title = "Customer Satisfaction Metrics and Feedback Loops"

content = """
Customer satisfaction is the ultimate measure of Ridgecrest Metalworks' value to its customers. Internal metrics like OEE, FPY, and schedule adherence matter because they drive customer outcomes—but the customer's own perception of performance is equally important and does not always mirror internal metrics. Capturing and acting on customer feedback closes the loop between internal process performance and customer experience.

**Formal customer satisfaction metrics.**

1. **On-time delivery rate (OTD).** The most directly customer-visible operational metric. See file 277 for tracking detail. Target: 95% customer-measured OTD.

2. **Parts per million defective (PPM).** The number of nonconforming parts reaching the customer per million parts shipped. Calculated as: (Customer-reported defective parts / total parts shipped) × 1,000,000. Common customer scorecards use PPM as a quality metric. Ridgecrest's facility target is below 500 PPM; best-in-class supplier targets from large manufacturers are often below 50 PPM.

3. **Corrective action response time.** When a customer issues a corrective action request (CAR), the timeliness and quality of Ridgecrest's response is tracked. Late or superficial CAR responses score negatively on customer scorecards.

4. **Customer scorecard ratings.** Many larger customers provide monthly or quarterly scorecards scoring their suppliers on quality, delivery, responsiveness, and commercial performance. Ridgecrest tracks incoming scorecard scores for each customer. Scores below the customer's preferred supplier threshold trigger a proactive meeting with the customer.

**Informal feedback loops.**

- **Customer phone calls and emails.** Every customer concern, even informal ones, is logged in the CRM and shared with the QA and production teams as appropriate. A customer's offhand comment about a packaging concern is an opportunity to improve before it becomes a formal complaint.
- **Customer visits.** Observation by customers during site visits often surfaces concerns they would not put in writing. Post-visit debrief with the sales team captures these observations.
- **Customer surveys.** An annual supplier satisfaction survey is sent to key customers. Results are reviewed in the annual management review (ISO 9001 input) and shared with all department leaders.

**Closing the feedback loop.** Customer feedback is only valuable if it drives action. Each piece of formal feedback—scorecard, CAR, complaint—generates an assigned action in the quality system with an owner and a due date. The QA manager reviews open customer feedback actions weekly until all are resolved and verified effective.

Strong customer satisfaction performance is a competitive advantage in contract manufacturing—it drives repeat business, price stability, and preferred supplier status.
"""

version = "0.0.1"
