Quality and Our Future
We live at a challenging moment in history when just about every major corporation, government agency and not-for-profit has exactly the same problem. From Cabinet officers to small town mayors, and from Fortune 500 CEOs to the owners of mom and pop sandwich shops, everyone shares one major challenge in the present economic climate: how to maintain customer satisfaction while cutting costs, and improve profitability year after year.
It is a problem that hits federal agencies especially hard. Nearly forty cents of every dollar the federal government spends is borrowed. Yet cuts that reduce customer satisfaction are bitterly opposed.
It extends to every state and subordinate jurisdiction as well, where cuts in education, roads and public safety create unhappy citizens immediately.
The problem faces corporations of all sizes. Huge companies are pressed by cheap labor overseas and a hostile international business climate. Small local business men and women struggle with rising fuel costs and declining sales. And none of them can afford to alienate customers, as they search desperately for ways to economize.
Even non-profits are feeling the heat, from major research institutions to soup kitchens.
The good news is that there is a solution to at least part of this economic challenge. The business concept is Quality Systems Management.
QSM begins with the idea that producers – whether they turn out sophisticated products, government regulations, or shelter for the homeless – must satisfy their customers. And do so in a way that reduces costs immediately and continuously improves these savings over time.
Some companies have been doing this with great success for decades. To learn what they know and profit as they have, join us next time on Quality Matters.
Please share this article!