In today’s competitive business environment, customer has become very quality conscious. Most of the customer will no longer tolerate something less than high quality products and services. Companies have, therefore, been compelled to adopt total quality management.
There is a very close relationship between quality of products and services, customer satisfaction and company’s profitability. High quality levels are supported by customers at even high prices, whereas costs are normally lower. This increases the company’s profitability. Thus quality improvement programs usually increase profits. Therefore, it is very important for companies to known what exactly the word quality implies.
What is Quality
Quality as defined by American society for quality control is, “The totality of features and Characteristics of a product or services that bear on its ability to satisfy stated implied needs”
This definition cleanly concentrates on customers. So if a company’s products or services meet or exceed the customers’ expectation, it is said to have delivered quality and the company that satisfies the customers’ needs most of the time is said to be a quality company. In a quality centered company marketing managers have two responsibilities.
- Participation in strategy formulation and policy designing to help the company win through total quality excellence
- Provision of marketing quality along with the production quality i.e. marketing research, sales training, advertising, customer service etc must be performed in conformity of high standards.
Role of Marketing in Total Quality Managemen
Marketing play various crucial roles in helping their company define and deliver high quality goods and services to target customers. These are:
- To define correctly the needs and requirements
- To communicate customers expectations to product designers
- To ensure correct order filling (of customers) and on time delivery
- To ensure that the customer have received proper instructions, training and technical assistance in the use of the product
- To stay in touch with the customer after sale
- To get customers’ feedback, suggestions etc for improvement of products and services
By performing their roles, the marketing contributes towards TQM and ultimate customer satisfaction.
Implications of Total Quality Management
The implications of TQM are that the marketing people not only have to do external but also the internal marketing. They have to be the advocates of the customers in the company and constantly have to ensure that the customers get the best.
