Shoes of the Customer
My wife and I are on vacation and after a long flight from our home base of Reno to Richmond, Virginia, we wandered up to the rental car garage at the airport; we were tired and it showed. We were warmly greeted by Tyisha, who was about to become our best friend and the expert guide on our upcoming adventure!
Tyisha had bad news: Our reserved economy-class car was just not available. In its place, however, was a selection of minivans that would meet our needs at no extra charge. My wife and I looked at each other and commented on all the free space we’d have in the minivan considering that we’d left the kids at home and were finally vacationing without them.
Now, I’d have been happy to drive away in a minivan. My wife would, too. But Tyisha heard our conversation and ever-so-slightly modified her offer: “We also have a Camaro…” WHAT? And at no extra charge? Previously worn down from a day of traveling, my wife and I were now excitedly negotiating driving privileges! “Vacation! Transform, and Roll Out”!
Tyisha may not be consciously practicing Continuous Process Improvement, but she certainly is off to a great start. She knows how to hear the Voice of the Customer. Although we were ready to accept a “satisfier” (any vehicle that would get us to our destination), Tyisha made the effort to hear what we really wanted (an adventure while away from the kids – a “delighter”).
Just imagine how the buy-in would improve on your next project if you made the choice to truly hear the voice of the customer. Sure, our project teams always want to be successful. But you and I have both seen good teams struggle. What would change if, throughout our process improvement efforts, we strove to understand the “delighters” of not only our customers, but also our suppliers as well as everyone else involved in the process?
Join the conversation! What experiences have you had that exemplify obtaining the Voice of the Customer?