National chamber program helps SMEs in the areas of consumer protection and customer complaint management
OVK-TÁR, the National Entrepreneurial Working Group Network and Chamber Workshop Program, has been launched, aiming to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises’ compliance with consumer protection legislation and customer complaint handling practices with practice-oriented, quickly applicable solutions.
OVK-TÁR, which will visit eight locations across the country, is based on a so-called service design-based development logic that focuses on both the user experience and business goals. The program does not offer prefabricated solutions, but rather draws on entrepreneur interviews, problem mapping, chamber feedback and testing to develop practical suggestions. In this way, the developments truly start from the everyday operational difficulties of enterprises and provide targeted, usable answers to them. The cooperation under the professional leadership of the Budapest Arbitration Board and the project management coordination of the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry ensures that the developments are not only relevant at the national level, but also that local entrepreneurial needs are integrated into the work.
The initiative, funded by the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKIK) as part of the Enterprise Development Program (VFP), places particular emphasis on strict adherence to deadlines, proper documentation, uniform customer communication, and relevant elements of information leaflets and general terms and conditions (GTC).
The project is built on four main pillars: national entrepreneurial working group meetings, national workshops, consumer protection legal advice, and the creation of useful knowledge materials. The workshops are organized by invitation, and only SMEs relevant to the region and sector can participate, which have experience in consumer protection and complaint management. Legal advice is available at several regional chambers, for example in Budapest from May 7, 2026, by prior appointment at the e-mail address ovktar@bkik.hu. As a result of the program, knowledge materials such as complaint handling flowcharts, consumer protection tips for customer service employees, and good practice packages developed with service design methodology will be created, which will remain in the knowledge base for widespread use even after the project is closed.
The program is implemented with the active participation of eight regional chambers, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Csongrád-Csanád County, Fejér County, Győr-Moson-Sopron County, Hajdú-Bihar County, Pest County, Heves County and Pécs-Baranya Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
– Consumer protection compliance and complaint handling are no longer just a legal issue, but also an important operational and reputational factor for businesses. The OVK-TÁR provides a systemic answer that can be directly utilized in the everyday lives of SMEs. The conciliation bodies operating as organizational units of regional chambers are not only dispute resolution institutions, but also professional partners that actively support the everyday operations of businesses and develop practical solutions – emphasized Dr. Éva Inzelt, President of the Budapest Conciliation Board.
Source: trademagazin.hu
