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Gathering VOC PDF

Lakota — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:24:42 GMT

Fellow TreQnaites,

A recent posting regarding the desire for more info on understanding or capturing the "Voice of the Customer" prompts me to offer this pdf article.

I will soon post this to the TU website as a free download article for those outside of our community.

These pdf templates are one version of what can be useful in capturing customer's voice.

Once the raw data is obtained, it is translated into requirements, according to a procedure outlined in the article.

Project teams then determine HOW they will meet the requirements and capture that information.

You will need to download or at least open the attached "pdf" to view this 14 page presentation. Just a reminder as I see many do not download or open pdf's I have offered in the past.

Not certain if they do not understand its use, how to perform the download or just what might be the problem.

If you need assistance please let me know. Happy to assist you.

Thank you for following this blog.

Blessings to all,
Charles Wilson, Ph.D.

Aka Lakota (TreQna)
Aka LakotaEagle (Twitter)

PLease visit TreQna University.

http://www.treqnauniversity.org

Attached Files

Voice of the Customer.pdf (860.7 KB, 11 views)

Will Smith shares his wisdom success

Lakota — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:04:02 GMT

Will Smith shares his wisdom on what it takes to be successful. This video is incredibly powerful! So many lessons in the mindset of success.

Plan Do Check Act and the SS Project Charter

Lakota — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 06:42:57 GMT

Fellow TreQnaites,

Attached is a file regarding Plan Do, Check and Act.

This is intended as a sample taken from our SS YB Training Program (by Lakota & Sparky) which willl soon be released and available for sale.

The is no narration on the first slide of (3). This is intentional. Use the time to explore the many features and controls before electing to start this presentation on slide (2).

Sparky and I would love to hear what you think about our new presentation vehicle (to be used when purchasing the training via CD ROM).

As well, would be great if you had comment, issue, concern or questions -- regarding PDCA -- if you would kindly post those in the forums under the appropriate thread.

I have posted this file here as it will not work in the forums arena.

Looking forward to your feedback.

Blessings to all,
Charles WIlson, Ph.D.

Aka Lakota (TreQna)
AKa LakotaEagle (Twitter)

Please visit TreQna University

http://www.treqnauniversity.org

Attached Files

PDCA Overview 2.swf (2.92 MB, 19 views)

Is the Quality Improvement Business Serious?

Lakota — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:31:18 GMT

I have been posting recently on business needs of delighting customers in order to survive and thrive. Sometimes we think only about the cost of poor quality in terms of a �bad product� and the �loss of money� involved.

But how about the more serious side of the cost of poor quality, the side that can and does involve the loss of body functions, body parts or even life?

Do you ever give thought about just how serious is this quality improvement business of ours?

My wife has been under her doctor�s care regarding heart problems for the past three years. She takes many differing meds to keep herself functioning properly. One such med is designed to seriously thin the blood. Just a simple scratch can cause her to bleed for an hour or so.

A few weeks ago her eye doctor set her for surgery to be performed the following week. His staff took over after their visit, beginning to provide instruction and provide other meds for her to take a week prior to the surgery.

Among the first things I questioned was their requirement for her to stop the blood thinner meds only (3) days prior to surgery. This did not seem long enough to gain their desired benefit of thicker blood so she would not bleed too much during the surgery.

I asked her to consult with her heart doctor, and sure enough he insisted she stop this medication at least 5 days prior to surgery. The surgery had to be rescheduled for the following week to accommodate this new requirement.

The eye surgeon issued a prescription of a specific eye drop she was to take 3 times daily for the week prior to surgery and another 4 times daily for a week. On the prescription, which I had read, the doctor clearly stated there could be no substitute for these eye drops.

I picked up the meds from the pharmacy and rushed them back to Sena to begin the regiment. She immediately applied both med�s. An hour later I was in the studio talking with her about building a schedule for taking each to ensure she would not to miss a single required application. As I held each of the eye drop bottles in hand to read off their names, I was shocked to learn one was a substitute � not the required real deal.

I was concerned, but Sena wanted to dismiss it. Her thinking was the doctor had changed his mind and issued an okay to the pharmacy to provide a substitute med to save her money.

I insisted she call the doctor�s office and question this change in �required med�s�.

