SOCAP Australia
AS ISO 10002 Assessment & Benchmarking Program

Does your organisation measure up to the new Australian Standard on complaints handling?

Download the brochure...

SOCAP Australia and the evolution of the Standard
Launched last year at the SOCAP Australia Symposium, the Australian Standard – AS ISO 10002: Guidelines for complaints handling in organizations – provides a new roadmap for complaints handling.

SOCAP Australia has a long tradition of pioneering excellence in complaints handling in Australia. SOCAP Australia members were heavily involved in driving the instigation of the previous complaints handling standard, AS 4269, and a SOCAP Australia member chaired the drafting committee for the new ISO 10002 Standard. We were proud to host the launch of the new Australian Standard, AS ISO 10002, in 2006. SOCAP Australia is therefore uniquely qualified to provide organisations with guidance on how they may improve their performance against the Standard’s requirements.

The AS ISO 10002 Assessment and Benchmarking Program
A new initiative by SOCAP Australia, the AS ISO 10002 Assessment and Benchmarking Program, provides an independent assessment of your organisation’s ability to meet the Australian Standard’s requirements, and benchmarks your organisation’s performance against others in your sector and across the industry. Find out just how effective and efficient your complaints handling processes and procedures are, and where there is room for improvement. This information could be of critical importance to management, especially when making a case for more resources.

How the program was developed
The unique methodology of the program was devised for SOCAP Australia by an ex-Ombudsman and acknowledged industry expert. It provides a framework for a meaningful and thorough assessment of the organisation’s complaints handling systems with a minimal investment of time and resources. Some of Australia’s leading financial services providers, utilities and FMCGs collaborated with SOCAP Australia on the program’s development and took part in a pilot study. Many have expressed their desire to participate in a longitudinal study with others in their sector and across the industry and gather valuable data on their performance over time.

What the Assessment and Benchmarking Program delivers
You receive a written report outlining your results in relation to the requirements of AS ISO 10002 and the efficiency and effectiveness of your complaints handling system. This framework can form the basis of a longitudinal assessment of your organisation’s complaints handling system and your process improvement efforts. Your report also benchmarks your results against those achieved by other organisations, both in your sector and across the industry as a whole. Most importantly, the report offers practical suggestions on how your complaints handling systems and process can be improved.

Key features of the AS ISO 10002 Assessment and Benchmarking Program

• Thorough independent assessment by an industry expert, without the expense and resources required by a full field audit.
• Evaluation of how well your organisation meets the Standard’s requirements.
• Assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of the complaints handling system as a whole.
• Recommendations on how to improve performance in complaints handling.
• Comparison of your results with those of other organisations – by industry sector or overall – in a national benchmarking framework.
• Overseen by SOCAP Australia, an organisation committed to raising the standard of complaints handling.

How will it benefit my organisation?

• It’s a reality check – an objective perspective on where you are and where you should go.
• It gives concrete, detailed information on where things are going right, and where they can be improved – which can be used in discussions with management.
• It shows how your organisation’s complaints handling function is performing compared with others across the country.
• The methodology used provides a meaningful assessment without the high cost (in time and money) of a full field audit.
• It gives you confidence you are on the right track with the Australian Standard, and practical suggestions on how your organisation can become even more customer-focused.

With research underscoring the importance of customer service as a strategic differentiator and competitive factor, get a snapshot of how well you are performing – and whether you are leading the pack or falling behind.

Cost: $7700 inc. GST

For information about participating in the SOCAP Australia AS ISO 10002 Assessment and Benchmarking Program, contact Amanda Blesing at SOCAP Australia on 03 8687 9060 or socap@socap.org.au