ISO 10002-2018 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 10002:2018 — Quality management — Customer satisfaction — Guidelines for complaints handling in organizations. This international standard provides guidance on planning, designing, operating, maintaining and improving an effective complaints‑handling process that can be used as a process within an overall quality management system.

Abstract

ISO 10002:2018 gives guidelines for complaints handling related to products and services, including top management commitment, resources and training, accessible complaint channels, fair and timely resolution, analysis of complaints for continual improvement, auditing of the complaints‑handling process, and reviewing its effectiveness. The standard is applicable to any organization regardless of type or size and includes specific guidance for small businesses. It does not apply to disputes referred outside the organization or to employment‑related disputes.

General information

• Status: Published (International Standard, confirmed).
• Publication date: July 2018 (2018‑07).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 03.120.10 — Quality management and quality assurance.
• Edition / version: 3rd edition (ISO 10002:2018).
• Number of pages: 31 (ISO published document).

Scope

ISO 10002:2018 provides guidance to organizations on handling complaints related to their products and services during planning, design, development, operation, maintenance and improvement. The scope covers creating a customer‑focused environment open to feedback, ensuring accessible and effective complaint channels, recognizing complainant needs and expectations, and using complaint data to improve products, services and customer service. The standard explicitly excludes disputes taken outside the organization and employment‑related disputes.

Key topics and requirements

• Establishing and maintaining a complaints‑handling policy and process integrated with the organization's quality management activities.
• Management commitment and allocation of resources, including staff training and competence.
• Designing accessible, transparent and easy‑to‑use complaint channels for complainants.
• Fair, timely investigation and communication of outcomes to complainants and follow‑up actions.
• Recording, analysing and reporting complaint data to drive corrective actions and continual improvement.
• Auditing, monitoring and management review of the complaints‑handling process to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.
• Special guidance for small businesses (annex material) and links to external dispute resolution where internal resolution is insufficient.

Typical use and users

Used by organizations of any size and sector to design or improve their complaints‑handling processes. Typical users include quality managers, customer service leaders, compliance and risk teams, process owners, internal auditors, management system implementers and consultants. The standard is often implemented alongside ISO 9001 and other customer‑satisfaction standards to strengthen customer focus and continual improvement.

Related standards

ISO 10002 is part of a customer‑satisfaction series and is commonly used with: ISO 10001 (Guidelines for codes of conduct for organizations), ISO 10003 (Guidelines for dispute resolution external to organizations), ISO 10004 (Guidelines for monitoring and measuring customer satisfaction), and ISO 9001 (Quality management systems). These documents were revised together in 2018 to align with ISO 9001 and with each other.

Keywords

complaints handling; customer satisfaction; quality management; complaint process; dispute resolution; customer feedback; continual improvement; customer service; ISO 10002.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 10002:2018 is an international guidance standard titled "Quality management — Customer satisfaction — Guidelines for complaints handling in organizations" that helps organizations design and run effective complaints‑handling processes.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers planning, designing, operating, maintaining and improving complaints handling for products and services — including management commitment, accessible complaint channels, investigation and resolution, analysis of complaints for improvement, auditing and review. It excludes disputes referred outside the organization and employment disputes.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Quality and customer service managers, compliance teams, auditors, consultants and any organization (public or private, large or small) wanting to improve how they handle customer complaints.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO 10002:2018 is the current published edition (3rd edition, published July 2018). It replaced earlier editions, including ISO 10002:2014 and the 2004 edition and corrigendum; organizations should confirm national adoption or amendments via their national standards body.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO 10001, ISO 10002, ISO 10003 and ISO 10004 form a set of customer‑satisfaction guidance standards covering codes of conduct, complaints handling, external dispute resolution and monitoring/measuring customer satisfaction; these were revised together to align with ISO 9001.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Complaints handling; customer satisfaction; quality management; complaint process; dispute resolution; customer feedback; continual improvement.