Turned out that a nurse in the doc�s office was contacted by the first pharmacy and informed that this med was not in stock. The nurse called into another pharmacy and gave a �verbal� instruction to fill this med and latter faxed over the prescription (the original signed by the doc) � and never mentioned they could not substitute the med for another generic brand.

Texas law allows the pharmacy to fill by generic brands if not told otherwise. Generally, this practice results in a huge cost savings to the customer � a delighter to most of us.

Sena insisted the nurse ask the doctor if she should again reschedule the surgery until she could obtain the correct med and take it for the prescribed period. The result was we were issued a second med to �boost� the first in order to gain the desired effects needed prior to surgery.

This affair and foul up (all resulting from the nurse taking on something she had no authority to perform) had now caused Sena to become very concerned over the surgery.

After all, if they could screw up getting her the med�s they required, what might they screw up during surgery?

Such mistakes could leave her blind or even cost her life. We talked to the head nurse and set up a consultation with the doctor before going through the surgery. Sena had lost all confidence in this USA renowned medical surgeon -- plain fact she was scared stiff of the surgery.

Today we met with the head nurse, two surgeon�s, and a medical board member � all before the cutting took place.

Reassured, Sena went forward with the surgery. She was attended and received personal care from two surgeons, three nurses, and a technician � and of course we give thanks that all went very well.

But what if � I hadn�t asked her to first call her heart doctor and question him about this procedure and requirements?

Shouldn�t it have been a reasonable expectation these doctor�s would have first talked things over with each other before moving forward?

Well I would say it is reasonable to expect such, but just as in our own work processes we have process owners and stakeholders that work in and protect their silos. Their concerns are not focused on the customer, but rather on protecting and defending turf from all comers.

But what if � I hadn�t caught the fact the meds had been substituted for a generic brand?

Shouldn�t it be reasonable to expect a medical nurse to take up the pharmacy�s issue of being unable to fill the prescription issued by the medical doctor � with that doctor and get a definitive answer?

But the nurse took things on that are clearly outside her area of authority (by law) and made a decision she felt would be okay.

In the process, not understanding the customer�s medical situation outside of her need for eye surgery � she made a decision that placed the customer in danger of loss of her vision and perhaps her life.

How many of us have made decisions that were clearly outside our area of responsibility, outside our authority and outside our understanding � all for the sake of moving things forward?

Why is it we are so fearful of taking this information up the ladder to have those responsible for making such decisions � based on all the facts and data?

Obviously, there is much more that could be said and other lessons to be learned from this experience � not the least of which a USA renowned medical surgeon practice could have been placed in danger of total failure � by an employee (stakeholder) that made decisions without the knowledge of the owners and partners � the doctor�s responsible for the well being of the customer � never mind the need to delight same.

Again I ask, �Do you ever give thought about just how serious is this quality improvement business of ours?�

Do you take seriously your role and responsibility in this business?

Do you take the time to grow the leaders around you?

Do you take the time to intervene � becoming more proactive rather than reactive in matters of a quality performance issues?

Thanks for following my blog. Hope you are able to glean things from this posting that are of value add to you on both a professional and a personal level.

Blessings to all,
Charles Wilson, Ph.D.

Aka Lakota (TreQna)
Aka LakotaEagle (Twitter)

Please visit TreQna University

http://www.treqnauniversity.org

Businesses Survival

Lakota — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:06:02 GMT

Businesses Survive Because ...

... They have customers that are willing to buy their products or services.

Businesses Fail to check with their customers to determine levels of customer satisfaction and desired changes that may be needed or required of the products and services they provide.

According to the U.S. Consumer Affairs Department, it costs five times more to gain a new customer than it does to retain an existing customer.

Other studies have reported that with just a five percent increase in customer retention a firm can raise its profitability by 25 percent and in some cases as much as 85 percent.

Similar studies also show the longer a company keeps a customer, the more money it will make.

Consumers spend slowly at first, but with continued good experiences, customers will increase their spending.

Firms having better customer service can generally charge more for their products and services. These firms have higher market shares and returns on sales more so than their competitors.

Thanks for following my blog. Hope you are able to glean things from this posting that are of value add to you on both a professional and a personal level.

Blessings to all,
Charles Wilson, Ph.D.

Aka Lakota (TreQna)
Aka LakotaEagle (Twitter)

Please visit TreQna University

http://www.treqnauniversity.org