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Understanding the customer

HOMEPAGE

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Total Quality Management: Understanding the Customer

Customers are defined as users of the process and are the ones who depend upon the process. The primary customer is the main user of the process or the one who benefits the most from the process.

Improvements should be made based on what your primary customer needs, wants, and expects from the process. However you cannot ignore other (internal) customers.

Key Quality Characteristics (KQCs) are those needs, wants and expectations of the primary custiomers that cannot be ignored when solving problems or improving processes. Sometimes data collection such as groups, interviews and surveys to identify the most improtant KQCs.

Understanding Customer Quality Judgments

Kano and other quality thought leaders in Japan describe customer quality judgments as existing on a continuum from "must have" to "delighted." Health care leaders might think of three levels of quality:

Level I

"Assumed"
"Must have"
"Take it for granted"

Examples:

"I expect the airplane to be able to take off, fly to my destination, and land safely."

"I expect to get the correct blood for my blood transfusion."

• When present, customers are satisfied but may not notice that they are.
• When absent, customers are not satisfied and are often surprised negatively.

Level II

"Requested"
"Satisfied"
"Meets requirements/specifications"

Examples:

"I expected to arrive on time and to have my luggage when I left the airport."

"I went to the hospital expecting to have my hernia repaired, to hurt some after it was done, to be out on the same day, and receive a correct bill."

• When present, customers are satisfied. When more of what was requested is present, customers are more satisfied.
• When less is present, customers are less satisfied.

Level III

"Delighted"
"Excited"
"So good it attracts me to it"

Example:

"They gave all the passengers traveling coach class the same superior food service that other airlines provide only for first class passengers. And on one flight, the flight attendants actually baked cookies for us right there on the plane."

"I was surprised at how friendly and kind everyone was while helping me deal with my anger. They even remembered my birthday!"

• When present, customers are very pleased and sometimes surprised at the good quality. The customers may even become loyal to you because the product or service is so good.
• When absent, customers may not even notice.

Table of contents

Understanding the customer

HOMEPAGE

back to How to do TQM

go on to: Customer Surveys