your guide to a safe, effective, compliant product recall · your guide to a safe, effective,...

Your guide to a safe, effective, compliant product recall

Recall Management:Survival of the Fittest

2Recall Management: Survival of the Fittest

Background

Surviving a night stranded in the wild is hard; surviving a recall may be harder. Just as many outdoor enthusiasts do not know necessary survival skills, many businesses lack the proper understanding of recall protocol and strategy.

Too often, brands are caught off guard by adverse events and are forced to hastily take corrective ac-tion, opening the door for greater hazards than a lackluster bottom line.

Most would prefer to avoid them entirely, but crises still happen. Preparation is vital, and it is never too late or too soon to gain knowledge and expertise. Listed below are five top tips every brand can implement to ensure they not only survive a recall, but come out on top of an unfortunate situation.

Top 5 Tips to Survive a Recall

1. Understand the Environment

2. Identify Strengths & Weaknesses

3. Build a Backup Plan

4. Train for the Terrain

5. Learn the Warning Signs


Background











Background











Background










Surviving a night stranded in the Canadian wilderness is hard; surviving a recall may be harder. Just as many outdoor enthusiasts do not know necessary survival skills, many Canadian companies lack the proper understanding of recall protocol and strategy.Too often brands are caught off guard by adverse events and are forced to hastily take corrective action, opening the door for greater hazards than a lacklustre bottom line.

Most would prefer to avoid them entirely, but crises still happen. Preparation is vital, and it is never too late or too soon to gain knowledge and expertise. Listed below are five top tips every brand can implement to ensure that they not only survive a recall but come out on top of an unfortunate situation.


Recall Survival Tips

Much like campers would check the weather forecast or determine the best hiking trails before leaving on a weekend trip, companies should be aware of the factors that influence their products. From industry standards to regulatory oversight, nearly every prod-uct is subject to a range of established rules. Failure to identify and abide by these expectations can lead to a recall scenario, irreparable brand damage, and significant revenue loss.

Furthermore, comprehensively understanding each stage of a product’s lifecycle, consumer habits, and overall purpose is imperative to maintaining compliant business practices and best protecting consumers. Fully understanding these qualities will help stakeholders react should a worst case scenario strike, and poten-tially avoid one in the first place.


Much like campers would check the weather forecast or determine the best hiking trails before leaving on a weekend trip, companies should be aware of the factors that influence their products. From industry standards to federal and provincial regulatory oversight, nearly every product is subject to a range of established rules. Failure to identify and abide by these expectations can lead to a recall scenario, irreparable brand damage and significant revenue loss.

Furthermore, comprehensively understanding a product’s overall purpose, each stage of its lifecycle and consumer habits are imperative to maintaining compliant business practices and protecting consumers. Fully understanding these qualities will help stakeholders potentially avoid a recall in the first place—and react should a worst-case scenario strike.



Not every outdoor enthusiast is a skilled rock climber; some only excel at kayaking or fishing. The same is true of businesses. Capabilities differ widely from one company to the next. While evaluating a product’s recall environment, companies must also turn their attention inward and realistically assess their capacity.

Recalls test each area of operations. Call centers can be unexpectedly overwhelmed with concerned

callers, distribution centers can bloat with returned products, and key team members can be put under more pressure than ever to maintain regular business operations – all while also managing a recall.

Proactively determining where strengths and weak-nesses lie before a crisis ever occurs will help business leaders plan to circumvent potential fallout.


Not every outdoor enthusiast is a skilled rock climber; some only excel at kayaking or fishing. The same is true of businesses. Capabilities differ widely from one company to the next. While evaluating a product’s recall environment, companies must also turn their attention inward and realistically assess their capacity.

Recalls test each area of operations. Call centres can be unexpectedly overwhelmed with concerned

callers, distribution centres can bloat with returned products, and key team members can be put under more pressure than ever to maintain regular business operations—all while also managing a recall.

Proactively determining where strengths and weaknesses lie before a crisis occurs will help business leaders plan to circumvent potential problems.



Timing is everything. Hikers who take on too much of a long distance trail at one time face injury and exhaustion, so they must pace themselves in order to accomplish their end goal. The same is true of recalls. When recalls are handled internally, a great deal of attention must be dedicated to managing the various processes, leaving little time for key stakeholders to work toward recovery. And many would agree: it’s impossible to do it all.

In the case of a recall, outside assistance is often necessary. An acute understanding of capabilities will help companies identify where additional support is required. Not only does utilizing a third-party for contact center or product retrieval services alleviate some of the stress of a recall, it helps ensure regula-tory reporting compliance.




Timing is everything. Hikers who take on too much of a long distance trail at one time face injury and exhaustion, so they must pace themselves in order to accomplish their end goal. The same is true of recalls. When recalls are handled internally, a great deal of attention must be dedicated to managing the various processes, leaving little time for key stakeholders to work toward recovery. And many would agree: it’s impossible to do it all.

In the case of a recall, outside assistance is often necessary. An acute understanding of capabilities will help companies identify where additional support is required. Not only does utilizing a third-party for contact center or product retrieval services alleviate some of the stress of a recall, it helps ensure regula-tory reporting compliance.


Timing is everything. Hikers who take on too much of a long-distance trail at one time face injury and exhaustion, so they must pace themselves to accomplish their end goal. The same is true of recalls. When recalls are handled internally, a great deal of attention must be dedicated to managing the various processes, leaving little time for key stakeholders to work toward recovery. And many would agree: it’s impossible to do it all.

