Customer focus & Needs and Expectations of Interested Parties

I have been dealing with an ISO 9001 Certified company because I bought one of their products. It prompted me to think about what these 2 requirements of ISO 9001 actually look like (at least, to a customer).

Firstly, the packaging hardly made it through the first third of the total journey and required repacking. The product arrived and an inner box had a huge hole in it which made me wonder what might have escaped.

A packing slip was included and listed 4 items (which were ambiguously checked off) and I received 2 items, one of which wasn't ON the packing slip! Should I have received the others?

The website photograph showed a picture of the product with more items than I received. Did they get lost in the damaged packaging incident?

The carrier "lost" the package and were unable to track it. I finally - after many calls - managed to track it to the main carrier's facility - a 30 miles drive away,

I asked the supplier "Where's the instructions?" "Is there a fitting kit"? The packing slip doesn't tell me anything and is, apparently, inaccurate.

I was told "ship it back to us if you have a problem", which would have cost $200 and despite me telling them the product is fine, I just don't know what I got is a) complete and b) how to assemble it.

Finally, a marketing department representative had the sense to listen to me request and sent some photographs and basic instructions,

My question is: Despite having an ISO 9001 Certificate (from a renowned British Certification Body), does this supplier a) have a clue about customer focus and b) understand the needs and expectations of interested parties?

 

Your RL situation reminds me of why I like to distinguish between Customer SATISFACTION and Customer EXPERIENCE. In this case, technically, you are "satisfied" (somewhat) by getting the photographs and instructions, however, your experience has been less than ideal. And that experience alone may be reason enough for you to think about offering them repeat business.

That said, maybe their were following their process. Their process is to have the part shipped back. Not necessarily the best process but if that's what they have and they followed it...well...hello, certification. They're also not expected to be perfect - unless that's their documented target - so, lucky you, you could be one of those allowable dissatisfied customers.

I remember when I first started in the world of ISO 9001 and in the job interview they asked me to summarize it in under 10 seconds. I replied, "As long as you're making consistent crap, you can still be certified." At that time, customer requirements weren't really a part of the requirement - am I showing my age? Job offer was made on the spot and I managed to ready both of their Canadian locations for successful certification.

 

True, and it's right up there with concrete life preservers! In today's ISO 9001 world, I'm not so certain it should be true, however...

 

MRH - if your goal is simply to maintain a certificate, then it's going to become a monster you'll have to feed. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, bit ISO 9001 has NEVER been about that myth "Say what you do, do what you say". That was a simply an adage coined by an early certification achiever (in the USA) because they believed that's all you had to do. Of course, in those days all auditors did was check compliance, which is when the second myth of making "concrete life preservers" became common. Both are a) totally ridiculous and b) highly inaccurate.

Yes, some auditors think that way, but as I posted in my thread about Customer focus, the people who pay you will notice - by which time it's too late for you to fix!

 

Far from an ISO "con" Kyle, it's what hapless Certification Body auditors and "fly-by-night" consultants have peddled for years - as MRH stated earlier (the consultants didn't even know the industry)

 

Not really MRH. The flaw is, perhaps, in the choice of auditor/Certifier chosen.

 

I'd be dusting off my resume...