R. L. Polk & Co.: Making Every Issue the Only Issue

Case Study - February 2009

Abstract: Annual customer surveys for R. L. Polk & Co. identified opportunities for improvement in customer contact and issue resolution. A process improvement team with broad stakeholder involvement tackled these satisfaction concerns through a redesign of the corporate issue resolution process. By following the same steps for every issue and performing full root cause analysis for 100 percent of issues, Polk increased operational excellence and improved customer satisfaction. The team’s solution spurred an enhanced culture of quality that continues to impress customers. Judges for ASQ’s International Team Excellence Award Process also took notice, as the project was named a finalist in 2008.

Keywords: Case study; Customer satisfaction; Customer contact; Issue resolution; Root cause analysis; Stakeholder involvement; Teams; Value-added analysis; Time-series analysis; Process improvement; Quality culture; Recognition;