ISO 10002 is the international guidance standard describing how organisations should receive, record, investigate and resolve customer complaints; the current edition is ISO 10002:2018. It is based on principles such as accessibility, transparency, responsiveness and objectivity. The real aim is not to close complaints one by one, but to find and eliminate the root causes of recurring problems.
What does ISO 10002 cover?
The full title of the standard is "Quality management – Customer satisfaction – Guidelines for complaints handling in organizations"; in Türkiye it is published as TS ISO 10002. The text is a guideline: it does not impose requirements with "shall", but gives direction with "should". In practice, certification bodies audit whether a company has set up its complaints process in line with this guideline and issue a certificate of conformity.
The standard is part of the customer satisfaction family. ISO 10001 deals with codes of conduct, ISO 10003 with dispute resolution external to the organisation, and ISO 10004 with monitoring and measuring satisfaction. Together the four form a chain covering what happens before and after a complaint.
Key principles and what they mean in logistics
| Principle | In logistics |
|---|---|
| Accessibility | Complaints can be submitted by phone, e-mail or customer portal; in English or Russian if needed. |
| Transparency | The steps of the process and response times are communicated to the customer in advance. |
| Responsiveness | Every complaint is acknowledged; for damaged cargo the first response is given within hours. |
| Objectivity | The investigation is carried out not by the operator who managed the trip in question, but by another responsible person. |
| No charges | The customer is not charged for filing a complaint. |
| Confidentiality | The customer's personal and commercial information is used only for the investigation. |
| Accountability and improvement | Ownership of decisions is clear; closed complaints feed into process improvement. |
What steps make up the complaints process?
- Receipt and recording: Each complaint is given a unique number; the channel, date and subject are recorded.
- Acknowledgement: The customer is told that the complaint has been received and given a tracking number.
- Initial assessment: The subject is categorised and prioritised: cargo damage, delay, invoicing, communication.
- Investigation: Documents such as the CMR, delivery report, photos and vehicle tracking records are gathered.
- Response and resolution: The decision is communicated to the customer together with its reasons.
- Closure: If the customer does not accept the outcome, the route for appeal is indicated.
- Analysis: Monthly trends and root causes are submitted to management review.
How these steps are run in a logistics company is explained with sample cases in How ISO 10002 complaints handling works.
How does it relate to ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 requires customer satisfaction to be monitored and nonconformities to be corrected, but it does not specify how a complaint should be received and resolved. ISO 10002 fills this gap. Because the two standards can share the same records and corrective action system, most companies manage them under one roof; the approach is explained in integrated management system.
Who benefits from it?
It is useful for any organisation in frequent contact with customers: courier and distribution, e-commerce logistics, customs brokerage, international freight. For businesses serving consumers, the consumer arbitration committees and consumer courts provided for by Consumer Protection Law No. 6502 (6502 sayılı Tüketicinin Korunması Hakkında Kanun) come into play; a well-functioning complaints process allows disputes to be resolved before they reach that stage. In B2B transport, contract renewal decisions are often determined by how a single complaint was handled.
How does Voltim Global support this?
Voltim Global holds an ISO 10002:2018 customer satisfaction and complaints handling certificate (GCR, valid until 22.10.2027); its other valid management system certificates are ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 45001, ISO 14001, ISO 28000 and ISO 50001. Customer notifications are recorded and examined together with the trip documents; in door-to-door delivery shipments, the delivery report and vehicle tracking records are the main basis of the investigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an ISO 10002 certificate mandatory?
Is a complaint record the same as a CMR damage notice?
Sources
- ISO 10002:2018 – Quality management – Customer satisfaction – Guidelines for complaints handling in organizations
- 6502 sayılı Tüketicinin Korunması Hakkında Kanun (Consumer Protection Law No. 6502)