Introduction
The existence of organizations depends on the behavior of numerous internal and external aspects, considered in an interdependent relationship, aimed at guaranteeing the objectives derived from the Mission that the entity must fulfill in its context.
Among the elements that organizations need to address in a prioritized way is continuous quality improvement, which is linked to all components of the organizational system.
This work specifically addresses the link between Continuous Quality Improvement and External Customer Satisfaction, highlighting its importance. Likewise, information is offered about the current situation of the measurement of External Customer Satisfaction and the use of its results, in a group of Cuban entities.
The analysis carried out is valid for any type of organization and may also be useful for entities located in other parts of the world.
Development
External Customer Satisfaction can be defined as the expression of the customer's evaluation of the impact that the product / service has on him.
While the continuous improvement of quality is a systematic process of improvement of business management for the customer.
The importance of these two aspects not only for the proper functioning of the quality management system, but also to achieve business effectiveness, is evidenced in the recognition that of them is made in two of the principles that identify the international standards of the ISO 9000 family and its use “… in order to lead the organization towards an improvement in performance”, (NC ISO 9000, 2005, 6).
It is widely accepted that one of the characteristics present in the development of any organization is constant change. Consequently, continuous quality improvement is an essential requirement to be fulfilled by organizations in order to respond satisfactorily to their own interests and those of other interested parties.
Although continuous quality improvement is recognized and accepted as a relevant component for the proper functioning of the Quality Management System and the business system as a whole, many times the focus has been limited to the preparation of the corrective and preventive action procedures to cover the regulatory requirements, ignoring the reality of focusing on Continuous Quality Improvement as a process that can be represented as follows:
Customer satisfaction and continuous quality improvement
That is, the input of improvement suggestions by the company and other interested parties, especially the External Customer, occurs. These suggestions are subjected to an analysis process for decision-making, with scope to all organizational processes and as a way out, different proposals for Improvements / Innovations are specified that cause economic, social and environmental impacts, among others, on the company and others. concerned parties. Systematic feedback is inseparable from this process.
The process described above is incessant and, due to its relevance and impact on business performance, it cannot be left to happen spontaneously, but must be managed as an intentional systematic change that follows the patterns of the general model, widely known for decades, with the particularities imposed by the culture of each company.
In this way, at time t, the company provides a certain quality c and at time t + 1 it delivers a new quality c + 1 that converts that of time t into no quality. That is why a company that is providing quality c at time t + 1 will lose customers and affect its performance.
When External Customer Satisfaction is not measured, the company works blindly and does not understand how its efforts and resources are not bringing the expected results.
Measuring the Satisfaction of the External Customer represents obtaining the necessary information to feed the Continuous Quality Improvement, therefore, it is essential to carry out this measurement so that it is possible to conform the offers that the External Customer demands.
Logically, an analysis that focuses only on External Customer Satisfaction is incomplete since this is only one indicator that is part of a system of economic, social and environmental indicators, among others, which are an expression of the essential interdependent aspects that determine the destinations of the company.
With the purpose of providing greater practical utility to the analysis of this relationship External Customer Satisfaction / Continuous Quality Improvement, some elements of the behavior of the External Customer Satisfaction measurement and its use in a group of Cuban entities are included below.
In a first version of the work presented here, the information was provided by 2 specialists from the Human Resources area and 10 specialists from the Quality area, and 8 managers from the latter, to which the accumulated and shared personal experience was added. with other specialists and managers, 120 of them students, many of them today graduates of the Master in Management Processes and the Master in Quality and Environmental Management who developed group dynamics to discuss and analyze the issue of External Customer Satisfaction, as part of the evaluation of the eight principles that contribute to the proper functioning of the Quality Management Systems.
For this document, the results obtained in 2010 were validated, now with specialists from 27 companies participating in the Master's in Quality and Environmental Management in 2013. Basically the results do not show great variations considering the three-year period elapsed between one job and the other.
The main results show that:
- The link between external customer satisfaction and continuous quality improvement is not sufficiently exploited, the focus of continuous quality improvement as a process is not emphasized, and the use of various tools is not usual (lack of objectivity in measurement, predominance of the survey) does not measure external customer satisfaction or is measured; but no actions are taken to introduce improvements to a lesser extent the satisfaction of the external customer is measured and improvements are introduced that positively influence business performance
Main improvements made
In cases in which the improvement criteria received have been truly taken into account, benefits are reported:
- organizational characteristics of the product technological in the reduction of waiting time of the service in the facilities during service hours in new products / services
Conclusions
The analyzes carried out allow the following conclusions to be declared:
- continuous quality improvement is a process and needs to be managed there is a strong relationship between continuous quality improvement and external customer satisfaction given the relevance of the link it has with continuous quality improvement, it is essential to measure customer satisfaction In the Cuban company, there are potentialities for continuous improvement of quality, considering that the measurement of external customer satisfaction can be improved, and the measurement of the results of external customer satisfaction opens unlimited possibilities for continuous improvement of quality and, therefore, business performance
Frequently these analyzes and debates are restricted to the participation and interests of specialists in these subjects, for whom the aspects discussed here may be important and useful; but obvious. The usefulness of any content that does not cross these borders is extremely limited. That is why it is necessary to disseminate them within organizations, where they will be validated, enriched and, with this added value in knowledge, achieve outstanding individual and collective performance.
recommendations
The results reflected in this work recommend its dissemination, as well as continuing to deepen the subject and incorporate other relevant indicators into the analysis for greater benefits to the client and organizations.
Finally from the text Reflections on Quality: 295 maxims of the world quality guru:
- Reflection 231.- All the requirements come from the client in one way or another, because without clients there is no business. Reflection 116.- We think that our clients want us to do things differently. We should find out to be sure.Reflection 236.- Satisfy the customer first, later and always.
Bibliography
- Crosby P.- "Reflections on quality: 295 maxims of the world quality guru", Mc Graw - Hill, Mexico. Guerra Brittany RM and Meizoso Valdés MC, 2013. "Quality Management. Concepts Models and Tools ”. ISBN: 978-959-7211-19-8, 218 p. Ed. UH, Cuba. National Office for Standardization NC ISO 9001: 2008 "Quality Management Systems - Requirements", Cuba. National Office for Standardization NC ISO 9004: 2009 "Management for the sustained success of an organization - Management approach de la Calidad ”, Cuba.National Office for Standardization, NC ISO 9000: 2005“ Quality Management Systems - Fundamentals and Vocabulary ”, Cuba.Ramírez, JR y García, S, 2001“ Quality and Communication ”, in Management Consulting and Organizational Change, a contribution to business improvement, Ed. Félix Varela, Cuba.Ramírez García, JR, 2013, “Cuban company:Innovation, continuous improvement of quality and integration ”, DVD Annual Seminar on Cuban Economy and Business Management CEEC 2013, ISBN 978-959-234-093-0.Tabloid, VI Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba: Guidelines for Economic Policy and Social of the Party and the Revolution, Approved on April 18, 2011, Cuba.
