I have heard this statement a million times, every company believes in this, every customer centric training emphasizes this, seasoned professionals "live this".
Software Quality Models emphasize that customer requirements are top priority for any project. The implementation of these models have proved that the only way to transform Customer Satisfaction to Customer Delight is by meeting the Customer's Requirements.
Customer's Requirement is a Statement of their Problem ---- Problem may be a Business Problem or a Problem related to personal life. Customers approach you for a solution to their "problem".
Example: my mobile phone stops working, so I need a new phone, I go to an electronics store and buy one. I don't feel like cooking, so I go to a restaurant to eat. If my phone was working, would I have gone to the electronics store? If I was in a mood to cook, would I have gone to the restaurant to eat?
So, a "Customer" is driven by his "problem" and seeks a solution.
The Customer approaches that Organization or Individual for a solution...
- who has delivered solutions to the customer's problem most consistently in the past OR
- who has a reputation to deliver OR
- who has the potential to deliver
.... in that order.
Mature Software Quality Systems ensure that customer requirements are fulfilled and also ensure that they are fulfilled consistently. This ensures the upkeep of service levels of an organization thereby ensuring a fair degree of Customer Satisfaction.
Most young employees I speak with, think that a Customer is a Client who pays the Organization which in turn help pay their salaries.
I tell them, they are 50% correct!. I add "all Customers, don't pay....".
Customers are of two types
- External Customers
- Internal Customers
External Customers pay the company for services rendered. Internal Customers are colleagues who we deal with everyday.
For the trainee, one of the internal customers is his Team Leader, who allocates work to this person with an expectation that work will be delivered without defects and on time.
When the trainee is undergoing training, he/she becomes the Internal Customer of the Trainer. It is the Trainer's responsibility to meet expectations of all the trainees in the classroom.
So, all employees are internal customers of each other....
At work we meet many Internal Customers who approach us with an expectation that their "problem" will be solved. When we have a design problem, we approach the most experienced and reputed design engineer. When we need clarification on our leave eligibility, we approach the designated HR Executive. When we need to apply for leave from work, we approach our Manager. When we need clarification in the project requirements, we approach the Business Analyst.
It is important to first meet the expectations of the Internal Customer which translates to meeting the expectations of the External Customers!. If we want to Transform External Customer Satisfaction to External Customer Delight, then we need to first transform Internal Customer Satisfaction to Internal Customer Delight..... after all, they say "Charity begins at home". So if all people in the project resolve to solve each other's "problems", there is no way the external customer's "problem" will remain unsolved....
It is time to focus on achieving Internal Customer Delight now.........
For the trainee, one of the internal customers is his Team Leader, who allocates work to this person with an expectation that work will be delivered without defects and on time.
When the trainee is undergoing training, he/she becomes the Internal Customer of the Trainer. It is the Trainer's responsibility to meet expectations of all the trainees in the classroom.
So, all employees are internal customers of each other....
At work we meet many Internal Customers who approach us with an expectation that their "problem" will be solved. When we have a design problem, we approach the most experienced and reputed design engineer. When we need clarification on our leave eligibility, we approach the designated HR Executive. When we need to apply for leave from work, we approach our Manager. When we need clarification in the project requirements, we approach the Business Analyst.
It is important to first meet the expectations of the Internal Customer which translates to meeting the expectations of the External Customers!. If we want to Transform External Customer Satisfaction to External Customer Delight, then we need to first transform Internal Customer Satisfaction to Internal Customer Delight..... after all, they say "Charity begins at home". So if all people in the project resolve to solve each other's "problems", there is no way the external customer's "problem" will remain unsolved....
It is time to focus on achieving Internal Customer Delight now.........
