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This
Week’s Topic:
Drive
Continuous Improvement with
“The World’s Best Follow-up
Question”
Is there a single question that will drive continuous
improvement in any situation? The qualifier “any situation” covers a lot of
territory but I believe there is a phrase that meets the
criteria. It is truly the “World’s Best Follow-up
Question” or, because I’m a consultant, the WBFUQ.
Interestingly, I did not learn the WBFUQ from some
Six Sigma guru
at a major corporation or even from an article or
white paper. Instead, as often happens, the insight came
from a real world experience. In this case the lesson was
from a very perceptive manager at a small restaurant.
While traveling on business some years ago I had dinner
at a mid-priced establishment. After the meal the manager
came to the table to ask if the food and service were
satisfactory. This is pretty common practice at many
restaurants and without much thought I gave the usual
response that everything was fine. If I had been thinking
about process improvement at that time I would have
realized that general feedback was of very little value.
But then, politely, the manager revealed the World’s
Best Follow-up Question: “If there was one thing we could
do to make your visit more pleasant,” he asked, “what would
it be?”
Wow, what a great question! It was what an engineering
professor would call simple but elegant. In one sentence
the manager simultaneously accomplished a number of
objectives:
- As a customer, I was flattered that the manager really
valued my opinion
- At the same time, I didn’t feel hesitant about
mentioning something relatively minor - after all, the
manager had asked
- The wording didn’t imply that there should be any
problem, just that the restaurant was looking to make a
good experience even better
- It made a lasting impression on me and I will return to
the restaurant when I’m in the area
- Most importantly, it provided the manager with specific
and actionable information about something that could be
improved
As I thought about it, I realized the WBFUQ has
universal application.
- Ms. Customer, if we could do one thing to make our
product better suit your needs, what would it be?
- Mr. Colleague, if we could do one thing to improve our
department’s contribution, what would it be?
- Class, if we could do one thing to make this training
better, what would it be?
- Say Boss, if I could do one thing to improve my
evaluation next year, what would it be?
The next time you have the opportunity to evaluate your
services with a customer or colleague, consider using the
World’s Best Follow-Up Question and let us know if you
agree with our opinion. To add your experience follow the
link to Our Blog.
Interested in more ways to improve operations and
increase earnings at the same time? We invite you to
download our white paper “Targeted Lean Six
Sigma". You are also welcome to browse the
list of
free white papers and other articles at Free Resources.
If you have a topic that you
would like addressed, or an Insight you would like to pass
along, e-mail us at: Jack.Rink@rmdonovan.c
om
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