Quality notifications provide a range of functions to efficiently process customer problems. Play the video to get an overview of the process steps in SAP S/4HANA in case of customer complaints.
The following image illustrates how a quality notification of type Q1 can be used to manage a customer complaint.
In this example, a customer complaint is addressed using a quality notification. The process begins with the customer submitting their complaint, which is then recorded in the system. The system notifies the responsible team, who reviews the complaint to determine the appropriate actions. All information provided by the customer, such as defect images or other documents, can be attached to the quality notification. This ensures that all involved parties have access to all relevant information at any time.
During complaint processing, the parties involved document immediate actions as activities in the notification. For example, they can move the remaining stock of the defective batch to blocked stock.
The responsible team then conducts a defect analysis, considering all available information. They may also analyze the defective materials returned by the customer for further examination. Based on this analysis, they define preventive actions, such as additional training activities, to avoid future occurrences of the defect. They also determine corrective actions to implement, create corresponding tasks in the system, and assign them to the relevant individuals or departments for resolution. The progress of all tasks is tracked throughout the process to ensure timely resolution. Any necessary documentation or evidence related to the complaint is attached to the quality notification for reference.
Once the complaint has been resolved, the customer is notified of the outcome via a final report generated by the system.
Note
There are two types of notifications available to manage customer complaints regarding suppliers: F1 and Q1. The F1 notification type is used to record defects in the goods issued, while the Q1 notification type is used to record customer complaints from scratch.
To make data recording easier, the Application Consultant configures the Q1 notification type to display one of the following initial screens when a Q1 notification is created:
You should use the screens for the following scenarios:
- You should the second screen if you typically create Q1 notifications for defective deliveries and know the sales order item number and/or the delivery number. The system will automatically transfer data from the reference document (such as material number, batch number, customer, quantity, etc.) into the notification once you confirm it.
- The third screen is used when creating a Q1 notification and you want to copy an existing notification. For example, you can define a copy model reference notification that includes the default process for issue analysis and resolution in the form of tasks and activities. When creating a new notification, the system will copy all tasks and activities from the copy model into the specific issue. Then, you can fill in the missing data such as the concrete quantity, defect items, processing dates, and so on. This allows for a more efficient and streamlined process in handling notifications.
To facilitate notification processing, the SAP S/4HANA standard offers other actions that support customer complaints, for example:
- Send mail with attachments: You can send a mail directly from the notification to interested parties.
- Create returns order: This action creates an advanced return sales order (→ order type RE2 in SAP standard) for the selected notification items to manage the customer return.
- Create 8D report: This action generates an 8D form that includes information from the notification, such as the confirmed defect and its root cause. You generate the 8D report for each defect item. The assignment of corrective tasks to the different sections (D = Directives) of the 8D Report is performed on the basis of the sort number for the tasks. For example, if a corrective task has the sort number 4, then it will be printed in the 4th D of the 8D Report. In each field of the 8D Report , the corrective tasks with the corresponding sort numbers are printed.
- Log telephone call or create note: These actions can be used to document a phone call with or from the customer and to add a note in the form of a task to the notification.
- Send confirmation of receipt, send interim notice, send final notice: These actions can be used to generate PDF documents that provide information to the user regarding the receipt of a complaint, the current processing status, or the resolution of a complaint.