Dr David Cliff explores issues around the subject of quality, together with a case study of a progressive North East company with quality very much at its heart.
“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” – Samuel Johnson’s immortal quote is often easily sidestepped when the spiralling inflation and ever-increasing demands to fund our choices have to be weighed in the balance, but it remains crucial if we are to have a sustainable world.
Mind-sets need to change. Low price and high quality are not always compatible. They are part of a spectrum that often requires one end to be sacrificed in favour of the other. Even our most advanced engineering technologies and production styles cannot necessarily reconcile this equation. Mercedes-Benz vehicles used to be overengineered so much so, that vehicles would last decades with solid reliability. That practice added something quintessential about the brand but has been trimmed over the years to the point where, despite good quality, users often complain vehicles have shorter operational lives than in the past.
China has added to this interesting quality/price balancing act over the years, often where past focus on cheapness has left a bitter taste in some supply chains often not assuaged by subsequent improvements.
For the consumer it is very much “caveat emptor” (let the buyer beware). I’ve seen extraordinarily low quality goods and services provided at a relatively high price supported by slick, aggressive sales techniques that “socialise” the client into a belief that what they are getting is good. After sale, whatever disappointments abound, while some will assert their rights, many will seek to justify their initial purchase through the use of confirmation bias wherein they convince themselves that they made the right choice.
There are some organisations however, where quality dictates everything, rendering those organisations not necessarily the cheapest but probably the best, reflecting Johnson’s ‘bittersweet’ axiom. Gedanken has been pleased to work with one such company, The Luxury Loft Company in Newcastle. The company, provides all forms of domestic and commercial property work but as the name implies, has a particular focus upon works that include loft extensions. Daryll Chana, TLLC’s MD, is close to evangelical about quality in his approach. He personally inspects every site, and the staff are very clear about the exacting standards that need to be incorporated into a build. So many of his approaches to quality, are under promoted, tacit ‘givens’ in his quality process.
For example, the one -year post build inspection and repair visit has many people amazed, by those used to so many building companies vanishing once the invoice is settled. “I personally couldn’t bear to see someone make a large investment in their home, put their trust in my company and find they were let down. Quality involves deep thought over the customer experience”, says Daryll, this has led to, for example, offsite prefabrication to minimise the disruption to users, often halving the time that most contractors would typically be on site. Quality is a ‘whole systems’ approach he asserts. “Whether it’s about the courtesy shown in the early stages, attention to detail about the clients particular needs, the followups to ensure that our work lasts for years to come, we won’t compromise. That may mean we are a little more expensive than some of our competitors, but our experience is people express far greater customer satisfaction than many of our competitors receive”. Quality also adds to the bottom line for the company, a focus on ‘zero warranty claims’, means a very strong completer-finisher ethos. “I would rather somebody spend a few extra hours on site to get the job absolutely right than to have an unhappy customer over a piece of work that has been done with a view to timescales rather than craftsmanship as this inevitably backfires on the brand, the customer and the relationship between them”.
This approach to quality is reflected in the company’s order book and the constant stream of referrals the company receives, leading to year-on-year progressive growth and strength in the region.
“Working with Gedanken has enabled us to further hone our approach to quality, as well as structuring the organisation for scale up and growth”, Daryll adds.
For us here at Gedanken, its always easier to work with a company that has quality at its heart, an embedded value that knows no compromise, but equally, in common with all values, it needs to be constantly reflected upon if it is to remain contemporary, manage change and meet the constantly evolving needs and aspirations of customers.