Customer Satisfaction and Quality Assurance

Casio and the Market
Customer Satisfaction and
Responsibilities
Quality Assurance
to Customers
Casio is striving to improve the quality of its products and services, in order to
increase the satisfaction and confidence of customers.
Activities of the Casio Customer
Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Support Center
Communication is an important way for Casio to create long-
Casio periodically conducts customer satisfaction surveys to
lasting relationships of trust with customers. Casio’s
identify customer opinions on a product-by-product basis. The
Customer Support Center is the contact point for customers
surveys relate not just to product function, performance, and
to submit their opinions, requests and questions. Staff at the
design, but also to ease of use and customer service. The
Center carefully listen to each caller, and always strive to put
results are then reflected in the creation of future products.
the following three objectives into practice.
● Confidently explaining Casio products to customers
Example of digital camera improvements based on
before purchase
customer comments
● Sincerely responding to customer questions or concerns
after purchase
● Earning the confidence of customers through
Customer
attentive communication
Comments
Training is the key to ensuring that support center staff are
effective, and the skills of each call taker are checked
regularly so improvements can be made. Moreover, all the
EX-V7
staff are given time to do their own research so they can stay
thoroughly informed about all the convenient functions of
★I need a very portable, slim and compact camera
Casio products.
with a powerful zoom.
The Customer Support Center also operates an Overseas
●Optical 7x high-magnification zoom lens
Customer Support Center. This center cooperates with the
customer support centers at Casio’s overseas sales
★I want to take good photos even in dark places
companies. The Overseas Customer Support Center is
or when the subject is moving.
carrying out various activities
●CCD shift anti-shake mechanism
to foster good relationships of
●Anti-Shake DSP to reduce blur, using
trust with overseas users of
high-sensitivity settings
Casio products as well.
●Automatic sensitivity adjustment by
Another important mission
analyzing the subject’s movement
of the Customer Support
●Auto-tracking AF that follows the
Center is to faithfully relay
subject’s movement
customer comments to the
proper internal departments
Customer Support Center
as feedback. Customer
opinions are never ignored,
Types of Inquiries
Providing Support Information
and Casio is working to build
mechanisms for the full-scale
internal application of such feedback. A page on Casio’s
Casio’s Support website offers easy-to-understand
intranet features customer comments not only from Japan
information on operation and repair, helping customers to
but also around the world, in order to encourage constant
use their Casio products with confidence. Casio strives to
improvement worldwide.
resolve any customer issues online by making information
Going forward, Casio will continue to work to improve its
available in various local languages.
response to customers group-wide by upgrading the skills of
support center staff. Nothing short of the highest level of
customer service should be offered each and every day.
International
Support website
List of URLs for local Support websites
“Customer Comments”
intranet page
30
Casio Corporate Report 2007

