American industry seems to have entered the decade keenly aware of the strategic importance of satisfied customers. Yet, satisfying the customer on a daily basis is much easier to discuss than it is to accomplish. With customer satisfaction as the goal, companies are quickly learning the important lesson that it all begins with product development. At Case, we are attempting to “weave” the critical areas of marketing, engineering, manufacturing, and sales and service into a “quilt” of customer satisfaction. Satisfying the customer, we are learning, has many faces. From market research into the needs and wants of the customer, to concept and feasibility analysis, to engineering and prototypes, to manufacturing and sales, Case is learning the key lessons of quality improvement and team deployment. This paper is about the strategic roles of marketing, engineering, manufacturing, and sales/service in recognizing and aggressively greeting the many faces of customer satisfaction for our 590 backhoe/loader. The story we have to tell is one of a company coming to fully appreciate the challenge and rewards of listening to the “voice of the customer”.
