The Challenge

A leading industrial pumps manufacturer sought to develop a new electronic technology but was unsure of customer needs along the value chain. They were looking to understand the needs of target companies in the Oil & Gas, general industrial, chemical and OEM segments and to translate those needs into technical specifications and ideas to drive product design for the new technology.

What We Did

The team wanted to conduct much of the research themselves to develop internal VOC experts but was looking for ongoing support throughout the process. Therefore, they engaged AMS in a VOC Navigator™ project, an approach that combines training, coaching, project management and analytical support from AMS. Specifically, AMS was commissioned to:

• Train the team in best practices for needs gathering
• Coach the team as they planned and carried out a research project
• Support the team through analysis, including translating customer needs into design specifications
• Help the team develop concepts based on the most important design specifications

The Outcome

Through VOC Navigator™ our client identified needs around ten categories, including, but not limited to robustness, reliability, and ease of service. The team prioritized the needs and identified technical specifications related to each of the most important needs. Finally, they brainstormed 100+ ideas related to themes that emerged from the research and prioritized next steps for product development. Through this project, the team learned best-in-class, repeatable processes for understanding customer needs and incorporating those needs into its product development process.