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Back in the day, it was common practice for company staff to make it their business to know every customer by name — or at the very least, learn something special about them. This would be part of the customer service experience, and make the customer feel like part of the family. This created customer loyalty.

Customer loyalty is a priceless commodity, and it must be earned. The irony is a customer’s loyalty might never be tested. In other words, when everything always runs smoothly, (i.e. you’re following the Six Sigma methodology) the voice of the customer (VOC) is high up on the priority list, so your customers are happy campers getting exactly what’s important to them.

On that same note, it only takes one time for something to go very wrong. If the customer experience is handled poorly, it can put that customer’s loyalty in jeopardy. A customer is quick to judge if they feel betrayed.

That is why Six Sigma’s VOC tool is so important. Found in the Define phase of the DMAIC process, the VOC will inform you of your customer’s expectations. Understanding your customer’s comments about your product or service will provide insight into what’s truly important to your customer.

Your Customers Are Your Highest Priority 

We’ve mentioned the importance of keeping your customers happy before, but time and time again we hear those customer service horror stories. So we can’t reemphasize enough the importance of taking care of your customers.

Let’s face it, most businesses can put out a comparable product, but not everyone makes their customer a top priority. In fact, you would have to get a time machine and go back to the 1950’s to get that type of customer service. There is a reason Six Sigma has great success rate…just ask General Electric.

If you would like more information on our Six Sigma courses or services, please click here. We’re offering our Green Belt courses in Washington D.C., St. Louis, and Pittsburgh.