Customer-Focused Management

Overview/Description
Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, is reputed to have said, "There is only one boss – the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company – from the chairman on down – simply by spending his money somewhere else." Effective quality management processes focus on the customer. In today's global marketplace, customers have more choices than ever before. To achieve success, it is vital for enterprises to accurately identify the wants, needs, and expectations of their customers. This course explores the relationship between the treatment of internal customers and the impact on external customers. It examines techniques used to identify and segment external customers, while anticipating customer priorities, needs, and expectations. Strategies for incorporating customer service principles are also analyzed. It is aligned with the Quality Management Division of the American Society for Quality's Certification Handbook and is designed to assist learners as part of their preparation for the ASQ Certified Manager of Quality / Organizational Excellence certification exam.

Target Audience
Corporate directors of quality, quality managers and executives involved with quality at the organizational or departmental level within an organization, as well as quality consultants and candidates preparing to take the ASQ exam

Expected Duration (hours)
2.5

Lesson Objectives

Customer-Focused Management

identify key concepts in the customer-supplier value chain

identify a definition of quality level agreement (QLA)

identify ways to energize internal customers

sequence the steps in a process for working with external customers

recognize examples of segmentation variables

identify best practices in customer identification and segmentation

identify the advantages and disadvantages of using surveys, interviews, and focus groups to capture the voice of the customer

identify the steps involved in the QFD approach to capturing and translating customer requirements

identify the characteristics of an effective complaint-handling system

identify the steps involved in customer value analysis

identify steps for improving customers' perceptions of quality customer service

recognize examples of the core principles of good customer service

identify how to manage multiple customers

identify the ways of dealing with conflicting customer requirements and demands