Customer Satisfaction in a very complicated organization.

[BruisedOrange]

Thank you for reading, if you continue! Please be gentle. I've endured tremendous abuse this week professionally!

Last August, I was hired to write, implement and maintain a quality management system in response to our customer's demand that we achieve ISO9001:2000 certification by the end of 2005.

You might note that we have one customer.

We also have one owner.

We also use only one vendor for all outsourced processes (specifically, heat treatment and coating).

All three of these are the same company. Yes - we are owned by XYZ Incorporated, sell only to XYZ Incorporated and are allowed only to use XYZ Incorporated for outsourced processes.

We have no sales department, position or processes.

How on earth do I manage compliance with the Customer Satisfaction element with this situation?

If you respond only with sympathy, I would appreciate even that at this point.

Thank you and if you need me I'll be out back hiding under something heavy.

 

[Wes Bucey]

Thank you for reading, if you continue! Please be gentle. I've endured tremendous abuse this week professionally!

Last August, I was hired to write, implement and maintain a quality management system in response to our customer's demand that we achieve ISO9001:2000 certification by the end of 2005.

You might note that we have one customer.

We also have one owner.

We also use only one vendor for all outsourced processes (specifically, heat treatment and coating).

All three of these are the same company. Yes - we are owned by XYZ Incorporated, sell only to XYZ Incorporated and are allowed only to use XYZ Incorporated for outsourced processes.

We have no sales department, position or processes.

How on earth do I manage compliance with the Customer Satisfaction element with this situation?

If you respond only with sympathy, I would appreciate even that at this point.

Thank you and if you need me I'll be out back hiding under something heavy.

Congratulations on your first post!!

I presume the corporation you work for is a separate, wholly-owned, captive corporation versus a mere "division" of the XYZ, which precludes them getting a multi-site ISO registration themselves to cover your site.

On a basic level, it seems to me you need only identify an individual (or job title) at the XYZ who makes life/death decisions over your site. You make arrangements with that person for regular contact (phone, email, snail mail, face-to-face) to ask "How are we doing?" You note and record the response and you have done all that is necessary to assure you are attending to customer satisfaction.

The key here is that you must document the response, even if it is verbal on the part of the customer. You may document a verbal response by noting the identity, date, time, and substance of the response in a log kept for the specific purpose. The frequency with which you make these contacts is a matter of negotiation between you and the respondent.

Got some other questions about the process of moving to registration?

 

[Craig H.]

Well, Bruised, welcome to the Cove!

This should not be a big deal AT ALL!

Who is the main person responsible for using the parts you are providing? If you can identify them, every X days, weeks, months, you send them a letter asking them to rate you in specific areas.

Even better would be to ask them out to lunch and carry with you a list of open-ended questions designed to figure out what they like and do not like about dealing with your company. The results go into the Management Review in basket. If there are several people who are responsible for using/installing your product, then pick a couple of them for the same treatment.

The fact that your company is owned and sells to XYZ really does not change anything as far as this is concerned, other than I suspect that it will be easier to get to the people who actually work with your product.

I hope this helps.

BTW, it's Friday. Soon, it will be time to leave cover and sprint to the car. Have a great weekend!

 

[BruisedOrange]

Just as I suspected! My expectations are too high! I can get what I need, get it in place, prove that it's working and start sleeping at night with about 1/10 the effort that I was prepared to put into it.

Remember how Laverne and Shirley used to get really worked up about something, and one would open-handed slap the other across the face and their problems would be solved? THANK YOU! I needed that!!

Got some other questions about the process of moving to registration?

Just this one - how does one go about asking the QMR (the very person admitting ignorance of said ISO 'nonsense') the following question:

Do you want to achieve registration, or do you want to get your way, win arguments and go home at night happy that everyone did what you ordered them to do?

...........without losing one's job.....???

Ha!

I can't thank you enough. I come here all the ding-dang time and have NEVER come away without the information that I needed and then some. Today, I got the information that I needed and the bonus of refocused perspective. I am now hugging your necks like a recently rescued child! That's a darn serious neck hug!

 

[vanputten]

Hello Bruised Orange:

Read 8.2.1 of ISO 9001:2000 a bunch of times. Read it through carefully. You have to monitor information relating to customer perception. There is no requirement to document anything. However, it may be easier to show compliance to 8.2.1 if you have something documented. It may be easier to manage a customer satisfaction / customer perception process if you document the process and the information gathered. But I see no requirement to document anything.

Also, it may be easier than you think since you only have one customer. You only have to gather customer perception info from one customer.

Regards, Dirk

 

[RoxaneB]

Well, BO....ummm...no, that acronym will not do...BruisedOrange, it's Monday...feeling any better? Especially that you now see how easy your task is?

But now for the meat of the issue...what will you do to monitor this perception? How will you accomplish it? And do you realize that while the clause title is "Customer satisfaction", the wording is "perception". Something of a difference between those two words.

