Who do you think your customers really are?

I was reminded today of some training many years ago teaching Six Sigma. The example was filling a car with fuel as part of a process mapping exercise and caused some confusion. It was after all a good teaching aid.

Who was the customer? The car, the driver, the fuel station? I’m pretty sure I got the whole range of them over the times it was taught. Sometimes in the same course.

Quite early on there is a section called Define where you work out what the problem really is. Part of this involves customers and their requirements. But what customers do we mean?

To many the customer is the person that ends up receiving your product or service.

But, all too often we forget that most of our customers are internal. All handovers of information in the office, to parts flowing down a production line all have a supplier customer relationship. These all need defining as they each have their individual requirements and are vital to smooth communication.

Imagine the scenario, where the business landscape has changed, and those relationships are not so obvious. Staff working all over the place and not in regular physical contact with each other. Those processes need to be clearly defined, mapped, and understood.

All customers are then better understood.

Simon

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