---

Corporate
P
rofile
Service System Earns
Casio’s Commitment to Quality
Customer Confidence
CSR
Quality Concept
Casio’s service departments, which are responsible for
Highlights
product repairs, strive to satisfy customers by providing
Casio maintains a strong quality assurance system, based on its
service that fulfills three commitments: prompt and proper
belief in “Quality First.” This system requires all employees to make
quality their first concern in every task they perform, enabling the
response, dependable technology, and reasonable fees that
company to offer products and services that please and impress
meet with customer approval.
customers. The company’s commitment to quality supports its
●Prompt and proper response
corporate growth and makes social contributions possible, while at
Casio’s service departments are taking steps to improve
the same time winning customers’ trust and giving them peace
CSR
of mind.
operations by focusing on part procurement, the repair
system, repair technology, and repair consultation so as to
Management
Quality Management Policies
shorten repair time and return repaired products to
customers as quickly as possible. In Japan, Casio aims to be
● To build a good corporate image, we offer products and services
the electronics manufacturer with the shortest repair time. In
that please and impress our customers, gain their strong trust, and
ensure their peace of mind.
other markets too, Casio is striving to shorten repair times to
● We respond to our customers’ requests and inquiries with sincerity
match levels in Japan. Moreover, Casio has repair locations
and speed, and reflect their important comments on our products
for system equipment across Japan, enabling prompt
Casio
and services.
● In all our business processes, we base our actions on the Principle
dispatch of repair technicians to client sites.
of the Five “Gens”—in Japanese, genba (on site), genbutsu (actual
●Dependable technology
and
goods), genjitsu (reality), genri (theory) and gensoku (rule)—and
Casio’s service departments are working to improve their
adhere to the basics of business operations.
the
●
repair technology, product knowledge, and customer service
We capture and analyze quality assurance activities quantitatively,
using reliable data, and use the analysis to make continuous
skills in order to maintain customer confidence and realize
Market
improvements. We also maintain a quality information system that
the kind of repair quality that customers expect. In addition,
enables the sharing of the quality information and prevention of
Casio is striving to improve product quality by sending
problems before they occur, and prevents recurrence of
quality problems.
customer comments from the repair sites as feedback to the
product development and manufacturing departments.
the
To offer goods and services
●Reasonable fees that meet with customer approval
Global
that please and impress
Functions,
Casio works hard to reduce any unnecessary burden on
Casio
performance,
customers, it is necessary to
design,
customers by controlling repair costs. This is done through
Environment
and
create products that can win
price
improvement of repair methods, such as the use of recycled
Environmental
their solid approval in all areas.
Reliability,
conservation,
parts, and setting repair fees that customers feel are fair.
durability
recycling
Casio
In addition to function, design
Part recycling is important because it helps to reduce
quality
and price, these areas include
discarded parts during repair work, and to control inventory.
reliability, durability,
Safety,
Since fiscal 2007, this recycling has had a substantial
Serviceability
legal
serviceability, environmental
C
compliance
positive effect.
asio
soundness, and compliance
and
with relevant laws and regulations.
Employees
How customer comments are utilized for products and services
Quality issues
Product
Questionnaire surveys
development
Customer
departments
Meetings with customers
Sales
Casio
•Requests
departments
Quality issues
Customer satisfaction surveys
and
•Opinions
Database
Dealers and agents
•Complaints
Investigation/analysis
Society
Information
Customer Support Centers
retrieved
Repair centers
Deciding response
Cooperation
Improvement suggestions
Objectives
Improvement
Dealers and agents
suggestions
Quality
•To create
improvement
C
Customer Support Centers
ompany
Casio fans
Examining adopted
•To obtain product
Repair centers
Service
Products
improvements
satisfaction
adopting
departments
Data
Website
improvements
•To obtain service
Improvements built
satisfaction
into products
Service improvements
Casio Corporate Report 2007
31

---

Casio and the Market
Customer Satisfaction and Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance System
Efforts to Ensure Product Safety
Casio has constructed a quality assurance system and
Casio makes every effort to ensure product safety so that
constantly strives to improve quality across the group.
customers can always use Casio products with peace
The Casio Promotion Committee for Groupwide Quality
of mind.
Enhancement is Casio’s highest quality assurance authority. It
Casio strives to secure product safety in each process
meets semiannually by convening the heads from the
including development, design, parts, manufacturing,
Electronics business segment (consumer, timepiece and
operating manuals, and repairs. The company examines
system equipment categories), the Electronic Components
ways to increase safety, while carrying out precautionary
segment and the communications business, as well as quality
measures and activities to prevent problem reoccurrence.
managers of manufacturing and service affiliate companies.
Casio collects and analyzes incident information, in
Decisions are made at these meetings on company policies
accordance with the spirit and the aims of the revised
and important issues relating to quality. The resolutions are
Consumer Product Safety Law, which went into force in
then communicated to individual departments and reflected in
Japan on May 14, 2007. With the goal of placing customer
specific quality assurance activities within the departments.
safety first in the event of any mishap, it strives to disclose
In 2004, the CS Control Group was created within the Sales
accident information in order to prevent any further damage,
Department of the Electronics Equipment business to improve
as well as recalling products and making repairs.
consumer services. Since then, the CS Control Group has been
Casio will continue to inspect its current information
conducting activities to
gathering, notification, and disclosure systems, while
ensure quality in product
strengthening its product safety initiatives, all with a clear
development in
awareness of the company’s social responsibilities.
cooperation with the
Engineering Department
(within the Product
Status of Quality Assurance
Development HQ) in an
Activities
effort to further improve
quality and services.
Promotion Committee for Groupwide
Accomplishments relating to priority tasks in Casio’s quality
Quality Enhancement
assurance activities in fiscal 2007 were as follows.
1. Ensuring customer safety and observing safety
standards and regulations
Quality Management System
While placing the highest priority on design safety initiatives,
Casio has been carrying out comprehensive design safety
Casio continuously implements the plan-do-check-act (PDCA)
checks since fiscal 2006, and is using the results as
cycle throughout its process chain from product planning,
feedback for its design and evaluation standards. All of
design, and evaluation, to purchasing, manufacturing, sales,
these are also designed to raise safety awareness.
and service. Casio’s thorough implementation of the PDCA
2. Market initiatives for improvement of product quality
cycle ensures that quality constantly improves.
Each month Casio collects information from the market on
The following are the major initiatives of Casio’s quality
product quality. Using this information as feedback, a system
management system.
is maintained where product quality can be rapidly
■ New Product Shipment Start Approval System
corrected, and a trend of quality improvement has been
Before starting shipment of a new product, the quality
seen as a result. Nevertheless, since future products are
assurance persons responsible for each development process,
expected to have more complicated functions and higher
with their business control supervisor, reconfirm each process
density mounting, more effort will be devoted to improving
involved. This is followed by objective verifications by the
design accuracy and ensuring quality in production.
senior general manager of the Product Development
3. Activities to reduce monetary losses due to
Headquarters, and the general manager of the Engineering
quality issues
Department. Only then is a decision made to ship the new
Casio addressed quality issues for each item in order to
product.
reduce quality-related losses, which serve as an indicator for
■ Post-sale Problem Response System
quality improvement. It made effective efforts to prevent
In the event that an accident or quality problem occurs after a
problems from occurring or reoccurring. As a result, Casio
product sale, an information channel is established according
has succeeded in reducing quality losses for many items
to the type and level of the problem. This mechanism ensures
that experienced problems in fiscal 2006.
that the necessary information is communicated promptly. In
addition, Casio has mechanisms that enable the individuals
involved to share information on the status of problem
resolution, to discuss and decide countermeasures including
List of ISO 9001 Certified Sites
notification, and to clearly report and announce measures to
prevent recurrence of the problem. Casio is able to respond
promptly and accurately to any problem that may occur.
32
Casio Corporate Report 2007

