Four channels, four people
A customer emails the web shop about a pump that does not work. Another sends an Instagram message saying a cleanser made their skin red. A stockist rings about a separated batch of body butter. A brand client forwards a complaint from their own customer. Each is handled by whoever received it: a replacement sent, an apology, a refund. Nothing is written down in one place.
Three months later, two more messages mention the same cleanser. Nobody links them to the first.
Complaints are handled, not logged
Staff usually deal with complaints kindly and quickly. The trouble is that each is treated as a customer service task and closed, rather than recorded as information about the product.
- Complaints arrive through many channels, each owned by a different person.
- Batch numbers are rarely asked for.
- Reports of reactions are not separated from ordinary complaints like a broken pump.
- Nobody records what was done, or whether it was passed to anyone.
- Patterns across channels and months are invisible.
What unlogged complaints cost
A packaging fault repeated across a batch goes unnoticed until it becomes expensive. Reports that need to reach your nominated person, for them to assess, may never get there. Brand clients expect you to tell them about complaints about their products. What you must do with complaints and reported reactions is for you, your responsible person and your adviser. We do not advise on that. We make sure every complaint is captured and reaches whoever you have said should see it.
Retailers and marketplaces add their own pressure. A run of poor reviews about a leaking cap can hurt a listing long before anyone at the factory connects them to a single batch of components, and by then the reviews are public.
A complaints log across every channel
- Complaints are collected into one list from the customer service inbox, web shop contact form, social messages and a simple form for staff to log phone calls and retailer reports.
- Each complaint is linked to the customer, product and, where possible, batch. Replies to the customer ask for the batch number and a photo, using wording you approve.
- Complaints are sorted into categories you define. Anything that mentions a reaction or health concern is flagged and routed to the person you nominate, rather than handled as routine.
- Each complaint records the actions taken: replacement, refund, investigation, referral, and who closed it.
- Complaints about products you make for brand clients are shared with that client in the way you have agreed.
- A report shows complaints by product, batch, category and month, so a cluster on one batch stands out.
| Complaint | Handled now by | In the log |
|---|---|---|
| Broken pump | Whoever reads the email | Logged, linked to batch and packaging |
| Reported reaction | Treated like any complaint | Flagged to your nominated person |
| Retailer phone call | Not written down | Logged by staff form |
| Brand client's customer | Forwarded email | Logged and shared as agreed |
| Pattern across months | Invisible | Report by product and batch |
Complaints that tell you something
Customers still get a quick, kind response. Behind it, every complaint is on one list with the product and batch. Reports that need specialist attention reach the right person. A cluster of complaints about one batch or component shows up in the report, early. Brand clients see that complaints about their products are handled properly.
Is this where you are?
- Complaints are handled by whoever sees them.
- Batch numbers are not usually collected.
- Reaction reports are handled like any other complaint.
- There is no single list of complaints.
- You could not say how many complaints a product had last year.