Analysis, evaluation, and improvement of the complaint management system of a growing pharmaceutical company in Hamburg

Abstract

Objective: To examine and analyse the complaint management system of the growing pharmaceutical company AqVida GmbH in Hamburg. Methods: A qualitative approach was used for data collection utilising two instruments: document analysis of the complaints from the year 2015 to 2020 and interviews at the company (1 focus group consisting of 2 participants, 2 face-to-face and 5 online interviews). The collected data were then analysed and presented in the results section. Results: The finding of this study shows that the number of complaints is increasing in the company. As the processing time at the company according to their internal Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is 10 working days only 14% of complaints were processed in a proper time in 2020. 24% of complaints took the processing time of less than one month, 35% complaints took the time of 1-3 months, whereas 27% of complaints were processed between 4-6 months. The reasons for the delayed responses were e.g. difficulties in time management, insufficient follow-up, no reminder system, or the absence of a specific investigator and manager for handling complaints. In order to resolve these issues and to improve the complaint handling system, strategies are presented within the course of this thesis. Conclusion: Based on the qualitative research, it can be concluded that due to the increased number of complaints, the company needs an efficient system for complaint management. The reason for the increased number of complaints is the production and marketing progress of the company. The problems in complaint handling can be minimised by reorganising the process and implementing software to digitise and automate the process. There is a need for one manager who handles all complaints in the company. Proper follow-up should be done to avoid any delay in the evaluation and processing of complaints. Training and meetings on a regular basis are also very important to discuss the repetitive complaints and to take specific measures and actions to prevent these incidents in the future.