---

Corporate
P
rofile
Universal Design Activities
Example of quality improvements driven by universal design
CSR
Casio’s electronic dictionaries are used by a wide range of
Delivering a high-quality user experience
customers in Japan, from junior high school students to
Highlights
senior citizens. In fiscal 2007, Casio implemented
Strategically focused on its core competence in compact,
improvements not only to the electronic dictionaries
lightweight, slim, energy efficient technologies, Casio
themselves, but also to the usability of the packaging and
develops products with as little environmental impact as
user manuals.
possible. Moreover, in addition to reducing product size
while increasing performance, Casio also strives to achieve a
● A handwriting recognition function was adopted,
high-quality experience for the user so that people who are
CSR
making the electronic dictionaries easier to use,
unfamiliar with electronic devices and those who are less
Management
especially for those not familiar with keyboard
confident about IT can use Casio’s products comfortably.
operation.
Looking ahead at the future social environment, Casio is
● The user manuals were completely reorganized,
committed to providing products and services that are truly
making it is easier to master the basic operations.
beneficial to customer’s lives.
● The design of the main-unit packaging was revised,
Casio has set the main objective for its universal design
making it easier to take out and replace the product
activities: improve the quality of the user experience. Casio
Casio
and its accessories.
works to develop products using human-centered design
(HCD) in conformity with ISO 13407 processes.
and
the
Casio Universal Design Policies
Market
1. Easily understood display and
expression.
the
2. Simple, understandable operability.
Global
An electronic dictionary that is easier to use
Casio
3. Reduce physical and mental stress.
Environment
and
4. Provide safety and reliability.
5. Pursue product value.
Sharing universal design concepts
When carrying out development, design, and sales activities,
Casio shares important concepts by posting universal
C
asio
From the customer’s perspective
design guidelines on its intranet, making it possible to realize
and
the concepts while verifying quality objectives and specific
Obtaining direct evaluations from customers who actually
considerations for improving product usability are met.
Employees
use the products and reflecting that feedback in product
Casio is also enhancing employee education and
development are essential parts of HCD.
awareness by holding internal universal design seminars, so
Casio has made it a top priority to develop products from
that every employee can understand the purpose and
the customer’s perspective, and requires its development
necessity of universal design and individual themes can
staff themselves to listen to customers’ opinions. Casio is
be addressed.
dedicated to improving usability by applying evaluations
Casio
from user tests and feedback given to the Customer
and
Support Center.
Society
C
ompany
Casio’s own UD activity mark
Data
In-house seminar
Casio Corporate Report 2007
33

---