The voice of a customer involves the expectations, needs, and demands of the client. The voice of the customers can be used in the identification of the current and latent needs. Customers are the main drivers of the company’s profits. An organization must fulfill the needs and expectations of the customers to earn profits for its sustainability. Companies improve their products after determining the customers’ specifications. The customers’ specifications are considered when processing the products through the six-sigma process. By incorporating the customers’ preferences in the process, the quality of the product is improved. Amazon Corporation has been using the voice of the customer to develop their products. As a result, Amazon Corporation has achieved rankings of best customer satisfaction over the past few years. Apple Company considers the voice of the customers to improve the products. Steve Jobs communicates to the customers through e-mails to identify the performance gaps and level of satisfaction. Also, Apple Company recognizes the needs of the consumers and improves the product quality. The voice of the customer is essential in the lean six sigma process because the company satisfies the requirements of the target.
Measure Phase
To identify the needs of the customers, a company must establish communication networks. Communication networks are essential in gathering customer information. The company can use surveys to determine customer needs. Studies can contain questions related to product quality and satisfaction. The respondents of the surveys can include potential and existing clients ("Six Sigma DMAIC Process - Define Phase - Capturing Voice of Customer (VOC) - International Six Sigma Institute", 2018). The second source of customer information is the interviews. Interviews involve meeting with possible and available customers. The company will ask the questions and discuss the feedback to understand the customers’ needs ("Six Sigma DMAIC Process - Define Phase - Capturing Voice of Customer (VOC) - International Six Sigma Institute", 2018) . The other source of customer information is focus groups. The organization will create teams where topics on customers’ needs are discussed. The topics will assist the company to identify critical issues related to product quality. The disadvantage of the focus groups is that the organization cannot make generalizations about the topic ("Six Sigma DMAIC Process - Define Phase - Capturing Voice of Customer (VOC) - International Six Sigma Institute", 2018) . Suggestions can be a source of customer information. The company will consider the customers’ feedback which assists in developing the product. Companies get opportunities to improve their products by considering customer suggestions ("Six Sigma DMAIC Process - Define Phase - Capturing Voice of Customer (VOC) - International Six Sigma Institute", 2018) . Consequently, product quality improves through the application of customers’ suggestions. Observations can be used to identify the customers’ needs. The company can make observations on the clients’ reactions and consider the feedback in the product development process ("Six Sigma DMAIC Process - Define Phase - Capturing Voice of Customer (VOC) - International Six Sigma Institute", 2018) . The customer transition matrix can be used to identify the customers’ specifications. The customers provide their feedback in the transition matrix where the company has to improve the products. The purpose of the transition matrix is to translate negative comments to recommendations on product improvement ("Voice of the Customer (VOC) Translation Matrix - Template & Example", 2018) . The tools are useful in gathering customer information to determine the areas of improvement.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Product specifications are the primary driving concerns of the profits. The organization must generate profits to operate effectively. Therefore, a company needs to make sales to increase the profits. The sales can increase by meeting the needs of the customers. The customers’ specification on quality, quantity, cost, timeliness, and efficiency of the product should be considered to increase the profits ("Voice of the Customer: Have You Asked Enough Questions? | iSixSigma", 2018) . The specification on the quality, satisfaction, and efficiency represent the voice of the customer. Customers address their specifications by providing feedback or rating the product. The customers’ needs are validated by identifying their specifications and making improvements on the product.
It is essential to identify the effectiveness of implementing the customers’ suggestions by identifying the operational metrics. An increase in the company’s sales is an illustration that it meets the needs of the customer. The customers will desire to consume more of the company’s products after the needs are fulfilled. The other operational metric is the reduction of after-sales services. Customers return the products to the manufacturers in case they do not meet their needs. Satisfied customers do not apply for after-sales services. The other indication of the fulfillment of customers needs is an increase in positive feedback or ratings. Customers provide positive feedback about a product after the needs are met. The timeliness of product delivery is an indication of the improvement of customers’ needs. Clients demand that the product should be delivered on time. Currently, the voice of customer approach is being used by many corporations to establish customer needs. In the modern business environment, the voice of the customer is essential to the identification of the requirements or specifications of the target market.
Improve Phase
The lean six-sigma process is used after the company identifies the customers’ specifications. The aim of using a lean six-sigma process is to develop the product to meet the needs of the existing clients. The lean six-sigma approach is used in improving the product quality. Thus, the product specifications should be considered before developing the product. However, it is important to assess the quality assurance of the lean six-sigma process. The quality assurance process involves activities that enhance the reliability of the distribution networks. Through enhancing the quality assurance process, the customer receives the desired product quality and quantity. Improving the quality assurance process is essential in enhancing the efficiency of distribution networks (Duggan, 2017). The quality assurance process focuses on ensuring the employees’ efficiency including competency in the skills and experiences to complete the tasks. The company must set quality standards to ensure that they meet the needs of the customers (Duggan, 2017). Further, the company can establish a culture among the employees on producing quality output. The second process that needs to be assessed is quality control. The quality control process focuses on testing the product’s efficiency to make sure that it meets or exceeds the expected standards. The quality control process is essential in identifying the inefficiencies that exist in the product in spite of incorporating the quality assurance procedure (Duggan, 2017). Through the assessment of the quality control, the company might meet the needs of the customers.
Additional Factors
Other factors should be considered besides improving the product quality using the six-sigma process. Firstly, it is essential to define the roles of the employees in the organization to ensure the effective implementation of the six-sigma process. It is necessary to identify the employees’ responsibilities in incorporating the six-sigma framework in the production process. For instance, the manager can be responsible for delegating and overseeing the implementation of the six-sigma process. The subordinate employees can be responsible for conducting the tasks on improving the product. The product development process will be successful after defining the responsibilities of every employee.
Secondly, it is essential to define the goals of using the lean six-sigma process to fulfill the customers’ specifications. The project members cannot work effectively in case the goals are not defined. The goals express the project expectations that should be met after completing the activities. By establishing the goals, the team members align the project activities with the goals. Therefore, the project goals will be achieved after incorporating all the events.
Thirdly, it is essential to make a plan on meeting the customers' needs using the six-sigma process. A plan is critical to the definition of tasks that are related to the project. The plan outlines the timeline of the project and resources. The team members should be aware of the activities that are connected to the project for a more straightforward implementation of the process. The deadlines allow the members to perform the operations on time. The delays in completing the project reduce after establishing the timelines.
In conclusion, the voice of the customer focuses on the needs and demands of the target market. Every company must establish the customers’ needs to design products that enhance their satisfaction. The organization needs to collect customer information using various tools such as survey, observations, focus groups, interviews, and suggestions. After identifying the clients’ needs, the company incorporates the recommendations using the product quality processes. An organization needs to consider other actors such as defining the roles of the team members. It is important to define the project goals and create a plan. Companies should determine the clients’ specifications before improving the product to meet the demands of the potential and existing customers.
References
Six Sigma DMAIC Process - Define Phase - Capturing Voice of Customer (VOC) - International Six Sigma Institute. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.sixsigma-institute.org/Six_Sigma_DMAIC_Process_Define_Phase_Capturing_Voice_Of_Customer_VOC.php
Voice of the Customer: Have You Asked Enough Questions? | iSixSigma. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.isixsigma.com/methodology/voc-customer-focus/voice-customer-have-you-asked-enough-questions/
Voice of the Customer (VOC) Translation Matrix - Template & Example. (2018). Retrieved from https://goleansixsigma.com/voc-translation-matrix/
