complaints system should record all complaints received. You differentiate them by catergorising them e.g. major, minor, or by type and follow up accordingly. This will also help you cover part of your Continuous Improvement obligations. 
 
Not sure if this would help but this is the flowchart system I developed for a smaller company I worked with previously that was quite effective.

Attached Files

•  Complaints Flow Charts.doc   48KB   358 downloads

[Charles.C]

Hi everyone!

 

I have a quick question regarding to SQF section 2.1.5 Customer Complaint Program. What does the customer complaint cover? is it only food safety related when raw material or final product is involved? OR also include all process from receiving to distribution? 

 

Please advise. I have a customer who only wants to log complaints related to health concern (harmful or injurious). 

 

Thanks!

Ana 

 

Based on the Guidance manual, the "cover" is (extremely) "open-ended", implying that the scope is "defined" by the Customer. I suspect any retail product, hotline receiver, will tell you that this means infinity.

 

IMEX, Customers are only interested in what is in front of / within their mouth / eyes / nose / taste buds etc, the product history is definitely not their  problem (unless it's expired).

 

Note - A "customer" is defined in the Glossary as -

 

A buyer or person that purchases goods or services from the certified supplier

[ana_baron]

Thanks so much for your comments, and Thanks WyldIce for sharing the document. 

 

Have a great day! 

Ana 

[xylough]

SQF aside, IMO a robust customer complaint/feedback system ought to acknowledge and facilitate many varied food safety and quality functions and best practices.

 

• Remember the final customer is not the only customer. There are often distributors, retailers and wholesalers of your product between you and the final customer (consumer). Issues with your product may reflect on them, implicate them and adversely affect them as links in the supply chain. Your complaint system ought to address and finalize acceptable conclusion for all the customers.
• Customer complaints may serve as your first alert to a serious recall potential. Complaints should all be handled with due diligence and urgency with a view to ascertaining if there exists an illness or injury claim. Your complaint systems have to inform your traceability, disposition and recall systems.
• Customer complaints may serve as your first alert to customer fraud. Sometimes customers use the system to get free product or make fraudulent claims of injury or illness. Unless your system tracks and trends complaints in detail, you will gain no edge on the fakes and cheaters. Your complaint systems ought to inform your insurance and legal teams.
• If your company works to any standard of "continuous improvement", customer complaints may be a wealth of data for improving your systems, your supply chain and even your relationship with your distribution chain. If you do not apply CAPA to the known flaws in your systems, there is no improvement. Complaint systems must inform corrective action and preventative action. A complaint or trend of complaints may act as a window into the effectiveness of any given program or procedure within your systems.
• Customers with even minor complaints may be alienated by negative experience with your product. You may stand to loose their business and alienate even more customers who hear through word of mouth. Your customer complaint systems ought to have elements of Service Recovery and measurement of satisfaction level. If you do not try to regain the loyalty of the customer you offended, they are probably lost. If you do not measure satisfaction, then you will not know if your efforts are effective.
• The manor in which a company handles customer complaints is demonstrative of their Management Commitment to food safety and quality. Customer complaint systems must explicitly inform the key management individuals and teams for steering, decision making and capital expenditure through feeding into HACCP team, Defense of Food team, Internal audit team, Plant Improvement team meetings and documents
• Customer complaint systems ought to include any positive feed-back as well. Positive feed-back from customers should not be a laurel to sit on, but should inform your company culture programs for positive reinforcement and recognition of  those who achieve, an what works according to plan and goes right.