ISO 20000 Certification Relationship and Resolution Processes 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under ISO 20000, what is the role of the service provider when a customer relationship is transferred to a new provider?
- The outgoing provider has no obligations once notice is given
- The outgoing provider must support an orderly transition and share relevant information as agreed (Correct answer)
- The customer must manage the transition without provider involvement
- Transition activities are handled exclusively by the new provider
Correct answer: The outgoing provider must support an orderly transition and share relevant information as agreed
ISO 20000 requires the service provider to support an orderly transition, including sharing documentation and knowledge with the incoming provider as agreed.
Question 2: A customer escalates a complaint after being dissatisfied with the initial resolution. According to ISO 20000, what should the complaint management process ensure?
- The escalated complaint is closed automatically after 5 business days
- There is a defined escalation path and the customer is kept informed throughout (Correct answer)
- Escalated complaints bypass the normal process for speed
- Only senior management can handle escalated complaints
Correct answer: There is a defined escalation path and the customer is kept informed throughout
ISO 20000 requires a defined escalation path for unresolved complaints and ongoing communication with the customer throughout the escalation process.
Question 3: In ISO 20000, how often should supplier performance be formally reviewed?
- Only when a supplier fails to meet a target
- At planned intervals as defined in the supplier management process (Correct answer)
- Once per year regardless of contract terms
- Whenever the customer requests a review
Correct answer: At planned intervals as defined in the supplier management process
ISO 20000 requires supplier performance to be reviewed at planned intervals defined within the supplier management process, not just reactively.
Question 4: Which of the following best represents the output of the complaint management process in ISO 20000?
- A list of all open incidents categorized by priority
- Resolved complaints, trend reports, and improvement recommendations (Correct answer)
- Updated SLA targets negotiated with the customer
- A new supplier contract based on complaint patterns
Correct answer: Resolved complaints, trend reports, and improvement recommendations
Outputs of complaint management include resolved complaints, trend analysis, and recommendations that feed into continual improvement activities.
Question 5: What is the primary risk of failing to maintain a formal supplier register in ISO 20000?
- Increased staff training costs
- Loss of visibility into supply chain dependencies, making it difficult to manage risk and performance (Correct answer)
- Inability to negotiate lower prices with suppliers
- Automatic non-conformance with ISO 9001
Correct answer: Loss of visibility into supply chain dependencies, making it difficult to manage risk and performance
Without a formal supplier register, the service provider loses visibility into supply chain dependencies, making risk management and performance oversight difficult.
Question 6: How does ISO 20000 recommend measuring customer satisfaction as part of business relationship management?
- By tracking the number of social media mentions
- Through planned mechanisms such as surveys, interviews, or structured feedback sessions (Correct answer)
- By monitoring service desk call volumes exclusively
- By counting the number of SLAs in place
Correct answer: Through planned mechanisms such as surveys, interviews, or structured feedback sessions
ISO 20000 recommends using planned mechanisms such as surveys, interviews, and feedback sessions to systematically measure and monitor customer satisfaction.
Question 7: A service provider receives a complaint that overlaps with an ongoing incident investigation. Which approach aligns with ISO 20000 best practice?
- Merge the complaint into the incident record and close the complaint
- Manage the complaint and incident through their respective processes while coordinating information sharing (Correct answer)
- Place the complaint on hold until the incident is resolved
- Escalate the incident to problem management and discard the complaint
Correct answer: Manage the complaint and incident through their respective processes while coordinating information sharing
ISO 20000 best practice requires managing complaints and incidents through their respective processes while coordinating to share relevant information between them.
Under ISO 20000, what is the role of the service provider when a customer relationship is transferred to a new provider?