Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/937683
8 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2018 We've all heard the cliché: What goes around, comes around. I've always felt that was especially true in our industry, with the frequent job changes peo- ple make—much acceler- ated in recent years but always a factor, since I can remember. In my own small sphere, a co- worker at one company I worked for later became a customer of another of my employers, and this happened more than once— to different people. Another time, the tables were complete- ly turned when a customer of my company became my supplier at another. So don't burn your bridges! You never know when this will happen to you! Which brings me to our topic this month: Who's your customer? If you really think about it, it is more than that person who buys some- thing from you or your company. Aren't the ta- bles turned when you request drawings from that "customer?" Aren't you then the custom- er? We can also talk about internal custom- ers—that person or department in the compa- ny who we supply parts or information to. It's easy to see how it circles around so that we are all customers (and suppliers) of each other. OK, now we're all confused, or clear, whichev- er the case may be. In this month's survey on the topic of who is the customer, the answers were not surpris- ing. Here's a sampling of those questions, and responses: What percentage of customers work closely with you from design to assembly? A disappointing 37% said less than a quarter of their customers while just 27% claimed over 75% of their customers worked closely with them. We hear about "lack of com - munication" often. What is your customer satisfaction goal? The most common answer was somewhere between 98% and 101%. What are the most important attributes of customer service? It ran the gamut from price, quality and fast response to customer service, customer satis- faction and frequent communication. A few people also answered, "being proactive to meet customer needs." Patty's Perspective by Patty Goldman, I-CONNECT007 Everyone is a Customer; Everyone is a Supplier What percent of your customers work closely with you from design through assembly? 1-25% 51-75% 26-50% 76-100% 0% 27% said 37% said 6% said 10% said 20% said