How do you make the customer aware of your requirements?

[Randy]

An interesting thing has come up and this is the best place I can think of for an answer.

How do you make your customers aware of your requirements so you can meet their expectations? In particular, how do you guys let your customers become aware of regulatory requirements in a manner that doesn't turn them off?

 

[RoxaneB]

Hmmm...I'll nibble...

• Credit application (new Customers) - A great opportunity to describe what requirements apply to your own organization so that they can see if they impacted in any way.
• Brochures - A colourful way to show how your organizations meets the requirements necessary for it to meet.
• Customer Orientations - We call it "Steel School", but the Customers come on site and learn all about our company and our product (i.e., their purchase).
• Letters - Politely worded, of course...maybe include it with the golf prize you send when they ask you for one every summer.
• Bill - Fine-print at the base of the bill...a bit too sneaky for my liking, but still an option, I suppose.

 

[qualitytrec]

An interesting thing has come up and this is the best place I can think of for an answer.

How do you make your customers aware of your requirements so you can meet their expectations? In particular, how do you guys let your customers become aware of regulatory requirements in a manner that doesn't turn them off?

Sorry just noticed you said "regulatory" we do that in the quote. I left the original below in case it is useful for someone.
In the quote we state stuff like based on assumed tolerances of...price may change if tolerancing is different. Packaging supplied by "customer name". Pricing assume bulk packaging. Tumbling not included. etc...
This is because often our customers do not have completed prints.
When I was working for a gage house we printed up a list of internal standards that we used if the customers did not provide their own. It would be noted on the quote that these standards are what was used to determine price and delivery and supplied to the customers upon request. This works very well still for that company.
Mark

 

[Marc]

maybe include it with the golf prize you send when they ask you for one every summer

Ah! The joys of low level bribes!

 

[Mike S.]

What type of regulatory requirements are you referring to -- can you give us an example?

 

[RoxaneB]

Ah! The joys of low level bribes!

Hey, whatever works. Maybe we should add that to the Quality Policy? "....to ensure that we provide golf prizes worth > US$100..."

Sorry for the branch, Randy.

With regard to regulatory requirements that we made need to meet before we can meet the requirements of the Customer, I have found, for the most part, Customers to be very understanding of this.

In some cases, we have also communicated such regulatory issues during the "courting phase"...there is no contract, but we're getting close to having one developed.

 

[Randy]

What I'm looking at now is at environmental requirements we have to meet when manufacturing product for customers. We're being asked to use very specific materials and we also have very specific legal requirements we have to meet. How do you guys manage it? BTW neither party has an in place QMS to fall back on for guidance.

 

[Mike S.]

Occasionally a customer will ask us to make things using materials that are illegal to use in the US or are very hazardous with many regulations for their use. In such cases, we simply tell the customer we cannot use such-and-such because it is illegal in the US or because we are not equipped to meet the immense environmental and worker protection requirements. This is usually conveyed in a quote document or in a telecon. At the same time, we offer to provide an alternative product and explain the differences between the two. To my knowledge, we've never had a customer get mad, they always seem to understand even if they have to go elsewhere in the world to get what they want.

 

[Randy]

Kinda what I figured Mike. I'm dealingy with sales and marketing guys. You say environmental and you get the Deer in the headlight routine.

 

[Mike S.]

I'm dealingy with sales and marketing guys. You say environmental and you get the Deer in the headlight routine.

Nah! I can hardly believe such a thing!