When working to understand customer requirements, there are three key areas we need to pay attention to. For a particular product or service, what are the must-haves or basic expectations? What are the needs that the customer may or may not have stated? From these needs and expectations, we must identify the key priorities to focus on as an organization moving forward. We will translate that information into particular product features, performance measures, and specific opportunities for improvement for Lean Six Sigma projects. Let’s begin with the key area of customer expectations, and what they want from their experience with us. For example, imagine you’re going to the local coffee shop to get a cup of coffee, or a hot cup of tea. The basic requirements when you walk in the door might include, I want it to be hot, I want it to be quick, and I want to pay a fair price. But once your basic requirements have been met, there are other things you might expect like, condiments. Maybe you like to use half and half or skim milk, or maybe once in a while some cinnamon. Then there is a level above the expected requirements, these are the things that we desire. These could include the pleasant aroma of the coffee, and the experience in the store. Then, finally, there may be some nice surprises or unanticipated factors. Is there a wow factor in this experience at the coffee shop? Maybe there are free newspapers available to read while you’re there or a promotional discount on your usual drink. Or a customer experience that is especially friendly, like remembering your name from the last time you visited.
Customer needs can be broken down into five key areas. The first one would be stated needs. For example, if I’m going to go into the store to buy a new shirt, my stated need is, I need to buy a new shirt. I’m going to go into the store and I want that to be quick and painless. Then I have the real needs which might include, I want this shirt to make me feel good. I want to like the way I look in this shirt. I also may have some perceived needs including that it must fit right. Or it must be at fair price, and it’s got to have a nice appearance. I probably have some cultural needs as well, for example, if I’m going to wear this at work, what will my co-workers think? What will my peer group think about this particular shirt? And then there are unintended needs. These are the things I may not have thought about that could be a delight factor. For example, it could be very stain resistant material or the shirt could be extremely easy to maintain in terms of keeping it clean. Now let’s discuss the product needs that a customer may have. When I bought a smartphone, here are some of the things I cared about. I wanted it to be convenient. I was trying to find a particular phone I could buy nearby or easily buy online. I want the phone to be safe and secure. Will it protect my data? Does it have simple and intuitive features that I can follow and easily use? Does this phone actually make me a better communicator? And can I readily get my questions answered with online help? How about the service for that product, is it fast? Do they get it right the first time? Or do they have to make me wait and go through a whole bunch of steps to get it done? And then, finally, what is the customer experience like? Are they friendly? Do I feel appreciated? Do I feel important? Next, we will explore the service needs.
There are some typical things we will experience as we move through a service needs cycle. It starts with convenience. Then we ask, did I feel like the people were courteous, paid attention to me, and actually cared about what I had to say? Did they have empathy for what I’m going through? Were they competent and reliable? Did they follow through and do what they said they would do? Were they responsive? Did they listen carefully to what I had to say? Did they capture it right the first time and make sure that the corrective action was taken? If they came to my house to provide a service, did they act in a responsible manner? Or if I went to their facility, did I feel safe? Did I feel like I could trust that they were going to do the right thing for me? If I went to their location for service, were the facilities operating as expected? Was it well lit? Was the bathroom clean? Was the furniture comfortable? Was it quiet and soothing to be there? When determining if our service needs are being met, we must answer these kinds of questions. Next we have customer priorities. There are three key areas we need to think about. The main one is, what are the priorities of our customer? What are those vital few biggest things that we need to pay attention to that with the least amount of effort, we could have the greatest impact on what our customer actually cares about? Can we meet customer needs and drive some wow factors? Can we address any of the dissatisfiers that could dilute the customer experience? Finally, we have to listen to the customer and prioritize which of their expectations and needs are most important.