Customer Driven Quality

Essay by mrbudziszUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, April 2005

download word file, 3 pages 5.0

In today's market customer satisfaction can make or break an organization. Competition is fierce and companies are in continuous battles to attract new customers and retain the old. Service has become just as important as the product being sold. So what is the most important factor in the success or failure of an organization? Quality. The organization that can provide the highest level of quality will succeed. Years ago, manufacturing companies attempted to improve the level of quality by tuning the processes that were used to develop their products. The manufacturer determined the level of quality and the amount of focus on quality. In the rapid changing, globally competitive market, the focus has shifted to the customer. To provide total customer satisfaction and the desired level of quality organizations must involve their customers in the quality process by asking them not only what they need, but what they want as well, and then generate the results.

This is the shift from the older manufacturer driven improvement process to the new customer driven improvement process. Organizations must continually explore new ways to meet and exceed customer's demands for quality through total quality management improvements. The goals are determined by the input from customers, and the results are shown in the service provided. The managers must have a strong role in the implementation of any quality changes within the organization. The quality improvement process involves planning, implementation, and effective management with the ability to oversee the process from start to finish. There have been many organizations that neglected the management phase, which resulted in failure. So how should organizations manage such a immense quality improvement change? Individuals must be responsible for the quality improvement process and it must include employees from the top of the organization to the bottom. Customer driven quality...