The issue:

A large Government Mental Health Agency was dissatisfied with it’s knowledge of customer desires and preferences.  The Department served a diverse client base including psychiatric patients, people with disabilities, alcohol and drug addicts across a broad geographic area.  In addition, they had other customer groups that were integral to their success, including community providers, law enforcement, drug courts, families, the list goes on.   With so many voices, it was hard for the agency to separate disparate interests, identify priorities, and measure customer satisfaction in a meaningful way.  The satisfaction survey the agency had been using for years did little to help accomplish these objectives.

What we did:

Using our voice of the customer methodology, we helped the agency sort out the competing customer groups – focusing their effort into two areas: those that use the services of the agency and those that help the agency serve its clients.  We then conducted extensive focus groups with each segment, allowing the unique voice of each group to be heard.  Specific recommendations were made and measurements created for each segment.  In addition, cross-cutting issues were identified and tackled by the leadership team.

The results:

Senior management has a clear plan of action to address the priority items of the customer groups.  Issues like access, affordability, and comprehensive treatment are being addressed by teams comprised of agency personnel, partners, and customers.  Objective measures of customer priorities (for example the # of days to wait before receiving treatment) have been integrated into scorecards for each of the senior managers, ensuring a consistent, on-going focus on the voice of the customer.