5 Key Steps for Total Quality Management Process

Is there any doubt in the fact that only those organizations grow fast that remain in the continuous improvement mode? Companies spend millions of dollars in research and development and learning from every stakeholder including staff, customers and competitors.

Buzz of “TQM” or “Total Quality Management” is heard in the management discussions. TQM allows organizations to learn from current practices and improve upon the quality of their of service,

product or procedure. It is rightly considered as an essential element of best management practices.

Size and depth of process improvement programs may vary from company to company, depending on the complexities, nature of business and age of the company. In addition to TQM, these programs may include Business Reengineering, Lean, and Six Sigma.

These are generally focused at identifying cost cutting measures, quick and efficient processes, reduction in wastage etc. But in most cases, continuity of these measures depends on the organizational culture. It is recommended that while embarking upon any of these improvement drives, senior management must consider how to embed the culture for continuous improvement in the organization.

One of the key areas is the customer service that has been the focus of TQM for many years. And it is an important and very delicate one too!

Following are 5 major things to consider while designing a TQM monitoring process for Customer Service Department:

Monitoring Customer Complaints:

Remember not everyone complain, dissatisfied customers just stop using product or service. Those who complain must be considered as kings as they have taken out time to call or write to you. These complaints must be recorded properly to monitor the trends.

After Sales Service Calls:

Train your technicians to go beyond fixing the fault in the product. They should memorize a simple questionnaire to assess levels of customer satisfaction (or dissatisfaction). Remember they are meeting your customer and their input will be of immense importance.

Customer Satisfaction Surveys:

This is the most common way to assess the level of customer satisfaction. Generally speaking, response rate of email or snail mail surveys is about 10%. Since it is a small percentage, questionnaire needs to be designed to cover wide aspects of product or services.

Monitoring Compliments:

You will be surprised to note that not many company monitor bouquets, these are compliments

received from their happy customers. This is a serious mistake! These are important customers, it is highly recommended to record why they were happy and how can you improve further. They are the people who will give you time to talk over phone. Some companies by giving importance to their happy customers go a little further and appreciate them and offer a reward or a small gift.

Repeat Customers:

It is highly important to keep track of your repeat customers. Their return means that they trust your product or service. See how can you give them a little extra care? Will they be happy to refer more customers to you and perhaps become partner in promoting your brand?

I would like to share the following comment made by Michael Schrage, a research fellow at MIT Sloan School’s Center for Digital Business, is the author of Serious Play.

“Paying close attention to customer complaints is a leadership “best practice.” Here’s a better practice: Pay even closer attention to people’s complaints about customers. Few things say more about organizational culture and character than how employees complain about the customers and clients they serve.”