 

[qualitygoddess - 2010]

Just this one - how does one go about asking the QMR (the very person admitting ignorance of said ISO 'nonsense') the following question:

Do you want to achieve registration, or do you want to get your way, win arguments and go home at night happy that everyone did what you ordered them to do?

...........without losing one's job.....???

I had to respond to this query. Always be prepared to lose your job! However, I usually like to use the ISO standard as the big stick. Remember the old saying about walking softly and carrying a big stick? I like to talk to the head honcho, and use the language of the standard. Here's a scenario:
Our company needs to address the requirements for customer satisfaction. In the ISO standard it says......cite the standard. Now I did some research, and this means our company should do the following to comply. (Now explain what it is). A. (if there is argument that will NOT achieve what you want, you say one of two things (1) I can appreciate your view, and I will try to incorporate that into the description of the process; and (2) I can appreciate your view, and I'm glad you are thinking about this. I do have a couple of concerns about this view. Can we talk about them? B. (if there is no argument) Thanks for reviewing this with me. I'll bring the final documents describing the process back to you for approval.

Just my humble opinion. Have fun.

 

[RoxaneB]

I had to respond to this query. Always be prepared to lose your job! However, I usually like to use the ISO standard as the big stick. Remember the old saying about walking softly and carrying a big stick? I like to talk to the head honcho, and use the language of the standard. Here's a scenario:
Our company needs to address the requirements for customer satisfaction. In the ISO standard it says......cite the standard. Now I did some research, and this means our company should do the following to comply. (Now explain what it is). A. (if there is argument that will NOT achieve what you want, you say one of two things (1) I can appreciate your view, and I will try to incorporate that into the description of the process; and (2) I can appreciate your view, and I'm glad you are thinking about this. I do have a couple of concerns about this view. Can we talk about them? B. (if there is no argument) Thanks for reviewing this with me. I'll bring the final documents describing the process back to you for approval.

Just my humble opinion. Have fun.

Valid point, QG, to talk with the head honcho(s)...but I wouldn't quote or cite the ISO standard to kick-start the discussion. I've found that as soon as I do that, the mule team of ISOSTUBBORN and ISONOTLISTENING kick in.

I'd go in knowing the requirements and merely ask "Our Customers...pretty important to us, right? So, what do we do to keep 'em coming back to us? How do we know how happy they are with us or what they think of us? Better yet, if we want to be a long-term success, maybe we could ask them to rank us against our competitors?"

Based on those responses, thank them for their time...standardize/document/formalize what is done and then look for any gaps. Once the gaps are identified, I'd use your (A) and (B) options, QG.

I guess I prefer the approach of "Let's do this because we want to...not because we have to."

If ISO is being dictated by a Customer, so be it. Bite the bullet and implement it...but do so while trying to see how a Business Management System can not only help you, but benefit all Stakeholders.

 

[qualitygoddess - 2010]

Valid point, QG, to talk with the head honcho(s)...but I wouldn't quote or cite the ISO standard to kick-start the discussion. I've found that as soon as I do that, the mule team of ISOSTUBBORN and ISONOTLISTENING kick in.

Thanks. I got a kick out of this new vocabulary. I think you can use any language that you think is most appropriate to get the head honcho to agree that his way isn't the only way. I think you have to be there and know the person in order to decide on the approach.

Best of luck, Bruised O. It's not easy being green, per Kermit the Frog. You will achieve what you want to achieve because you believe in it.

--QG

 

[BruisedOrange]

I hope you know how much help you've been.

If you can imagine it (and I know you all can, all too easily) I have finally managed some degree of success using this approach:

I draft the procedures, forms, work instructions, etc.

I send them to a consultant at the rate of one healthy newborn child per document reviewed.

The consultant returns the document(s) to me with his notes - a suggestion, a comment, a good firm pat on the back, a hearty guffaw, etc.

I revise the draft according to his notes.

I attach the revised document(s), the consultant's review of the same, the verrbage in the standard that requires the whole kit and caboodle to begin with along with a note that goes a little something like this:

Please see attached the QP/WI/Form/Grocery List for your review and approval. The draft you see here has been created with the guidance of (male) consultant Mr. X and meets his approval, as you can see in his notes. Absence of this QP/WI/Form/Grocery List could result in ISO Fires, Death or Excessive Weight Gain. Please accept my apologies and good luck today in your meeting with the attorneys for the EEOC / Discrimination investigation.

Okay, okay. That last part was more of a thought than anything I'd ever actually utter but that doesn't mean it isn't TRUE!

This is exactly what I did with my Customer Satisfaction situation that I initially came here to discuss and without a moment's delay, my QMR APPROVED the ENTIRE thing....and thanked me.

As my children are always saying, "WHATEVER!"

THANK YOU!