by Nigel Martin
5. July 2011 08:42
Collecting feedback is only the first step in the journey to improving the customer experience. The act of gathering feedback from customers in itself raises the expectation that action will be taken. Many of the top companies are realising that there is a need to close the loop by getting back to customers to ensure any issues are resolved.
By consistently closing the loop on customer issues, a database of solutions to issues is built up. Analysis of this database will identify recurring issues. With this knowledge, efforts can be focused to allow similar issues and their cause to be resolved by a single improvement action.
Closing the loop is the first step to learning from customer feedback. By implementing improvements, past sins can be avoided and as customers start to see action being driven from their feedback, loyalty grows.
by Keith Schorah
3. June 2011 10:52
Manufacturing will be key to the wider recovery and stability within Europe following the global financial crisis, European manufacturing generates GDP of 2 Trillion Euros per year. Price competition and outsourcing to foreign markets have hit the sector hard with redundancy from the manufacturing sector accounting for over half the jobs lost throughout Europe.
Increases in raw material and energy costs are outpacing reasonable price rises which can be passed onto customers, putting pressure on margins. In recent year’s lean manufacturing and quality programs such as Six Sigma have improved efficiency with labour productivity increased by 46% over the last decade. However manufacturers can only go so far with efficiencies, a low cost strategy is loaded with risk as there can only be one cost leader. Empirical evidence has shown that markets led by cost have a high churn rate. Manufacturers now have to add value.
Manufacturers can use customer insight to focus operations on core customers and ensure business is delivered to add value efficiently. Listening to the Voice of the Customer will allow manufacturers to identify their customer’s priorities and the areas where they can add the most value. Customer Insight will allow manufacturers to differentiate not only on price but on customer experience.
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