Key Points

• Six Sigma can increase customer satisfaction thanks to its reliance on data.
• There are many tools at your disposal for gauging customer needs, like surveys and interviews.
• Bolstering your company’s efficiency and reducing waste can lead to higher-quality deliverables.

With Six Sigma, customer satisfaction comes first. We’ve talked at length in the past about the various nomenclature, techniques, and so forth that drive Six Sigma. As a comprehensive discipline, it is a transformative means of making your organization the best it can be.

However, it is a methodology and approach that takes the customer’s wants and needs into careful consideration. So, if you’re looking to make the jump, let’s take a look at how Six Sigma bolsters customer confidence in your products.

Customer Satisfaction: The Six Sigma Approach

So, how exactly does Six Sigma boost customer satisfaction? Think about it, what is one of the core tenets of the methodology itself? If your answer is data, you’re correct. Data is the lifeblood of any Six Sigma organization. Data is the driving force behind any decisions you’re making, and it is one of the leading factors in how you’re improving customer relations and satisfaction.

Further, it isn’t just raw data that is driving customer satisfaction. Several different factors go into how this data is interpreted that impact customer relations. Rather than leave you hanging, we’ll explore the different factors, and how they relate to customers as well as to your organization.

For active practitioners of Six Sigma and organizations already adhering to this methodology, this is going to be a retread. However, for newcomers to the discipline, you’ll hopefully find the resolve you need to take the next step forward.

Understanding Customer Needs

Anyone can make a product or service. However, what determines the efficacy of your product is how well it meets customer needs. While certain products and services can hit specific niches, that isn’t going to be viable without a few extra steps along the way.

So, with that in mind, let’s look at some of the determining factors in how Six Sigma drives customer satisfaction. Keep in mind the tools and methodologies in use here are basic concepts anyone can enact at their business.

What you do with the data points is the more important matter to consider. You might be meeting customer needs, but what if the quality isn’t there? Don’t fret, we’ve got some complementary tools that’ll get you going in no time.

Surveys

One of the most valuable tools at your disposal is customer surveys. These rely on variable sample sizes and are conducted in some flexible ways. Surveys can be attached to emails, e-commerce portals, phone calls, or even through snail mail. However, what makes surveys useful is that you can shape your production around customer needs.

A company setting out to develop a new automobile might survey potential customers about features and amenities that are desired. Food manufacturers might gauge interest by asking about ingredients, food allergies, and so forth.

This isn’t just for potential products either, you can use it for products that are already on the market. One of the top ways Six Sigma drives customer satisfaction is by paying attention to customer wants.

User Testing

You’ve got a minimum viable product that meets customer needs, so what next? Well, one of the most useful tools at your disposal is going to be user testing. This can be conducted internally, externally, or with the use of potential customers. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

You get an idea of where things are going wrong, what you’re doing right, and what areas might need improvement. Further, it gives you useful data points, both discrete and continuous for further analysis. If you’re looking to increase customer satisfaction, user testing is just one of the ways to go.

In my former haunt of the tech industry, user testing is crucial. When you consider how complex modern software is to create, you want to make sure it is easy to use, robust and meets most of your customer needs. User testing is a source of insights beyond just raw data, you can further hone down your product until you’re meeting what your customers are after.

Other Sources of Data

You’ve got several other options when it comes to gathering data. Beyond the aforementioned tools, you can make use of detailed customer interviews, analysis of customer reviews, and the development of focus groups.

You want all the data you can get a hand on when developing a product. Make sure you’ve got what you need before setting out to get deliverables to your customers.

Acting on It

So, you’ve got plenty of data points, what now? Well, if you’re looking to increase customer satisfaction, then you’ll be looking to put this data to use. The data gathered is a great way of shaping your products. One of the most difficult parts of increasing customer satisfaction is acting upon your data in a viable way.

However, with the right data points, you’re more than ready to get things rolling.

Quality Deliverables

This might seem basic, but you want quality deliverables. What do I mean by that? I mean you’re looking to deliver goods that meet customer satisfaction while minimizing defects. That’s easier said than done, especially when considering the various things that can go wrong in production.

