The purpose of Six Sigma methodology is to improve the quality or value of a product or service. Using the voice of the customer (VOC) as the foundation of a quality improvement project is essential to Six Sigma because the customer is the one who defines the quality and value of a product or service. Successful quality improvement projects achieve cost savings and improved customer relations through an understanding of customer needs, wants and requirements.
A Six Sigma project team that starts out by what a customer expects that they are not currently providing, is on its way to fully understanding the opportunities for improvement. A quality team that asks customers that question directly, and centers Six Sigma projects on the customer’s response, will not only change the process but will increase the quality and value that the process provides to its customers.
VOC data can provide valuable feedback in the following areas:
Strategic Business Decisions
When interpreted correctly, VOC data can help organizations understand their current place in the market. VOC data can shed light on:
- Market opportunities – Customer needs that the organization is not meeting
- Benchmarking – Identifying best-in-class performance levels
- Product line analysis – What offerings are not needed by customers
- How well a product meets the customer’s needs
- How well a product compares to the competition
Evaluating and Designing Products
VOC data can be used to assess how well the organization’s products or services meet the customer’s Critical-to-Quality (CTQ) requirements. VOC data also provides a wealth of information regarding how new products or services can be designed to meet customer needs.
Organizations that both tune in to the voice of the customer and that base Six Sigma quality improvement projects and new product or service design teams around customer feedback have a significant advantage over those who don’t. Organizations attuned and responsive to their customer’s needs have the inside track in providing products and services that offer value that the customer is willing to pay for.
Process Improvement
Obtaining VOC data is built in to the Six Sigma methodology. From the earliest phases of developing a project charter, VOC information is required to help define end results.
Obtaining the VOC is not something that an organization does just once during the define stage of Six Sigma. Because the customer is the one who defines the value and quality of the products and services that organizations produce, and because the customer requirements are constantly changing, being attuned to the voice of the customer is critical to increasing sales revenue and customer satisfaction.
Six Sigma not only acknowledges the importance of customer awareness, it also strives to infuse this awareness into every aspect of business operations. This makes providing customers with quality and value a fundamental part of the organization.
