Introduction To Six Sigma

Voice of the Customer

One of the things that distinguishes Six Sigma from other approaches to performance is the insistence that teams consider their mission in relationship to the customer. While that term generally applies to the external customer, the same diligence should apply to internal customers of the team’s output. Measures of output should relate to customer requirements. Hearing the voice of the customer should be a continuing process and not a one time research project. However, that will not be useful unless some effort has been devoted to clearly defining the customer. Teams and businesses fail because they do not know who the paying customer will be.

Once the customer (internal or external) has been defined the team should take a proactive and not a reactive approach. Don’t wait for the wheel to squeak. Set up systems for a regular flow of information into the team about the customer’s point of view. If your mission is such that your output is for internal customers, set up regular two way communication. If your mission is focused on product or services for external customers, then use any of the broad array of options available (e.g., surveys, focus groups, interviews) to test your team output with real check writers.

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