Voice of the customer

This chapter builds on the Chapter 10 case study company. Acme, as an example where QFD can aid the design of supply chain processes. For 

QFD should rest on the realization that supply chains are often shifting, and changes are needed. For Acme, the fast-moving shift from direct purchases by aircraft manufacturer customers to distribution is evidence. 

In brief, Acme fell into the trap of relying on a one-size-fits-all supply chain. How might Acme and other companies like it use QFD to reshape their supply chains Here are the roles for QFD  

QFD application requires uncovering the following on the path to developing and implementing a supply chain strategy  

Respondent Profile Supplier Strategy section person responding Transaction section person responding 

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Quality Function Deployment. Sometimes referred to as the House of Quahty, quahty function deployment (QFD) is a technique for translating the voice of the customer iato design requirements (19). This is a systematic approach identifyiag customer expectations and relating the expectations to product properties. The usage of QFD ia the chemical iadustry appears to be growing. QFD results ia chemical specifications optimized to assure the material is suitable for its iatended use and performs up to customer expectations. 

At the enterprise level, the executive management responds to the voice of ownership and is primarily concerned with profit, return on capital employed, market share, etc. At the business level, the managers are concerned with products and services and hence respond to the voice of the customer. At the operational level, the middle managers, supervisors, operators, etc. focus on processes that produce products and services and hence respond to the voice of the processes carried out within their own function. 

It is also useful to assure that internal (company specific) practices are adhered to in method development by making these considerations part of the MDRD. Based on the voice of the customer surveys, several technical and practical method attributes have been identified within our organization. 

The approaches and strategies presented in this chapter are intended to overcome these issues for CE methods. Recendy a more advanced approach toward chromatographic method development was introduced in pharmaceutical product development that also is beneficial for CE methods. In the advanced approach (i) the voice of the customer is captured, (ii) key process input variables are identified, (iii) critical to quality (CTQ) factors are determined, (iv) several method verification tests are installed, (v) proactive evaluation of method performance during development is performed, (vi) continuous customer involvement and focus is institutionalized, and (vii) method capability assessment (suitability to be applied for release testing against specification limits) is established. 

In closing, Beckman explained what he thinks is needed to teach a chemical product design course The course should be team taught and available to multiple disciplines, should use sustainability as a constraint, should use validation tools, and should consider the voice of the customer as well as adequate product performance and price. 

T4 Strong Voice of the Customer (VOC) input available throughout development process T5 Technical skills required available... 

Defining customer expectations as either performance or perception allows us to avoid confusion around the voice of the customer and the many labels often applied to it—customer needs, wants, requirements, standards, critical-to-quality (CTQ), critical-to-satisfaction (CTS), delighters, and so on. 

Different tools are required for each item. Items 1 and 2 require the customer s input (voice of the customer). The tools include data-gathering tools, like focus groups and surveys, and statistical analysis tools, like conjoint and regression analysis. Measurements may have to be developed requiring the use of gage studies. 

Learn to listen to the consumer outside-in. Build systems to use the voice of the customer outside-in. 

Stage 2 - Build the business case The detailed homework and upfront investigation work. This second homework stage includes actions, such as a detailed market analysis, user needs and wants studies to build voice of the customer, competitive benchmarking, concept testing, detailed technical assessment, source of supply assessment, and a detailed financial and business analysis. The result is a business case - a defined product, a business justification, and a detailed plan of action for the next stages. 

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a technique to translate requirements — defined by customers — into specifications for a product or service. The tool is promoted as part of total quality and Six Sigma improvement efforts. QFD captures the voice of the customer and has application for supply chain processes, including physical flow, needed flexibility, extended product features, and new product introduction. QFD forces supply chain designers to consider customer needs important in design. This lowers the risk of leaving something out. 

Articulate the voice of the customer, including priorities for new or reengineered processes. 

As shown in Table 11.2, this concept allows the respondent to define what they value most in suppliers. The ideal supplier is the supplier best at the performance factors the respondent would like all suppliers to have. Obviously, all suppliers are not ideal. It is also possible that no one supplier reaches the ideal supplier s level of performance, so the ideal is in fact a composite. By understanding customer priorities for each performance factor. Acme will have the information needed to fill the what portion of the QFD matrix - the voice of the customer, that is, the QFD input. 

Figure 11.1 shows how QFD displays the results of the survey. It integrates the inputs gathered from the questionnaires. Note that Figure 11.1 is a simplified version omitting the Correlation Matrix, the rooP of the house of quality, shown in Figure 6.3. The left column, the inputs to the matrix, come from the survey. In the figure, these include 14 performance attributes in their order of importance to customers and representing the voice of the customer.

Voice of the customer A component of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) that provides customers requirements as the basis for design of a product or process. 

The terms E, and Xj are termed the critical parameters, and the Kjj are termed the critical specifications that are required to meet the functional requirements of the particular component under consideration. The term critical is of course an indication that the specification in question is one of the significant few specifications that will be tracked all the way from the voice of the customer down to the factory floor. In a complete PEM fuel cell system, there can be hundreds of specifications that will need to be tracked during the development of the system. Of these, perhaps a few dozen will remain critical even after the product has launched and is in production. 

The design of the fuel cell system really begins with the Voice of the Customer (VOC). For fuel cell systems, there can be many potential customers the end user, the OEM, or an intermediate service provider. In any case, by the voice of the customer is meant that quality expectation taken directly from the customer, properly evaluated, and deployed within the product development process. One such technique for doing this is the well-known Quality Function Deployment (QFD) process which, if properly used, enables the VOC to be deployed all the way to the factory floor. Without knowing and agreeing on the key customer requirements upfront, the fuel cell system design process cannot be successfully completed. 

A variation in the perception exists about how the correct safety management system is developed or implemented. Each organization has different structures that need a variety of approaches. In Six Sigma, the Voice of the Customer or, as a variation, the Voice of the Process , must be listened to before any safety management system is introduced. 

Outside research or design team assumptions form the "voice" of the customer. These are the areas in which the supply chain must excel. Examples might include requirements for lead time, technical support, packaging, and pricing. These requirements become the "what" of the house. That is, the characteristics that the supply chain must consider in order to satisfy the customer. Examples are speed, variety, and product assistance. 

Stocker, Gregg D., Quality Functional Deployment Listening to the Voice of the Customer, APICS 34th International Conference Proceedings, APICS, October 1991, pp. 258-262. 

In response to these challenges, companies like GE, Honeywell and Ford Motor Company have developed voice of the customer (VoC) processes (for example, Delgado-Hernandez et ah, 2007). These aim to go beyond customer satisfaction measurement by crafting a more comprehensive exchange with selected customers. Typical features of this exchange include ... 

The key distinctions between voice of the customer processes and customer satisfaction measurement are ... 

It captures multiple inputs from the customer, not just a single respondent. This is important because there are many voices of the customer, i.e. it matters who is talking. 

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