Customer focus is one of the 7 principles of the Komatsu Way. This means that customer satisfaction is our driving force, and knowing their opinion about our performance is fundamental to continue on the path of continuous improvement. Likewise, our distributors are key, as they play a strategic role in the relationship we build with our customers.
Along these lines, and with the aim of knowing the voice of both customers and distributors, and identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement, Komatsu has two tools, voice of the client (VOC) and voice of the distributor (VOD), which use surveys to measure different parameters to determine the state of the relationship and their degree of satisfaction and closeness to Komatsu. By analyzing the results of both surveys, we are able to identify findings and opportunities for improvement that become initiatives and projects that we address within the framework of continuous improvement.
It is worth noting that both, so far, are conducted annually being their most recent version this fiscal year 2024. VOD is aimed at distributors, from senior executives to analysts who maintain an ongoing relationship with Komatsu. In relation to VOC, this year a pilot was implemented aimed at customers of third-party distributors, considering in this opportunity 6 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Panama, Ecuador, Guatemala and Uruguay.
Our distributors are a fundamental link in our relationship with customers and, therefore, their feedback is crucial to establish the model of continuous improvement that we aspire to be the backbone of our operations. This is where VOD allows us to get first-hand knowledge of their views on several central issues of our operations in the region.
The FY24 version of VOD was successful in the sense that it achieved a response rate of 89%, significantly surpassing the 72% obtained in the FY22 measurement. This higher participation is relevant, as we can gain a more global perspective of the evaluation made by our distributors, and thus drill down on aspects of value, such as good communication and the positive impact of JWM, and correct those that require our prompt attention, such as speeding up response times and better adapting solutions and strategies to the specific needs of each market and distributor, among other results.
“I appreciate the opportunity provided by Komatsu to participate in this survey and their interest in considering the voice of the distributor. I emphasize the importance of teamwork between KHSA and IMASA to know firsthand what both the distributor and the customer need; allowing us to improve day by day and thus be able to offer a good service. These continuous improvements are key to achieve customer satisfaction.”
Mariela Santori
Head of Equipment Sales Administration
Igarreta Machines
Komatsu, since 2022 has been working on the standardization of strategic indicators measured through the Voice of the Customer, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS), initially focused on our own distributors such as: Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru, and by 2024 the countries were expanded by adding third party distributors through a pilot.
The VOC indicators measure customer experience parameters such as the level of recommendation, satisfaction with the distributor’s support, positioning in relation to the competition, and suggestions for improving the products and services offered, among others.
In order to ensure that the surveys are correctly implemented and partially managed, this process is implemented through an external consultant.
Based on these results, we can evaluate if we are meeting our customers’ expectations, or if it is necessary to redefine or incorporate some relevant points to obtain the best service and responsiveness we are looking for. In this way, we can work together with our distributors to identify these improvement initiatives and define action plans to be implemented.
This process is currently in the process of determining its expansion in terms of the number of countries to be covered in Latin America and also in terms of its application methodology.
“Komatsu’s initiative in knowing the opinion of its distributors’ customers is a growth tool for Komatsu as well as for the manufacturer and also for us who face the end customers; besides being a healthy way to jointly ensure the satisfaction of the end customers.”
Bienvenido Lora
Technical Services Director
Reid & Company
*For further information contact: daniela.martinez@global.komatsu
