Voice of the Customer

ISR Danbury, CT

2 2009 Goodrich Corporation Internal Voice of the Customer - ISR v1

Objectives

At the end of this discussion, you should be able to:

Use VoC to identify true Customer intent

Identify conflicts between written and unwritten requirements and processes

And be able to introduce this concept to your employees

What is a customer?

A customer, also called client, buyer, or purchaser, is usually used to refer to a current or potential buyer or user of your products.

How do you currently identify Customer Requirements?

Exercise 1:

VoC Illustration

What is Voice of the Customer?

Voice of the Customer (VoC) is the name used to describe a process of communication where there is give and take to ensure that requirements and expectations are clearly defined, documented, and understood by all parties involved.

Step 1:

Pre-Work

Step 2:

VoC Question and Answer Session

Step 3:

Output

Conduct Document ReviewPrepare Probing Questions

Establish Initial Non-Leading Question

Customer’s true intent is

establishedSend pre-determined

questions to customer before VoC Session

VoC Sessions (1 day)

Capture the Customer’s Voice with Questions:

Non Leading

Clarifying Probing

Traditional VoC Process Flow 1-2 days 3rd day

Step 1:

Pre-WorkStep 3:

Output

Review documents provided by customer i.e. Purchase Orders, Drawings, Emails,

RFQ, RFP, Statement of Work, Emails, Tech Specifications, etc

Generate questions to ask Customer during VoC

question & answer session.(Send to customer in advance)

Ask customer predetermined questions resulting from pre-work.

Listen actively and capture customer

response.

Confirm response with Customer

Customer agrees to captured response

Establish the Customer’s Intent

Everyday VoC Process Flow

Step 2:

VoC Question and Answer Session

1day event

Doing your Pre-Work

Before you approach your customer do your homework to ensure you are asking the right questions.

Prepping may include reviewing documents such as:

Statement of work (SOW) Drawing Purchase Orders Request for Quotes Request for Pricing Request for Information Technical specifications Contractual requirements / ITARS Memos, e-mails Any communication provided by your customer

Send the questions to your customer prior to your scheduled meeting to ensure that they are prepared to answers all your questions adequately.

Question and answer session with your customer

Customer Responds

Actively listen and capture customer response

Ask question

Verify response with customer

Document for your use! And repeat for each question

Recommendation: Set the tone of the meeting with a positive greeting to engage customer in VoC.

Does Customer agree with captured response

Supplier Customer

Make sure the customer’s intent is clearly understood

YesNo

10 2009 Goodrich Corporation Internal Voice of the Customer - ISR v1

What Can Voice of the Customer Do?

Understanding the customer’s needs helps you work with customers resulting in the following:

Improved Quality Reduce errors Reduce/ Eliminate ambiguity Eliminate the unknown Improve data integrity

Improved Delivery Identify true delivery dates/lead times Shorten total turn around time

Improved Communication Increase your knowledge base Build teamwork, respect, and cooperation Help set priorities and organize tasks in order of importance

11 2009 Goodrich Corporation Internal Voice of the Customer - ISR v1

When is the Process Complete?

Supplier When you are satisfied that all issues or gray areas are

completely removed and you have the confirmation from your customer that what you are providing them is what they intended.

Customer For ISR Danbury, it’s when we are confident that our suppliers

have a true understanding of our intent/need and all areas of concern are resolved.

VoC Questions

Examples of questions to ask your Customer During Voice of the CustomerAre there additional contractual clauses applicable to the delivery of product or service? Are there any known issues?Are there any TBDs that must be defined before we carry out our actions?Has the external customer agreed to all requirements or are there still requirements not completely determined? If so, when will these be resolved?Can you provide more information on product?Is this quote for an imminent buy or a proposal?What are the critical characteristics of the design?What parts are critical for quote?What requirements are critical? What are the deliverables of this project?What are the key milestones of this project and how do you want it reported upon completion?What are the time constraints and/or deadlines?Who is the point of contact for this project?Other? Please feel free to come up with additional questions to best fit your need.