Identifying Process Improvements for Better Customer Satisfaction Voice of Your Customer Lunch & Learn Identifying Process Improvements for Better Customer Satisfaction FACILITATOR GUIDE You can either set the Lunch & Learn up as a brown bag event to keep the cost minimal, or entice participation by buying pizza for the group. You will need a flipchart and markers to capture notes. If an internet hook-up or wireless is available, you can use the connection to display the specific customer feedback under discussion. This is a simple and low cost Lunch & Learn program designed to help you 1) create in your team awareness of the importance of listening to the voice of your customer and 2) identify practical process improvements that will result in improved customer service. The cultural statement you make by elevating the importance of listening to the voice of your customer is as important of not more important than any process changes identified in the work session. Your team will be encouraged to find ways to deliver higher levels of customer service on their own because they will see it is important to you as EDO leader.

Meeting Objective Listen to the Voice of Our Customer and identify the top 3 process improvements our EDO can make to deliver improved customer satisfaction. FACILITATOR GUIDE As preparation for the Lunch & Learn, request participants to review the customer feedback available at http://strengtheningbrandamerica.com/voice-of-your-customer/ Identify the customers you plan to focus the discussion on in advance. Set the expectation that at the meeting participants will be asked to answer the following questions - What was the most relevant point of the counsel from each customer? Is the customer talking about an opportunity we could improve upon? If the judgment is yes - Which of our current work processes are involved?

Agenda Review the counsel from our customers. Identify the two highest leverage opportunities for work process improvement. Brainstorm practical ways to do the work better. Agree on action steps to better meet customer expectations. FACILITATOR GUIDE If you have 10 or more people divide the group into teams with no less than 3 people per team. Assign a team leader who will summarize the discussion. It is important to encourage involvement. Do not hesitate to call on individuals who seem disinterested or preoccupied. Forcing participation reinforces the importance your EDO places on listening to the voice of your customer.

What Is Our Customer Telling Us? FACILITATOR GUIDE Start by writing the customer’s name on the top of a flipchart page (one page per customer). Ask the group if anyone can tell you which company the customer is with. Ask the group if s/he is somebody your EDO has done business with in the past. Start the discussion by having people volunteer their opinion on what the customer’s message was. Capture the comments and write each under the customer’s name on the appropriate flipchart page. Ask the group why they think the message was important enough the customer chose to share it. How does it affect the customer’s ability to do their job? Write a summary of the feedback on the appropriate flipchart page. Repeat the process until each customer’s feedback has been discussed.

Which Messages Should We Work On? FACILITATOR GUIDE Not all customer feedback will be equally relevant to your EDO performance. It is important to work on the few most important that will make a real difference if improved. Give everybody 5 votes and instruction to cast them any way they want. But, each person is limited to 5 only. They are voting on which customer feedback to work as a group. They can assign their votes any way they want across the customers on the flipchart as long as they only cast 5 votes in total. For example, somebody might put 1 vote on customer A, 2 on customer B, and 2 ob Customer C. Somebody else might decide to cast all 5 votes on customer D because s/he feels strongly that the message that customer is delivering is important for your EDO to address. Votes are cast by making a checkmark with the marker on the flipchart page next to the customer’s name. Only allow 3 minutes for this exercise to be completed. Select the 2 - 3 messages that received the most votes into the next step to be worked further.

Opportunities For Improvement FACILITATOR GUIDE For each message selected, display the flipchart page that has the customer name and message at the top on the wall so everybody can read it. Ask the group to identify the work process in your EDO that impacts the opportunity for improvement defined by the customer. Write the process(es) down on the appropriate flipchart page. Ask the group to identify the barriers to doing it the way the customer wants it to be done. Write the barriers on the appropriate flipchart page. As a group, brainstorm different ways to get the work done that could lead to a better outcome. Capture all thoughts with no judgment and write them on the flipchart page. Repeat the process until each selected customer message is addressed.

Commitment to Action FACILITATOR GUIDE Go back to the first customer flipchart page displayed on the wall and ask the group to 1) reread and think about the information and 2) brainstorm action steps for improvement. Capture the suggestions on the appropriate flipchart page. Ask the group to look a the suggestions and identify at least one action step they can commit to delivering. When you have the one identified (note there might only be one suggestion period), ask for a volunteer or assign a person to be responsible for ensuring the process improvement idea is executed in your EDO. Repeat the process until each of the selected flipchart pages is completed.

Thank You The difference between winning more often than losing is delivering what the customer needs. The best way to know what the customer needs is to listen to the voice of the customer. But, listening is not enough. You need to change the way you do things in order to meet the customer’s need. FACILITATOR GUIDE This is an opportunity to reinforce your leadership commitment to customer service. Thank everybody for participating. Before adjourning, set a follow-up date to review implementation progress with the people who volunteered or you assigned to ensure the agreed to process improvement. Publicly setting the follow-up date informs everybody that you are serious about ensuring the change occurs and customer service is strengthened. Follow-upon the agreed to date and publicly praise progress at the start of your next Lunch & Learn meeting to listen to the Voice of Your Customer.