There will be numerous opportunities to respond to customer inquiries, provide information to customers, and react to problems. Immediate response is critical even if it is only to let the customer know that work is underway. Involving external customers helps build a team approach that results in openness and trust. There are opportunities to involve customers. Typical ones are design reviews, supplier audits, Corrective Action Teams, CAT team reviews, testing, and problem solving.
Customers appreciate the opportunity to participate and they frequently make valuable contributions.
The concepts for achieving satisfaction with internal customers are the same as those for satisfying external customers. The goal is to always meet the customers' requirements and always satisfy their needs. Meeting the internal customers' requirements accurately, completely, and on time will contribute to the satisfaction of the external customer. There will be situations, however, in which individuals will be faced with priority decisions between satisfying external customers and satisfying internal customers. The rule is that the external customer always comes first.