Telecommunication customers question the value of TL-9000 certificates. Surprising?

[Sidney Vianna]

From 94. QuEST Forum and TL 9000 - Lessons Learned

There are customers of TL 9000 certified organizations who are questioning the validity of TL 9000 certificates and are concerned to the point that the customers are going back to second-party audits that had been stopped by most when TL 9000 was developed. Whether the concerns are validated with data or not is unimportant; what is important is that the telecommunication industry is losing confidence in the third-party conformity assessment process. This includes all of us and improvement must be made to gain that confidence back or the business will be lost.

Will we ever learn?

[BradM]

Dang-it, Jim; I'm an auditor, not a senior manager!! (Quote from Star Trek 79, the Quest to fix the run-away, Robocop Quality System)

Sidney, how much do you feel this concern is based in real numbers dropping, or inferences from a survey?

[chergh]

Thanks for posting that. TL9000 registration has been something that has been floating around for my company for a while now, management don't want to go for it till a customer requires it. I would like to see what they have based this on though.

My company's buisness is professional broadcast equipment but with TV now being delivered over ADSL/IP, and of course cable, we are having a lot more customers from the Telecommunications industry. We often have the question "are you TL9000 registered" but have not yet had a customer requiring us to committ to becoming registered, maybe the apparent lack of confidence in the certificates one of the reasons why we have never had the requirement for TL9000.

[Sidney Vianna]

Originally Posted by BradM

Sidney, how much do you feel this concern is based in real numbers dropping, or inferences from a survey?

Sorry, but I don't understand your question. From what I gather, the end users of TL-9000 certificates, the customers of TL-9000 certified suppliers, are complaining about the quality performance of many TL-9000 certified suppliers. In other words, the certification process is not providing for "customer satisfaction". Apparently they voiced this during the last Quest Forum meeting. Not sure what you mean by numbers dropping or surveys.

[BradM]

Originally Posted by BradM

Sidney, how much do you feel this concern is based in real numbers dropping, or inferences from a survey?

Sorry if that was unclear. What I was getting at was what you reposted about. Meaning- given the opportunity, individuals can complain (or self report) on just about anything. That does not necessarily translate into action. Did the author of the note make the inference based just upon some survey results, or have the numbers really started dropping?

I'm wondering if anyone has seen anything where real numbers of certifications have been dropped due to dissatisfaction. Saying you're unhappy, and taking drastic actions are another.

Still a very interesting (and helpful) thread. While it may not represent action now, if left unaddressed, it may translate to action later.