Tools for Collecting Voice of the Customer

Lean Six Sigma is focused on reducing waste and providing the right value to the customer. Therefore, it is critical to understand the customer, what their needs are, and what they value. Tools for collecting the voice of the customer (VOC) help you gather information about customer needs and pain points. Use those tools as part of the analysis of the current state during the plan phase of A3 PDCA methodology. The following are tips for consideration when using tools for collecting VOC.

• With any direct customer contact (interviews, focus groups, etc.), the stakes are high. Make sure you are organized, professional, and follow up with the results so that customers don’t feel their time was wasted.
• Surveys are best used to confirm or quantify theories about customer needs or identify most important issues for further research.
• Interviews are recommended when you need to develop a deep understanding of customer needs and how customers use a particular product or service. They are often used to take a deeper dive into areas of interest or concern identified through a survey.
• Focus groups are more efficient than doing separate interviews in taking a deeper dive into areas of interest or concern but are still time intensive.

The tools listed below provide an overview, tips, example, template, and a short explainer video.

Focus Groups

A method to get feedback on existing or proposed ideas, products, services, or processes from a group of customers. Focus groups allow for more creativity and open-ended answers than surveys but are not as time-consuming as interviews. Additionally, it allows participants to play off each other’s ideas or be observed interacting with physical items (products, prototypes, materials, etc.) which is hard to obtain from surveys.

Instructions:

• Identify the number and target size of the focus groups.
  • Time and cost will limit the number of focus groups that can be done.
  • Seven to 13 participants is recommended for each group.
• Identify participants for the focus groups. Mix representatives of different customer segments or focus on a specific segment or people known to have an interest in the topic.
• Develop the questions and do a pilot to test the ease of gathering and analyzing data.
• Conduct the focus groups. If the team does not have experience conducting focus groups, consider outside help.
• Transcribe the comments from the focus groups.
• Use an affinity diagram to group related customer statements and identify common themes.
• Use customer statements to develop requirements for products or services.

Tips:

• Use focus groups to clarify and define customer needs during the analysis of the current state in process improvement projects.
• Use focus groups to test concepts and get feedback during the Do and Check phases of A3 PDCA.
• Use focus groups as a preliminary step to surveys or interviews to identify topics of critical importance to customers.
• Use focus groups as a follow-up to interviews or surveys to verify lessons or information learned, or dive deeper into certain topics.

Sample Focus Group Questions

Interviews

A method to learn about individual customers’ point of view on service issues, product or service attributes, or performance indicators. Interviews help establish direct communication with individual customer(s), allow for flexibility and deeper probing into customer needs as well as provide an opportunity for customers to feel “listened to.”

Instructions:

• Clarify the purpose of the interviews. What is the role of the interviews in the project? How will the information received be used?
• Prepare a list of questions.
• Determine the interview method (face-to-face, phone, virtual).
• Decide how many interviewers and interviewees will participate.
• Do practice interviews to refine the script, the questions, and the interview process.
• Contact customers and arrange the interviews. Consider sending out a confirmation email stating the purpose of the interview and providing a list of general topics to be covered.
• Decide how you will collect data from the interviews. Inform the customers if you plan to record the interview and obtain their permission.
• Conduct interviews.
• Transcribe notes and proceed with data analysis.

Tips:

• Use interviews at different points in the project for different purposes. If used at the beginning of a project, interviews highlight what is important to customers to support the development of hypothesis about customer expectations, which can then be verified through a survey.
• If used in the middle of the project, interviews can help clarify certain points or better understand why a particular issue is important to customers as well as test ideas with customers.
• If used at the end of the project, interviews can clarify findings and validate improvements.

Sample Interview Questions

Survey

A method to get quantitative data across an entire customer base or segment regarding their reaction to a product or service using relevant questions. Surveys provide a critical source of data and insights into customer thoughts, opinions, feelings, understanding, etc.

Instructions:

• Discuss and document survey objectives – what questions are you trying to answer with that survey?
• Determine the required sample size, if needed. Consider if you need to make the survey bilingual, e.g., English and Spanish.
• Write draft questions and determine measurement scales.
  • Identify the specific information you need to collect.
  • Numerical scales are easier to record and compare (rating items from 1 to 5 in importance), but qualitative scales are sometimes more appropriate (“Not at all interested” to ”Very interested”). See more information and examples of Likert scale questions.
• Determine if the survey will be anonymous and how you will implement that.
• Design the survey using a survey tool (MS Forms is recommended survey tool for DFA) and get feedback.
• Submit test responses, review, and make adjustments, as necessary. Conduct a pilot test, if surveying a very large population.
• Finalize the survey.
• Send out the survey link in email or distribute in any other way appropriate such as print surveys, if applicable.
• Send reminder emails, as appropriate.
• Close the survey, compile, and analyze results.
• Summarize and share results, as appropriate.

Tips:

• Make sure you allow enough time for participants to respond to a survey (one week minimum, ideally two weeks).
• Always test your survey and test all possible answer choices.
• Use a variety of questions (different question types, open and closed ended questions, etc.)
• Avoid asking leading questions, such as "How excited are you about our new product?".
• Use simple language.
• Include as few questions as possible; this will increase your response rate.
• Think about the logical order of your questions.
• Consider which questions should be mandatory.
• You can create a MS form using a template. Navigate to portal.office.com, login using your UCI credentials, navigate to Forms, Explore Templates, and pick a template to start customizing.

MS Survey Templates

Survey Example: Diversity and Inclusion Conversation Engagements 2023