In the case of a recall, outside assistance is often necessary. An acute understanding of internal capabilities will help companies identify where additional support is required. Not only does using a third party as a bilingual contact centre or for product retrieval services alleviate some of the stress of a recall, it also helps ensure regulatory reporting compliance.



Just like a family would practice setting up their tent prior to a night out in the wild, companies must pre-pare to not only weather a recall, but to execute it suc-cessfully. A product’s recall plan should be developed before it ever reaches the market, and should detail the regulations and processes involved. Not only will having a plan in place relieve needless stress should a recall occur, it best ensures compliant practices and avoidance of unnecessary missteps.

Once developed, companies should routinely test their plan. Ensure everyone who would participate in an actual recall is included in the mock scenario. Because internal structure and external partnerships shift and evolve over time, this testing should take place every 12 to 18 months. Throughout the testing process, gaps and potential pitfalls in its procedures should quickly become apparent, giving all those involved time to address recall problem areas and make adjustments before a crisis occurs.


Just like a family would practice setting up their tent prior to a night out in the wild, companies must prepare to not only weather a recall but to execute it successfully. A product’s recall plan should be developed before it ever reaches the market and should detail the regulations and processes involved. Not only will having a plan in place relieve needless stress should a recall occur, it fully ensures compliant practices and avoidance of unnecessary missteps.

Once the plan is developed, companies should routinely test it. Ensure everyone who would participate in an actual recall is included in the mock scenario. Because internal structure and external partnerships shift and evolve over time, this testing should take place every 12 to 18 months. Throughout the testing process, gaps and potential pitfalls in its procedures should quickly become apparent, giving all those involved the time to address recall problem areas and make adjustments before a crisis occurs.



Just like a family would practice setting up their tent prior to a night out in the wild, companies must pre-pare to not only weather a recall, but to execute it suc-cessfully. A product’s recall plan should be developed before it ever reaches the market, and should detail the regulations and processes involved. Not only will having a plan in place relieve needless stress should a recall occur, it best ensures compliant practices and avoidance of unnecessary missteps.

Once developed, companies should routinely test their plan. Ensure everyone who would participate in an actual recall is included in the mock scenario. Because internal structure and external partnerships shift and evolve over time, this testing should take place every 12 to 18 months. Throughout the testing process, gaps and potential pitfalls in its procedures should quickly become apparent, giving all those involved time to address recall problem areas and make adjustments before a crisis occurs.




Many adventurers and recall experts would agree, survival often comes down to avoiding danger in the first place. Companies that take every step to defend themselves from potentially hazardous situations are those best poised to mitigate product risks, protect the public, and safeguard their bottom line. It also preserves brand value and potentially increases busi-ness as other companies experience recalls.

Though it’s impossible to entirely negate the risk of recall, companies that practice strict compliance with regulatory guidance can best reduce the chance of experiencing a crisis. From a company’s CEO to staff members, constant adherence to established rules and standards lessens the risk of something going wrong in the first place.


Many adventurers and recall experts would agree: survival often comes down to avoiding danger in the first place. Companies that take every step to defend themselves from potentially hazardous situations are those best poised to mitigate product risks, protect the public and safeguard their bottom line. It also preserves brand value and potentially increases business as other companies experience recalls.

Though it’s impossible to entirely negate the risk of recall, companies that practice strict compliance with regulatory guidance are in the best position to reduce the chance of a recall crisis. From a company’s CEO to each staff member, constant adherence to established rules and standards lessens the risk of something going wrong in the first place.



Many adventurers and recall experts would agree, survival often comes down to avoiding danger in the first place. Companies that take every step to defend themselves from potentially hazardous situations are those best poised to mitigate product risks, protect the public, and safeguard their bottom line. It also preserves brand value and potentially increases busi-ness as other companies experience recalls.

Though it’s impossible to entirely negate the risk of recall, companies that practice strict compliance with regulatory guidance can best reduce the chance of experiencing a crisis. From a company’s CEO to staff members, constant adherence to established rules and standards lessens the risk of something going wrong in the first place.


Prepare for the inevitability of a recall

Train employees for their recall managment roles

Have a recall plan in place

Consult a recall expert

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

Mapping Out a Strategy

Copyright © 2016 Stericycle. All rights reserved.

stericycleexpertsolutions.com • 1.888.732.3901 • [email protected]

No matter the size of a company or the popularity of its products, recalls are a very real, very commonplace risk.

It is for this reason every business should have a strategy in place that lays out the action plan should a crisis occur. In addition, every business must ensure its employees are well-versed in this recall protocol and fully comprehend the role they play in mitigating the potential for disaster.

Despite best efforts, however, mistakes do hap-pen. And odds are a recall will eventually occur. When it strikes, the preparation and training executed now will help alleviate the need for hurried, stress-influenced decision making and needless errors – paving the way for not only recall survival, but recall success.


































No matter the size of a company or the popularity of its products, recalls are a very real, very commonplace risk.Because a recall can happen at any time, every business should have a strategy in place that lays out the action plan should a crisis occur. In addition, every business must ensure its employees are well versed in this recall protocol and fully comprehend the role they play in mitigating the potential for disaster.

Despite best efforts, however, mistakes do happen. And the odds are that a recall will eventually occur. When it strikes, the preparation and training executed now will help alleviate the need for hurried, stress-influenced decision-making and needless errors—paving the way for not only recall survival but recall success.

To learn how Stericycle can help you prepare for and weather a recall event, visit stericycle.ca/recallsurvival.

stericycle.ca/recallsurvival • 1.877.474.3778 • [email protected]


your guide to a safe, effective, compliant product recall · your guide to a safe, effective,...

Documents