Customer Care Procedure
Document: Customer Care Procedure
Company: Craftis Ltd
Document Owner: Management
Review Frequency: Annually, or following any significant change to products, legislation or
company procedures
1. Purpose
The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that Craftis Ltd provides customers with a consistent,
professional and safe level of customer care.
This procedure covers:
- Customer safety and product safety
- Customer enquiries and communication
- Complaints
- Returns and faulty products
- Product recalls
- Product withdrawals
- Recording and monitoring customer-care issues
All employees responsible for dealing with customers must follow this procedure.
2. Customer Safety
Craftis Ltd is committed to protecting customers from products that may present a safety risk.
All products supplied by Craftis Ltd must be handled, stored and supplied in accordance with the
relevant product specifications, safety requirements and manufacturer instructions.
Where appropriate, customers must be provided with relevant:
- Product instructions
- Safety information
- Warnings and precautions
- If a customer reports that a product may be unsafe, the matter must be treated as a priority.
- Safety concerns
Where a safety concern is reported:
- Obtain as much information as possible from the customer, including the product name, product
code, batch number where applicable, date of purchase and description of the problem.
- Advise the customer to stop using the product if continued use could present a risk.
- Record the complaint or safety concern.
- Notify the responsible manager.
- Isolate any affected stock held by Craftis Ltd where appropriate.
- Investigate the reported issue.
- Determine whether further action is required, including a product withdrawal or recall.
- Keep records of the investigation and actions taken.
- Where a serious or potentially serious safety issue is identified, management must assess whether
notification to the relevant authorities or other organisations is required.
3. Customer Enquiries
Customer enquiries should be dealt with promptly, politely and professionally.
Employees should:
- Listen carefully to the customer's requirements.
- Provide accurate information.
- Avoid making promises that cannot be fulfilled.
- Escalate queries when they fall outside their authority or knowledge.
- Record important information where follow-up action is required.
- Customers must be treated fairly and respectfully regardless of the nature of their enquiry.
4. Complaints Procedure
Craftis Ltd recognises that customers may occasionally be dissatisfied with a product or service.
Complaints will be handled fairly, consistently and professionally.
4.1 Receiving a complaint
Complaints may be received by telephone, email, in writing or through another recognised
customer-contact method.
The person receiving the complaint should:
- Listen to the customer without interrupting unnecessarily.
- Remain polite and professional.
- Establish the facts of the complaint.
- Record the customer's name and contact details.
- Record the product involved and relevant order or invoice details.
- Record the nature of the complaint and any evidence provided.
- Acknowledge the complaint and explain what will happen next.
4.2 Investigating a complaint
The person responsible for the complaint should review the available information and, where
necessary:
- Check the customer's order and delivery records.
- Examine the relevant product.
- Review photographs or other evidence supplied by the customer.
- Check relevant product specifications or instructions.
- Speak with relevant employees or suppliers.
- Determine whether the issue is isolated or may affect other customers.
- The investigation should be proportionate to the seriousness of the complaint.
4.3 Responding to the customer
Once the investigation has been completed, Craftis Ltd should provide the customer with a clear
response explaining:
- The outcome of the investigation.
- Any action Craftis Ltd will take.
- Any action required from the customer.
- The arrangements for replacement, repair, refund or other remedy where applicable.
- Complaints should be resolved as quickly as reasonably possible. Where a complaint cannot be
resolved immediately, the customer should be kept informed of progress.
4.4 Escalation
Complaints that involve serious safety concerns, repeated product failures, potential regulatory
issues or significant customer impact must be escalated to management. Management will determine whether further investigation, corrective action, supplier involvement, product withdrawal or product recall is required.
5. Returns and Faulty Products
Craftis Ltd does not accept returns simply because a customer has changed their mind or no longer requires the product, unless a separate legal or contractual right applies. This policy does not affect any statutory rights that customers may have.
5.1 Faulty products
Where a customer believes that a product is faulty, the customer should contact Craftis Ltd and
provide:
- Order or invoice details.
- Product name/reference.
- Description of the fault.
- Date the fault was identified.
- Photographs or other evidence where appropriate.
Craftis Ltd will assess the reported fault. Where the product is confirmed to be faulty, Craftis Ltd will determine the appropriate remedy in accordance with applicable consumer law and the circumstances of the case. This may include repair, replacement, refund or another appropriate remedy.
5.2 Return of faulty goods
Where a faulty product needs to be returned:
- Craftis Ltd will provide the customer with return instructions.
- The product should be packaged appropriately to prevent further damage.
- The returned product should be identified against the relevant customer/order record.
- The product should be inspected upon receipt.
- The outcome of the inspection should be recorded.
- Any agreed remedy should then be processed.
- A product must not be rejected as a faulty return without reasonable consideration of the
customer's legal rights and the evidence available.
6. Product Recalls
A product recall is the process of requesting that products already supplied to customers are
returned because they may present a safety risk or otherwise require urgent corrective action.
A recall may be initiated following:
- A customer complaint.
- Internal quality checks.
- Identification of a manufacturing defect.
- Supplier notification.
- Testing or inspection.
- Information from a regulator or other competent authority.
- Identification of a potential safety risk.
6.1 Recall procedure
Where a recall is considered necessary:
- Management must be notified immediately.
- Identify the affected product, batch, serial numbers or other identifying information.
- Stop further sales or distribution of affected products.
- Identify affected stock held by Craftis Ltd.
- Identify customers or distributors who may have received affected products where records allow.
- Determine the appropriate customer communication.
- Provide clear instructions regarding stopping use, returning or otherwise dealing with the affected
product.
- Arrange collection, return, repair, replacement or refund as appropriate.
- Maintain records of recalled products and actions taken.
- Assess whether notification to relevant authorities is required.
- Investigate the underlying cause and implement corrective action.
- Recall communications must be clear and should contain sufficient information for customers to
identify whether their product is affected.
7. Product Withdrawals
A product withdrawal involves removing a product from sale or distribution, normally before it
reaches customers or where the circumstances do not require a customer recall.
A withdrawal may be initiated because of:
- A suspected product defect.
- Incorrect or incomplete product information.
- Packaging or labelling issues.
- A potential safety concern.
- Supplier instructions.
- Regulatory requirements.
- Quality-control concerns.
When a product withdrawal is initiated:
- Stop the sale or distribution of the affected product.
- Clearly identify and segregate affected stock.
- Record the product, batch/serial information and quantity affected.
- Notify relevant personnel and suppliers where appropriate.
- Investigate the reason for the withdrawal.
- Determine whether products already supplied to customers are also affected.
- If customers are affected, assess whether a recall or other customer notification is required.
- Only return the product to sale once management has confirmed that it is appropriate to do so.
8. Records
Craftis Ltd will maintain appropriate records relating to:
- Customer complaints.
- Faulty product reports.
- Product returns.
- Safety concerns.
- Product withdrawals.
- Product recalls.
- Investigations and corrective actions.
- Communications with affected customers and suppliers.
Records should contain sufficient information to demonstrate what happened, what was
investigated and what action was taken.
9. Corrective and Preventive Action
Where a complaint, fault, recall or withdrawal identifies a recurring or significant problem, Craftis
Ltd will consider whether corrective or preventive action is required.
This may include:
- Changing a process.
- Additional product checks.
- Staff training.
- Supplier investigation.
- Product or packaging changes.
- Updating customer instructions.
- Increased monitoring.
10. Responsibilities
All employees are responsible for treating customers professionally and reporting complaints,
faults and safety concerns promptly. If you have any questions, please contact our team.
