By: Beth Schaefer    Director, Institute for Professional Development

It happened again last week.  I was at a meeting where a policy revision was announced.  As the policy changes were being laid out, several people in the room had questions that did not have answers.  It became clear to me that the customer had not been included in the policy redesign.

And, it eventually became clear to the person presenting the new policy.  As the questions were being asked, I could see the “ah ha moment” occur.  The lightbulb went on that the policy had addressed a symptom of the problem and not the actual root cause of the problem.   So much so that the person said, “The real problem here is….”  The policy went back to the drawing board.

I get it…  

• You may not think you have customers for internal processes.
• You already have a pretty clear idea of what will work and getting customers involved takes time – You can roll things out faster if you just do it.
• Your department owns the process. You know best.
• Your department has the power to set your policies.
• Not every little change needs to be a big deal.

I, too, am tempted to just get things done. I love crossing tasks off my checklist.  I want to skip the meetings, the feedback, the extra time and extra steps – besides, it is not like I can every make everybody happy.

I do not think making everyone happy can be a goal, but even spending a little bit of time on customer viewpoint will reap benefits.

The Voice of Customer (VOC) Benefits:

• The customer’s voice focuses on the root cause of the problem/opportunity.

As you talk with your customers about the problem you are solving, they can help you with their struggles.  The nuances that they bring to the problem will ensure that you are solving the root cause of the problem rather than addressing a symptom.  For instance, maybe you will discover that the process is sufficient, but nobody is aware of it.  Better communication, not a new process, would solve the problem.

• The VOC can make solutions better.

The variety of viewpoints that customers bring to the problem can be an opportunity to be creative with your solution.  When you use something every day multiple times a day, you may get tunnel vision.  Opening your perspective can help you use a new lens to view a routine situation.

• You avoid rework.

Solving the wrong problem.  Designing a process that is too cumbersome. Coming up with a partial solution.  These are all mistakes that can be avoided if you take the time to seek feedback from the people who will use the policy or process.

• Customer voice determines the communication plan.

The best solution can be lost with bad communication.  Understanding who your customers are and how they use the policy or process should help you tailor the communication on the change.  It should tell you the best method of communication.  It should tell you where to store the information for reference.  It should tell you the level of detail and the vocabulary you need for people to understand the change.

• Identifying your customers helps you implement the policy or process.

Audience is important for buy-in.  You can make any changes you want, but if people do not buy into the change, you have more work on your hands.  Yes, you can order people to do things, but, people have tactics to resist – especially here in the passive/aggressive Midwest.  Do these sound familiar?

• I did not know we had started that yet.
• I could not find the new policy/form/process.
• I was on vacation, so I did not know.
• I tried, but my computer would not open the (document, form, link).
• I was using the new process, but (insert name here) did not know about it, so I quit doing it
• The old way is easier and faster; I do not have time for the new way
• I am waiting for the official training before I start
• My supervisor has not told me to start that yet…

I could go on and so could you.

Even the smallest changes can benefit from some feedback.  Think of your VOC as an accordion.   If the change is small, spend a little bit of time on VOC.  If the change is large, spend a lot of time on VOC.  And, the larger the impact, the more time I would spend on determining your value proposition – matching your solution to get gains for your customer pains.