Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Certification Course
Voice of the Customer
 Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Identify the types of customers

Explain the VOC data collection methods and their importance

Explain the VOC table and its analysis

 Scenario

An IT Call Center has the goal to increase its customer satisfaction rating.

It is not likely that leaders would know WHAT to improve without knowing the issues that customers
are experiencing. Therefore, we must gather the customer’s needs or requirements.

Obtaining customer feedback, such as “I want the correct answer to my questions or issues”
and “I don’t want to be transferred around” could lead to a defined requirement of “get needed
information” which is measured by the number of transfers and service times.

Focusing on a metric that has a direct relationship with the customer’s definition of satisfaction will
have a significant impact on the customer satisfaction rating. This can only be accomplished by
obtaining the Voice of the Customer.
Customer Identification and Data
 Importance of Customers

Decides to
purchase

Gets
Customer Pays
affected

Consumes
 Types of Customers

Internal Customers External Customers

 Internal Customers

A person within the business system who is affected by the product or the service while it is
being developed

When the needs of the internal customers, especially the employees’ needs, are met,
! they are more likely to maintain higher standards of quality and improve the productivity
of the product or service.
 Internal Customer: Needs

Necessary tools, training, and

Internal Customer  specific instructions

Provision of company newsletters,

 projects, storyboards, etc.

Awards and Recognitions

 Internal Customer: Importance

Activities affect the next

process in the system

Internal Customer

Activities
directly Affects the
impact the quality of the
final end product
customer
 External Customer: Definition

External customers are not a part of an organization but are impacted by it. They are the source of
revenue for a business system.

External
Customers

Intermediate End users

customers

Types
 Customer Feedback: Importance

Internal Customers
Undertake
Focus on
High level of job additional roles Improved team
High level of motivation delivering their
satisfaction and bonding
responsibilities
responsibilities

External Customers

Requirements Improved
Customer
Solution to problems Better product are effectively customer
satisfaction
met service
Voice Of The Customer (VOC): Perceived Value

Value is the output the customer expects versus the cost to achieve
that expectation.

FUNCTION

VALUE = ----------------

COST
 VOC Data Collection Plan

WHY WHAT WHEN WHERE HOW WHO

 VOC Data Collection Process: Steps

WHY WHAT WHEN WHERE HOW WHO

Purpose of Data
Collection Exercise
 VOC Data Collection Process: Steps

WHY WHAT WHEN WHERE HOW WHO

• VOC Method

• Information Required

• Method of Analysis
 VOC Data Collection Process: Steps

WHY WHAT WHEN WHERE HOW WHO

• Date

• Time

• Frequency
 VOC Data Collection Process: Steps

WHY WHAT WHEN WHERE HOW WHO

• Which customers

• Location
 VOC Data Collection Process: Steps

WHY WHAT WHEN WHERE HOW WHO

• Data Collection
Method
• Description
 VOC Data Collection Process: Steps

WHY WHAT WHEN WHERE HOW WHO

Team members and

their responsibilities
 Reactive vs. Proactive Data Sources

Reactive Proactive
Data Data
Sources Warranty claims, Sources
Questionnaires,
product returns,
focus groups, and
customer
interviews
complaints

Information is
Information comes
gathered from the
whether action is
customer after
taken or not
contact is initiated

Requires targeted
Used to address customer contact
immediate needs to obtain
of customers information related
to the project
 Customer Complaint vs. Expected Service Request

Dissatisfied Customer is
Customer in a hurry

Expedited
Customer
Service
Complaint
Request

Customer Customer
needs are Product needs timelines to Timeline is
not well improvement be not met
identified recalculated
 Proactive Data Source: Steps In The Process

Define the Pick a Develop a

Scope of the survey Compilation
survey group methodology questionnaire

✓ Time
Points to Scan
✓ Budget
be and
covered Report
✓ Demography
Proactive Data Source


Advantages
• Low cost
• 70% – 90% high phone response rate
• Faster results
• Analysis of mail questionnaires requires
few trained resources

Disadvantages

 • 20% – 30% mail response

• Phone surveys: interviewer may
influence the interviewee
• Lack of clarity
Proactive Data Source: Telephone Vs. Web Survey

General Survey Specific

Cost

  Clarification

Open-ended


Number of
respondents

 Data quality

Analysis
More Time Time Less Time
Proactive Data Source: Sample Survey
 Steps to Conduct a Focus Group

Conducting
Preparatory stage Planning stage Compilation
Session

● Identify scope of ● Finalize session, ● Facilitate ● Study transcription

focus group venue, and time introductions material
● Analyze the ● Arrange a means ● State the agenda ● Make notes about
problem that for transcription and transcription key customer
needs to be ● Advertise session factor needs and
addressed details ● Record the session requirements
● Arrange for ● Retreat to an
refreshments observatory
 Focus Group: Advantages

