Many organizations are becoming true partners of their customers to maximize the value for both the stakeholders. The company’s definition of quality is closely tied to that of the customer. Be it the actual quality process or parameters to drive performance, all keep the customer in mind.
Quality and customers are so well aligned in successful organizations that the two concepts are intersecting into a customer centric quality culture.
What defines a customer-centric quality culture?
When companies were surveyed as to what customer-centric culture meant, they said-
“At the organization, the belief is that the customer is the only person qualified to specify, what “quality” is.”
“Information on our product quality performance is shared with customers.”
“We communicate back with customers regarding our efforts to address their needs and complaints.”
“Our organization needs to understand product performance through our customers’ eyes.”
The role of quality
From “checking boxes” to empowering employees to make improvements and address customer needs, companies have come a long way. Organizations who use quality as a competitive advantage are more likely to adopt the customer-centric, quality culture.
Integration in strategic planning
To understand what the organization considers important, one needs to look at its strategic plan. When quality goals are integrated in the strategic planning, they have the maximum impact.
Level of Transparency
Transparency of quality measures enables the employees to understand the role that quality plays and how it affects the customers. It also breeds accountability.
Use of quality measures
Companies use measures to drive organization performance, for variable-performance compensation and for business process enhancement. But companies that include quality measures are more likely to agree with the customer-centric, quality cultural statement.
Customers have become an integral part of the business communication and have been more active than ever before thanks to internet. Companies that inculcate customer-centric, quality culture may enjoy customer loyalty and a positive word of mouth.
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