That’s where gathering data comes to the fore once again. Throughout all of your processes, you’ll want to gather data points to make sure processes are functioning as intended. A minimum of defects or a Sigma Level of 6 is ideal. However, that might not be achievable, especially if you’re spinning up a whole new production line.

Striving for a Sigma Level of 5 is good enough for most organizations. There is always room for improvement, but you don’t want customers ranting about how shoddy your output is.

Promotions and Sales

Companies live and die by streams of revenue. As such, you might want to consider the occasional promotion or sale. At the launch of a product, this can be a great way to get early birds in the door. Sales down the road after a product’s introduction is a handy way of getting customers back into the fold.

Six Sigma has a metric for this, the customer demand rate. Determining the customer demand rate is relatively simple, you’re looking at your total customers, the frequency of their orders, and the size of their orders.

Further, you can take a closer look at Takt Time to get a better handle on your current standing. A sudden sale could see a shot in the arm to your customer demand, in turn increasing revenue. Sales also can help to get stubborn customers who might not swing for full price.

Competitive Pricing

While this last point isn’t inherently a core tenet of Six Sigma, it is worth considering for customer satisfaction. Your price point needs to be in line with market expectations. Think about it, if you’re launching a new pickup truck, you’re not pricing it in the same bracket as a luxury SUV.

Part of increasing customer satisfaction is paying attention to customer expectations. Beyond quality expectations, you also need to pay attention to price expectations. You don’t want to be left in the dark because a competitor has released a similar product that has severely undercuts what you’ve prepared.

Understanding the Needs of Your Organization

Customer satisfaction is only one part of the equation in Six Sigma. We’ve discussed concepts like the voice of the customer and the voice of the process. However, your business isn’t going to survive without listening to your own needs.

As such, you need to consider striking a fine balance between your organization’s needs and customer satisfaction. Thankfully, many of these suggestions feed into increasing customer satisfaction as a whole.

Streamlining Processes

When you’re setting out to develop a new production line, you’re going to come across situations where things go slower than expected. Now, I’m not suggesting you do anything that would endanger yourself or your customers. However, there is always room for improvement.

Processes will naturally be streamlined as time goes on. However, you can use measurements like Process Time to get a handle on just how long everything is taking in each process.

Reduction of Waste

One of the core concepts in Lean Six Sigma is the reduction of waste. Waste comes in many forms, but you can see it as wasted time, excess material used in production, and so forth. While the early days of any production line, especially if you’re building a new organization, are prone to waste, it isn’t going to stay that way.

While this doesn’t directly impact customer satisfaction, it has cascading effects. Reducing waste means your team can focus on what truly matters.

Increasing Efficiency

These are all complementary principles, so it only stands to reason that the reduction of waste and streamlining of your processes would lead to the development of greater overall efficiency. You have a plethora of metrics and tools at your disposal here, like hypothesis testing, process time, work time, and so forth.

These are all worthy topics, but simply put, if you’re new to Six Sigma, you’ve got tools in the toolbox to handle things. It is a team effort to increase customer satisfaction, so take care to engage every part of your team to wring every last drop of efficiency out of your processes.

I’m not saying it is simple or easy, because it certainly isn’t. However, with the right preparation, you’ll be delivering quality deliverables while meeting all the needs of your business’s voice.

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

We’ve discussed customer satisfaction at length, so it’s time to cast a little light on some of the other tools at your disposal. While Six Sigma is one valid approach to transforming your organization, you might also want to consider the likes of the Toyota Production System. TPS is the direct inspiration for Lean but has some key differences to keep in mind.

Additionally, you might want to consider looking into the differences between PDSA and PDCA. These are both approaches to process improvement, similar to DMAIC. However, they have some key differences and use cases you’ll want to keep in mind before putting them to use.

Conclusion

So, does Six Sigma improve customer satisfaction? I think you’ll find that the methodology is more than suited for meeting and exceeding customer expectations. However, as with any topic we cover, it is going to be up to you and your team to make the most of it.

Don’t get left in the dust by companies already incorporating Six Sigma to meet the demands and expectations of their customers.

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