Using TQM to improve customer satisfaction

Manufacturing firms are always looking for different ways to improve customer satisfaction. One method that tends to work well is to implement Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM focus on reducing product defects by improving your manufacturing process. TQM is a company-wide approach to saving money and improving customer satisfaction. Before you implement TQM, address the following questions:
1. Do we have enough managers to implement and monitor TQM?
2. Can the entire company commit to a quality change?
3. Do we have time to check for product defects and reduce wastes?

TQM is not easy to implement, it will take a few months before the entire program is up and running. In order for it to work effectively, you need to have strong mangers. The managers are in charge of boosting employee morale about the new system and getting them excited for a change. This is not an easy task for anyone, especially because employees tend to resist changes.

Implementing TQM is a great way to boost employee satisfaction. Since the entire process focuses on reducing waste and improving products, customers will receive a higher-quality product for the same price or for a lower cost. This will help to boost their trust in your company as you produce high-quality products unlike your competitors that may be focused on earning more money from them.

One of the biggest parts of TQM is customer satisfaction. The products are made to order which means the products they receive will be as fresh as possible (which makes many customers hold your company to a higher level of trust). Ensuring your customers are always happy with their products is not an easy task, but it is possible. Use customer surveys to find out what the common customer complaints are. You not only need to find out if you meeting their expectations, but you need to find out if you are satisfying your customers needs. While customer needs and customer satisfaction seems like the same thing, they are actually 2 very different things. One goal is focused on producing a product and pricing it appropriately. When the customer buys the product, they will set an expectation on it based on its price. If it meets their price expectations, you have satisfied customer satisfaction. Now, the trick is satisfying their needs, which means you are satisfying the paying customer.

As you implement TQM, you will see that your customers are divided into 2 unique categories; you're paying customers and your next-level customers. The paying customer is the person that buys the product with a specific need in mind with the hope that the product will satisfy their needs. The next-level customers are the people that have someone else buy the product and they use it.

To satisfy customer needs and wants, make a list of all the different types of customers you have. You may have employees that are customers, which is a great way to get some instant feedback. Once you have a list of all your customers, you can create different product goals for them. Determine some of the reasons why these individuals may be using your product and why they continue to use your product over and over again. Use your employees to test your products and find out what would make the employees happier with the product. Employees are put into a unique position because they want to suggest things that will make them satisfied as an employee (to get a raise) and to keep them satisfied as a customer. This is a great way to increase their responsibility within the company and to find out first-hand information from your customers.