Advantages of a Focus Group ✓ Interaction generates information

✓ Provides in-depth responses

✓ Addresses more complex

questions or qualitative data

✓ Gets critical-to-quality definitions

 Focus Group: Disadvantages

Disadvantages of a Focus Group

✓ Learning is subjective

✓ Data is qualitative

✓ Generates anecdotes and incidents

by individuals in the group
Proactive Data Source: Interview

✓ Interview is a technique of questioning and

probing an individual to gather information.
✓ It is informal.
✓ It encourages the interviewees to voice their
opinion.
✓ Individual interviews can be time consuming.
 Proactive Data Source: Process of an Interview


Introduction and Gather Feedback Compilation
Greetings • Avoid taking notes • After session,
• Greet in a friendly • Give complete make a list of
manner attention points
• Understand • Gather
interviewee’s information
background
 Proactive Data Source: Interview

Advantages Time Disadvantages

Consuming

Allows visual
Wide range of aids
information

Tackles
complex
questions
Requires a trained
and experienced
interviewer
 VOC Proactive Data Collection Methods

Telephone Web
Criteria / Factors Weightage Interview
Survey Survey
Respondents’ availability 12 8 8 6
Lead data 6 8 8 9
Cost involved 20 3 9 1
Time consumption (organization perspective) 5 5 10 1
Availability of time from customer (for the survey) 5 3 10 4
Response rate of the customer 15 7 5 8
Judging the quality of data 10 1 6 10
Clarification 3 7 0 10
Visualizing feature 2 0 10 10
Compiling and analyzing data 2 3 10 3
Resource requirement 10 1 10 1
Preparation time 5 7 1 9
Accessibility to customer 5 8 8 4
TOTAL 100 471 744 522
 Write Effective VOC Questions: Tips

Do not use leading Ask specific and

questions or words direct questions

Give Mutually Ask one question

Exclusive Choices at a time
 Write Effective VOC Questions: Tips

Do not use leading Ask specific and

questions or words direct questions

Give Mutually Ask one question

Exclusive Choices at a time

Should the government force you to pay higher taxes?

vs.
Should the government increase taxes?
 Write Effective VOC Questions: Tips

Do not use leading Ask specific and

questions or words direct questions

Give Mutually Ask one question

Exclusive Choices at a time

What is your age?

0-10, 10-20, 20+
 Write Effective VOC Questions: Tips

Do not use leading Ask specific and

questions or words direct questions

Give Mutually Ask one question

Exclusive Choices at a time

What do you like to do for fun?

The respondent can take this question in too many
different directions.
 Write Effective VOC Questions: Tips

Do not use leading Ask specific and

questions or words direct questions

Give Mutually Ask one question

Exclusive Choices at a time

How likely are you to come back and tell a friend?

These are really two questions in one.
 Sample Review of Data Collection Questions

Customer feedback sheet before review Customer feedback sheet after review

● Name: ● Name:
● Gender: Male/Female ● Gender: Male/Female
● Occupation: Student/Professional ● Occupation: Student/Professional/others (Please
● Were sales executive supportive? Yes/No specify)
● Was the product delivered on assured time? Yes/No ● Rate sales executives on the below areas: (10 high–
● Please rate overall experience between 1 low)
1 and 10 (1 lowest and 10 highest) o Politeness
o Ability to understand and identify problem
o Quick reply to queries
o Overall
● Was the product delivered on assured time? Yes/No
● Please rate overall experience between 1 and 10 (1
lowest and 10 highest)
 VOC Data Collection Methods: Key Methods

Direct from
primary
source

Collected for
Effective Data
Instantaneous specific
Collection
purpose

Understanding
organizational ● Customer requirement is accurately
!
purpose defined with the collected data.
 Additional Voice Considerations

Voice of the Business Voice of the Process

Customer Requirements
 VoC Table

What the customer meant

What the
Who is the How is the
customer What is the When is the Where is the Why is the need
customer situation handled
said (VOC) need? need felt? need felt? felt?
now?
Uses a ceiling fan
AC should be Quiet work During the
In the office To focus on work that makes a lot of
silent environment work day
noise

Uses a ceiling fan

AC should be During the Weather is very hot
Office Rep Good cooling In the office that is not so
efficient work day in May and June
effective in summer

AC should be
Affordability N/A N/A Limited finances N/A
economic

Sample analysis of VOC – AC purchase

Translating VOC to Critical-to-Value (CTQ)

VOC

Customer • High level, vague,

Requirement Non-specific

Critical-To-
• Specific and
Quality Factor
measurable
CTQ Factor: Major Elements

Output characteristic

Critical To Quality (CTQ) Factor

Y Metric

Target

Specification or Tolerance
limit
 Steps to Develop CTQ Tree

Critical-to-Quality factors – Quality parameters set by the organization relating to the customers’ needs

