ComplaintCoreCompare
Complaint management for food manufacturers: spreadsheet, quality suite or ComplaintCore?
Most UK food sites manage customer complaints in one of three ways: a spreadsheet, the complaints module of a larger food safety or quality management system, or a dedicated complaints tool. Each suits a different site. This page sets out the differences honestly so you can choose.
Written by Anthony Oakes, Lead Assessor. Last updated .
Side by side
| Spreadsheet | Quality management suite | ComplaintCore | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | An Excel or Google Sheets log you build yourself | A large system covering documents, audits, HACCP, suppliers and more, with complaints as one module | A system that does customer complaints only, in depth |
| Typical cost | No licence cost; the cost is staff time | Usually priced on quote, often with setup and per-user fees | £60 per organisation per month or £600 a year, unlimited users, no setup fee |
| Time to get going | Immediate, but you design everything | Typically weeks to months, often with an implementation project | Same day, with an on-screen setup guide |
| Root cause and CAPA record | Only if you build the columns and people fill them in | Usually yes, often shared with other non-conformance types | Yes: sample findings, root cause, corrective and preventive action, owner, due date, effectiveness check |
| Complaints per million units (CPMU) | Possible with formulas and manual volume updates | Varies; often needs custom reporting | Built in, by customer, product group and category, against your own targets |
| Trend and batch alerts | Manual pivot tables | Varies by product | Year-to-date against last year, and alerts when one batch draws repeat complaints |
| AI analysis | No | Varies by product; check with the supplier | Finds patterns across your complaints and drafts the complaints section of your management review, from aggregated figures only |
| Consumer and retailer letters | Word templates kept separately | Varies | Drafted from the complaint record, checked and edited before sending |
| Audit trail and access control | Weak: anyone can overwrite a cell | Usually strong | Named accounts, roles, two-factor sign-in and a security log |
| Beyond complaints | Whatever you build | Yes: this is their strength | No. It does complaints only |
"Quality management suite" describes a category of products, not any one supplier. Features vary between suppliers, so check the specific product you are considering.
Which should you choose?
Stay with a spreadsheet if…
you receive only a handful of complaints a year, supply no retailers that ask for CPMU, and your auditor is satisfied with how you trend and close them out.
Choose a quality management suite if…
you want one system for documents, audits, HACCP, suppliers and complaints together, have the budget and time for an implementation, and complaints are one need among many.
Choose ComplaintCore if…
complaints are where you feel the pain: retailers judging you on CPMU, management reviews that take days to prepare, repeat complaints you only spot late. You want something working this week at a published price.
Already have a suite?
You can run ComplaintCore alongside your existing system if you need more depth on complaint trending and CPMU than a general module gives. It has no integration with other systems; volumes come in by CSV.
Other software food manufacturers use for complaints
These products are often considered alongside ComplaintCore. The descriptions summarise what each supplier says publicly about itself as of October 2026; features and prices change, so check with the supplier.
Ideagen Safefood 360°
A food safety and supplier management platform covering HACCP, audits, supplier approval and complaints among many modules. Priced on quote. Suits larger sites wanting one system for everything. safefood360.com
Primority 3iVerify
A UK food safety and quality platform covering HACCP, supplier and material approval, document control, corrective actions and customer and supplier complaints, with AI used for supplier and supply-chain risk monitoring. primority.com
SoftSpec
UK specification management software for food manufacturers that also handles supplier approval, non-conformances and complaint management with trend reporting. softspec.co.uk
Techni-K
A UK food compliance provider offering systems and software for audits, non-conformance actions, continuous improvement and complaint management, with published monthly plans for its audit software. techni-k.co.uk
Enterprise quality systems
Products such as TrackWise Digital handle complaints within a full quality management system for large, multi-site manufacturers, usually with a formal implementation project.
Where ComplaintCore differs
It does customer complaints only: CPMU against target by customer, product and category, batch alerts, AI that reads your complaint figures and drafts your management review, and ready-written letters, for £60 per organisation per month with no setup.
Product names are trademarks of their owners. ComplaintCore is not affiliated with any of these suppliers. Spotted something out of date? Email [email protected] and we will correct it.
Questions
Is a spreadsheet good enough for BRCGS complaint handling?
It can be. BRCGS Food Safety requires complaints to be recorded, investigated, trended and acted on; it does not require software. Spreadsheets tend to fall short on trend analysis, CPMU against volume, and showing that corrective actions were effective, which is where auditors often probe.
What is the difference between complaint management software and a QMS?
A quality management system (QMS) covers many processes, such as document control, audits, non-conformances and suppliers, and complaints are one module. Complaint management software focuses on complaints alone, so it usually goes deeper on investigation, trending and customer reporting, but does nothing else.
Can I move my complaint history from a spreadsheet?
Your products, customers and sales volumes import by CSV. Email [email protected] about bringing in past complaints.