Japan General Manager - Business Development Director - Kim Christian Botho Pedersen

Japan-complaint handling services

We turn complaints into opportunities

Why is complaint handling so important?

Complaint handling is where your company will be assessed and judged, whether you are trustworthy, whether your company is ready for a long-term commitment with your Japanese business partners or not. Complaint handling is where you show your Japanese partners what you are made of.

Complaints are not the end of the business but the beginning of a much stronger relationship between you and your Japanese business partners if you handle it right. If you do not handle complaints correctly, you can be sure that it will be the beginning of the end of your Japan business adventure.

Complaint handling is thus one of the most important, if not THE most important skill to have, when you deal with Japanese companies. Understanding complaints and how to deal with them in Japan, or at least having one on your side who knows how to, is crucial for success on the Japanese market.

Understand how to write an explanation letter that boost your trust on the Japanese market. Click here


Correct claim handling in Japan is crucial for building trust and a better business relatioinship with your Japanese business partners

Understanding complaint handling in Japan:

There is a huge gap in understanding of a complaint as well as complaint handling between Japanese and non-Japanese companies. What Japanese define as a complaint, might not necessarily be the same as what we consider a complaint. Its more the rule rather than the exception that our opinion differs enourmously.

To understand this, you need to understand the Japanese business culture and company hierarchy.

Claims are not the end of the business but the beginning of a much stronger business relationship with your Japanese business partner.

Difference between b2b and b2c

First of all, it is very important to distinguish between b2b and b2c what complaints conserns. For b2b complaints, the Japanese companies are insterested as much as you, to solve the problem as soon as possible with fewest possible expenses for both parties. However, if consumers are involved, it might not be that easy. Understanding the Japanese business culture and company hierarchy

Recent incident:

Recently, there have been two very famous incidents in Japan, leading to huge loss for the involved companies. The most known must be the case with one of Japans largest fastfood restaurant chains. A consumer allegedly found a piece of foreign material inside the food. One found a piece of vinyl. This was put on social media and within no time, the "news" spread and the chain restaurant lost huge volume of sales in no time. These incidents involving end-users have caused the Japanese businesses to be extremely nervous and careful with all issues related to for instance food safety. Famous claims in Japan

Another incident:

 
Another famous incident was when an indusgtrial waste disposal company chose to resell cutlets from a curry restaurant chain which was supposed to be destroyed. The cutlets were sold to supermarket chains and thus ended up on the table of ordinary end-users. These kinds of incidents sets fire on everything ending up costing the involved companies a fortune and may even threaten the very existense of the companies. These incidents have thus caused companies within the food industry, to be extremely causious. another incident in Japan involving foreign material in food and food safety

The end-user is God in Japan:

The end-users are God in Japan if not even higher ranking than God himself. That is at least the impression you get, when dealing with complaints from a Japanese company. Japanese companies do anything for a customer. They do not think of the consequences as Europeans do. We prefer to see it in a larger perspective considering pros and cons. We calculate. We evaluate. We reach a conclusion based on logic.

J
apanese on the other hand, they simply act. Reason? Its simply a Japanese business cultural feature. They have rules they have to obey. This is just how it is. Japanese tend to think it is the end of the company if they do not take complaints from the customers very very seriously no matter the scale of the complaint. Thats how they are tought, thats what they believe. You cannot argue, you cannot reason with Japanese business people.

The huge gap of understanding a claim between Japanese and non-Japanese companies

Whats the problem with b2b then:

As mentioned, for Japanese companies the customers are God. It is also true for business within b2b. Thus a complaint from a Japanese dealer is considered as much a problem as was it comming from an end user. The problem with b2b business in Japan 

Forget reasoning:

By definition, you cannot reason with Japanese business people. A person in charge, cannot reason against his boss. He needs to follow instructions given and not try to argue his case towards a superior. He must do what he is told, nomatter what he think is right or wrong. The company cannot argue toward their customers (lets say a chain restaurant) as well as the chain restaurant cannot argue towards the end user who might have found a foreign material in the food.

When the complaint ends up at your desk, there has been a long chain of non-negotiable demands from customers and companies. What is needed is basically a full collaboration. Of course pros and cons should be considered before taking any actions, but if it does not cost you a considerable amount, you should seriously consider to go full inn and comply with whatever the Japanese demands. If you cannot do this, be prepared to loose your Japan business and even getting sued for a considerably amount. And forget about finding other partners in Japan. Rumors spread extremely fast in Japan.
You cannot reason with Japanese business people

Turn it around and make it "an opportunity":

What you need to do, is to turn a deverstating complaint into an opportunity for you. Showing that you take any complaints seriously, and showing a strong will to solve it, will make Japanese company trust you much more than before the complaint arose in the first place. You will win the Japanese hearts. They know you have been reasoning and thinking about pros and cons. They can see it themselves, but what they see even clearer, is your understanding of their position, your understanding of what to do, when to act etc. This make you your Japanese business partners preferred business partner. This is what will make your business strong in Japan. This is how to build a long-term business relationship based on mutual trust. We can help you achieve this. Turning a deverstating complaint into an opportunity for your company on the Japanese market

Our services:

Let us know if we can assist you on your business Japan complaints. We can help you avoiding complaints before they arise, we can assist you with ongoing complaints. We will establish a stronger relationship with your company towards your Japanese business partners.

Please write to us, and ask for a quoatation. Let us step by step solve any complaints you might have received from your Japanese business partners.
Claim handling on the Japanese market