CTQ tree – A diagram-based tool that helps develop and deliver quality products and services

Identify
Identify Critical Identify Quality
Performance
Needs Drivers
Requirements
CTQ Tree: Example
 CTQ: Translation Worksheet Example 1

Service/Quality Specific Needs Project Y Output:

VOC
Issues Statement Characteristic

Customer gets
to the correct
Functionality: person the first
I am always on
Wants to talk to time Availability
hold or
the right
transferred to
person
the next person Add additional
immediately
items to the
voice menu
 CTQ: Translation Worksheet Example 2

Service/Quality Specific Needs Project Y Output:

VOC
Issues Statement Characteristic

Customer
receives the bill
on the same date
I get invoices at Accuracy: every month
different times of Consistent Invoicing cycle
the month monthly bill time
Customer wants
the bill
consistently
 CTQ: Translation Worksheet Example 3

Service/Quality Specific Needs Project Y Output:

VOC
Issues Statement Characteristic

Customer
receives
application on
I don’t receive requested date
Time: Delivery
the application Delivery cycle
timeliness
on time time
Customer wants
fast delivery
 Quality Function Deployment (QFD): Definition

It is a process to understand the customers’ needs and translate them into a set of design and
manufacturing requirements while motivating businesses to focus on its customers

Areas where Areas where

Customer Organization’s
most of the the focus
requirements strengths and
work is to be should be
weaknesses
done
 QFD: Deployment

Quality function deployment involves four phases. The output of a phase is the input of the next phase.

Customer Input Output Technical

Product Planning
Requirements Requirements

Output Input
Key Parts
Product Design
Characteristics
Input Output
Key Process
Process Planning
Operations

Input
Process Control
Output

Establishing process control plans, maintenance plans,

training plans to control operations
QFD: Six Sections
QFD: Post-HOQ Matrix
QFD: Example
 Key Takeaways

There are two types of customers: internal and external.

Customer feedback is important for the success of any project.

Data collection methods can be reactive or proactive.

The VOC is a technique to organize, analyze, and profile the

customer’s requirements.

A CTQ tree is used to visually show the relationship between

the VOC needs, Drivers, Requirements, and CTQ.

The QFD method is a 4-phase iterative process.

Knowledge Check
Knowledge
Check There are several methods and considerations to collect VOC data, but what is the
primary purpose of VOC data collection?
1

A. To satisfy the internal customer’s expectations of the product

B. Find out what the customer likes and does not like about the products

C. Identify the customers needs so we can translate them to CTQs

D. To satisfy the external customer’s expectations of the service

 Knowledge
Check There are several methods and considerations to collect VOC data, but what is the
primary purpose of VOC data collection?
1

A. To satisfy the internal customer’s expectations of the product

B. Find out what the customer likes and does not like about the products

C. Identify the customers needs so we can translate them to CTQs

D. To satisfy the external customer’s expectations of the service

The correct answer is C

The primary purpose of VOC data collection is to obtain as much information as necessary from the customer to
define Critical to Quality (CTQ) requirements.
Knowledge
Check
When should a team use a telephone survey over a web survey?
2

A. Anytime

B. Target customer group is easily accessible over the Internet

C. A high response rate is needed

D. Time availability of customer is a concern

 Knowledge
Check
When should a team use a telephone survey over a web survey?
2

A. Anytime

B. Target customer group is easily accessible over the Internet

C. A high response rate is needed

D. Time availability of customer is a concern

The correct answer is C

A telephone survey has a higher response rate than web surveys so if that is only requirement by the organization,
the telephone survey method should be used.
Knowledge
Check
Which VOC data collection method is the least costly?
3

A. Survey

B. Interview

C. Focus Group

D. VOC Table
 Knowledge
Check
Which VOC data collection method is the least costly?
3

A. Survey

B. Interview

C. Focus Group

D. VOC Table

The correct answer is A

Implementing a web survey does not cost as much as an interview or focus group.
Knowledge
Check
Which of the following is NOT an element of a developed CTQ?
4

A. Metric

B. Target

C. Supplier characteristic

D. Specification limit
 Knowledge
Check
Which of the following is NOT an element of a developed CTQ?
4

A. Metric

B. Target

C. Supplier characteristic

D. Specification limit

The correct answer is C

An output characteristic is needed and not a supplier characteristic.

Knowledge
Check
How many phases are there in QFD?
5

A. 2

B. 3

C. 4

D. 5
 Knowledge
Check
How many phases are there in QFD?
5

A. 2

B. 3

C. 4

D. 5

The correct answer is C

There are four phases in the QFD. The four phases are product planning, product design, process planning, and process
control.