Now, disc brakes have taken over, so even though some cars still use brake drums, there’s no doubt that some day in the near future they will be extinct. This example reflects the way businesses are constantly changing. Future customers are setting the trends, and new convenient products are being developed for them to purchase.

Stay close to your customers — they may suggest products or services that will fulfill their needs in the future. If the small car parts business had not only stayed close to trends in the automotive industry, but also listened to their customers, they would have been prepared for what the future held and designed a new product or service. Now with disc brakes, the old brake drum businesses probably went out of business. Had they been ready to pivot, they might have changed to a service-based business specializing in old cars or designer cars or whatever the market would support.

The Voice of Customer (VOC) tool is a priceless tool used by Six Sigma. For the business owner, it should be as important as paying your bills. Make it part of how you invest in the future of your company or business, so when a need for a new product that could help you pivot your business arrives, you’ll be ready.

DFSS (Design for Six Sigma) is one of the most important Six Sigma templates you will need to invest in the future of your business. The actual template is DMADV which stands for:

•  Define
•  Measure
•  Analyze
•  Design
•  Verify

DFSS is used for completely redesigning a product or service, or creating a brand new product or service. Interested in learning more? For more information on our on-demand online classes or our virtual classroom training, please visit 6sigma.com. 

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Reaching out to your customers is essential to the success of your business. Unless special packaging is required for the safety of your product, then any extra processing or materials used that is not important to your customer is waste, and it can happen quickly.

By the same token, for an entirely different reason don’t mess with your original product trying to improve it. The year was 1985, the month was April, and the day was the 23rd. This was the day that will forever haunt the Coca-Cola Company as they introduced New Coke. Needless to say, that dark period is over and we shall not speak of it, but please note the customers never asked for Coca-Cola’s original formula to change; the company just went ahead and decided to make the change. If the customers ask for it or request it, then it is the VOC and you as the business owner are doing your due diligence in keeping a customer-focused business. 

Ways to Reach out to Customers

• One-on-One Interviews
• Surveys
• Focus Groups
• Customer Suggestions
• Call Centers/Complaint Logs

For more information on our Lean Six Sigma courses and services, please visit 6sigma.com.

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VOC: One of the Greatest Six Sigma Tools

Voice of the Customer (VOC) could have saved many businesses. If you aren’t pleasing your customer and fulfilling their requirements, you might as well close up shop now. There are many ways you can tap into the psyche of your valuable customers. Here are a couple:

Direct Customer Comments: This can range from simply asking them to write customer letters, emails, and phone calls (feedback reflected through transcripts from call centers). Then there are also the third party websites.

The best information is received from your actual customers that have used your product or service. Their specificity is crucial to your business, and any feedback coming from your customers to your business is gold. As for third party websites, such as Yelp, just make sure they are reputable. 

Market Research: You could do a one-on-one interview with your customers, or conduct focus groups with people that are inclined to use your product or service. A good point to remember is if you make this sound too formal, your customer might not want to give up his/her time to answer questions.

Surveys: Sending out surveys by email, or even putting a URL on a receipt so that your customer can go to that link on their computer and take a short survey. The problem is that most of your customers won’t do this, even if you say that there is a chance that they could win something. 

Important Note: If you provide excellent customer service, your customer will want to take care of you because he is made to feel like he is very important. Your approach when using the VOC tool is important; if they feel like they are having a conversation with a friend, your customer is more likely to open up and give you a wealth of information.

Learn more about the VOC tool through one of our Lean Six Sigma training classes! Visit 6sigma.com for more information.

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Lean Six Sigma tools have shown their worth in efficiency twofold. One can’t help feel that the inclusion of preventive care at every stage of life was created using Lean Six Sigma tools. It is a fact that Lean Six Sigma started changing the healthcare industry in the early 2000s.

Tools like the Voice of the Customer (VOC) are used in the DMAIC process. It captures the customer’s requirements, and expectations of the product or service. It helps determine what is important to them. This is especially useful when designing a new product or service. Ways to gather this information include:

• One-on-one interviews
• Focus groups
• Customer surveys

The Voice of the Customer tool is extremely valuable, and this data must be in a format that can be easily analyzed so that the team knows what direction they must proceed in with regards given to the rest of the processes.

True Preventive Care in Healthcare Isn’t Available Yet

Imagine a healthcare plan to stay healthy offered to a healthy individual, but instead services are offered once the patient has a heart attack or stroke. Perhaps with the influence of Six Sigma, these changes will happen. Since many of today’s millennials are sticklers for health and well-being, we might start seeing more of these changes getting implemented within healthcare organizations in the next several years. There is still more work that needs to be done.

Interested in learning more about Six Sigma can be used in healthcare settings? Learn more about our Six Sigma training! For more information on our courses or services please visit 6sigma.com today!

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If you’re a freelancer, your client is the person who gives you projects. Whether you’re a virtual assistant or a developer, those who contract or subcontract work to you are your clients.

Clients are critical to a freelancer’s business. They have specific needs, and it is your responsibility to find out what your clients’ needs are.

Types of Customers

External: These are individuals who pay for your product or services and who are outside of your business.
Internal: These are colleagues; for freelancers, it would be a business that uses your services on an ongoing basis. They could be a small business that subcontracts work to you.
Regulatory: Any government agency that has specific standards. It is up to you to make sure you abide by those standards.

Sources for Voice of the Customer Feedback

Internal and External Data: Existing data, like product returns, or any company information; perhaps industry experts, competitors or any other data.
Research Methods: Conduct interviews, surveys or focus groups.
Listening to Others: Any customer feedback or observations.

For freelancers, gathering voice of the customer feedback from clients may be a bit more casual, but just as important. While a regular business follows a protocol to gather feedback, and uses set sources to obtain what that business (aka your customer) expects from you, freelancers need to pay close attention to those colleagues and individuals who send work. Treat all your customers like gold, because they are. They are the reason you have a business.

Want to learn more about the VOC tool in Six Sigma? For more information on our courses or services, please visit 6sigma.com.

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