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What are corrective actions?
Corrective actions are those tools, composed of measures, decisions, activities and solutions of various kinds, which are given in the context of a Quality Management process in a company, when there have been failures and situations that compromise the company and its effects may even transcend to the outside, involving customers or society. By applying corrective actions, there is a continuous improvement in the processes.
The faster a problem is identified, a failure, the more efficient and effective a response can be given to address any deficiency before it becomes even more acute, so we can say that one of the critical factors is the time in which the signals that corrective actions should be applied can be identified.
From the point of view of the technical language of ISO 9001 standards, corrective actions with their respective technical specifications must be implemented if situations called Non-Conformities arise, that is, when one or more requirements established in the company’s procedures are not met and which compromise the company’s quality.
Here are 5 signs that your company needs corrective actions. You should not overlook these signs if you intend to attack their cause and propose improvements that will make it possible to rectify the problems, preventing these situations from recurring. The non-repetition of failures and problems as a result of corrective actions strengthens the quality of a company.
1.- Non-conforming products and outputs
This signal is given when the product or service we deliver to the customer does not meet the planned and agreed requirements. As an immediate measure we can talk to the customer to negotiate if he accepts the product with some variant, reprocess the product and record this non-conforming output as a Non-Conformity, where corrective actions must be taken.
2.- Customer complaints
Customer complaints are a valuable source of information that can contribute to the implementation of corrective actions, it is a sign that the more they occur, the greater the concern to address them and take appropriate measures established in the rules and procedures of the company, in order to improve the quality and customer satisfaction, which together with the organization and suppliers are evaluators of our quality.
3.- High personnel turnover
For any company that adheres to ethical business precepts, it is not convenient to have a high personnel turnover. Every employee that leaves the company goes to the competition, taking with him knowledge and experience in favor of the competitors and it is necessary to invest again in the recruitment and preparation of new human talent, it is necessary to take corrective measures in case of practices such as discrimination, bad treatment and labor exploitation, payment defaults, low salaries in relation to the competition, etc.
4.- Non-compliance with legal requirements
If a company is constantly failing to comply with legal requirements such as the payment of benefits and is subject to constant lawsuits before labor authorities, corrective actions must be taken such as guaranteeing the registration of hired personnel in the social security system, complying with the deadlines for the delivery of labor settlements, and substantiating dismissals, among others. The fact that a company finds itself in this type of situation affects its image and the quality of the products or services it offers.
5.- Loss of regular and previously loyal customers
When a regular customer stops purchasing a product and service from the company, this should not be ignored and seen as an isolated event, as it may be the result of an inadequate customer service by the company, when this situation begins to occur corrective measures should be taken to review the policies of customer service and retention.
You must take action immediately and not wait until the causes are determined in depth.
Although the 5 signs mentioned above are not the only ones that can occur in the company, it is of vital importance to have a comprehensive approach and treatment in relation to Quality Management, and not limit its vision only to the good or service, because the integral vision and the treatment of the problem through corrective actions that can be measurable and end the problem so that it does not recur is lost.
In addition to the above 5 signs, you cannot ignore other signs such as loss of substantial company information, loss of raw materials, frequent negative comments from customers and negative comparisons to the company and in favor of the competition, failure to meet delivery deadlines. In these and all the signals, the cause must be attacked so that it does not happen again.
It must be kept in mind that the workers of a company as well as the customers can also be a valuable source of information to determine if the company is not having the best performance in all its gears and therefore is affecting its quality, customer satisfaction and thus risks disappearing.
