Scope of the ISO 10002 Standard

What does the ISO 10002 complaint-handling standard cover?

Questions about the scope of the ISO 10002 customer complaint-handling standard come up often, and we take the time to answer them. The Customer Complaint Management system is built to the ISO 10002:2004 standard. Sistem Patent Kalite audits organisations that want the certificate against that standard. Because the standard applies across most sectors, the requirements in each of its clauses are adapted to the organisation's own activities during system design.

Looking at the structure of the standard: the first three clauses introduce the complaint-management system and set out the general requirements. The specific operational requirements the organisation has to meet start from clause four and run across five clauses. The complaint-handling system is designed and audited to match the requirements defined in those clauses.

Clause four sets out the guiding principles of a complaint-handling system: accessibility, transparency, objectivity, responsiveness, confidentiality, no-charge to the customer, customer focus, continual improvement, and accountability.

Clause five describes how complaints are to be implemented operationally. The organisation's policy, commitment, authority, and responsibility regarding customer concerns are defined here.

Clause six covers design and planning. The organisation's customer-related objectives, its operating methods, and the resources it will draw on to resolve complaints are articulated in this clause.

Clause seven addresses operational stages. How complaints are handled, how they are tracked, how receipt is confirmed to the customer, how the initial review is carried out, how the substance of each complaint is investigated, how the organisation will respond to the customer, how internal decisions are made, how the decision is communicated to the customer, and how the complaint is ultimately resolved are all covered here.

Clause eight covers the ongoing operation and improvement of the system. Data collection, analysis and evaluation of complaints, satisfaction with the handling process itself, monitoring, review, audit, and continual improvement principles are all set out in this clause.