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The Customer Is Always Right when it Comes to Quality

Nov. 17, 2014
The definition of quality is very much in the eyes of your customer.

Four key factors drive the intersection of customer and quality, says Holly Lyke-Ho-Gland, a research specialist, business excellence with benchmarking firm APQC:

• The role of quality within an organization

• Integration of goals in strategic planning

• Level of transparency on quality goals and reporting

• How the quality measures are used.

According to Lyke-Ho-Gland, "As organizations evolve quality from merely being a ‘checking the compliance boxes’ to really using quality practices to impact and empower staff to make improvements and address customer needs, there is opportunity for a greater return on investment and improved customer satisfaction." Companies that use quality as a source of competitive advantage, operational excellence, or as a continuous improvement activity, she explains, are "much more likely to embrace the customer-centric, quality culture."

Read more about how companies are using customer-centric quality measures to set goals that drive higher performance throughout their organization at IndustryWeek.

IndustryWeek is a companion site of MH&L and part of Penton’s Manufacturing and Supply Chain Group.