Improving Customer Satisfaction

  1. Basic Concept
  2. Structure for Improving Customer Satisfaction
  3. Evaluations by Third Parties

Basic Concept

The Yamaha Group declares in its corporate philosophy structure, the Yamaha Philosophy, to continuously produce products and services that exceed our customers’ expectations, and to keep creating excitement, by focusing on the viewpoint of our customers. We specifically define our commitment to our customers through a particular principle referred to as the “Customer Experience.” All Yamaha employees continually remember that the purpose of their day to day work is to realize this “Customer Experience.”

The diagram of the Yamaha Philosophy

[ picture ] The diagram of the Yamaha Philosophy

Business Based on the Customer’s Viewpoint

Focusing mainly on our musical instrument and audio divisions, customers’ comments are distributed and shared globally by internal digital signage (electronic bulletin boards), the Intranet, company magazines, and posters. Furthermore, focusing mainly on the quality assurance, musical instrument and audio product development divisions, we are implementing regular training to develop customs in which employees act after considering the customer perspective.
Through these efforts, our aim is to nurture an organizational culture that utilizes a customer-oriented approach and focuses on each customer’s evaluations and requests.

[ image ] Samples of opinions received from customers (digital signage, domestic factory posters, overseas factory company newsletters)
Samples of opinions received from customers (digital signage, domestic factory posters, overseas factory company newsletters)

Example

Customer Perspective Training

Customer Perspective Training is Yamaha’s unique system of training wherein employees learn about decision-making standards and values outside of their own perspective in order to develop the habit of considering the perspective of customers in their actions. This training takes many forms, such as employees listening to product purchasing stories in customer interviews and considering why customers chose each product. Another example of this training is employees listening to customer opinions and considering customer expectations, points of improvement for Yamaha, and actions that should be taken. This training is gradually being extended to more divisions. It is currently held every month in many divisions, such those related to musical instrument and audio product development, quality assurance, the golf business, and staff divisions.

[ photo ] Customer Perspective Training scene
Customer Perspective Training scene

Structure for Improving Customer Satisfaction

To comprehensively understand our customers’ evaluations and requests, each business division of the Yamaha Group conducts customer satisfaction surveys using various formats.
In particular, our musical instruments/audio divisions have been globally collecting and utilizing feedback from the voices of our customers not only through customer support services, but also through various forms of daily communication. In order to further connect with customers in our major markets, Japan, the US, Europe, and China, we switched to a new online member system and revised the product registration questionnaire so that we can reflect customer opinions in the planning and development of our products.

Example

Voice of the Customer (VOC) - Visualization (in Japan)

In Japan, we collect in a database then collate and analyze opinions and requests from customers in our customer support department, discussing the results in monthly meetings attended by product development and quality assurance managers from each business division. Also, we established a system to visualize the voice of the customer (VOC), which shares information on customer opinion and requests internally in real time, and allows us to rapidly reflect customer feedback in our sales activities and product development.

Structure of VOC Visualization

[ picture ] Structure of VOC Visualization

Evaluations by Third Parties

Selected First Place in the Educational Service Industry in Japanese
Customer Satisfaction Index (JCSI) for the Third Consecutive Year

Yamaha（Music School⋅English School）was selected as first place in the educational service industry for the 4th Japanese Customer Satisfaction Index (JCSI) research in 2017 for the second consecutive year.

Selected First Place of the Network Device Category in Nikkei
Computer Customer Satisfaction Survey for Second Consecutive Year

Yamaha Corporation was selected as first place of the network device category in Nikkei Computer Customer Satisfaction Survey 2017-2018 for the second consecutive year.