How does the Kano model apply to global mobility?

39 years ago, the Kano Model of product development and customer satisfaction was published by Dr Noriaki Kano, a Japanese educator, lecturer, writer, and consultant in the field of quality management. He has been a professor emeritus of the Tokyo University of Science. 

What exactly is the Kano model?delighters (sometimes called "exciters"), performance (or "wants"), and basic (sometimes known as "must have") attributes tied to quality and satisfaction through the customers viewpoint. 

It's a fairly simple model to improve and increase customer satisfaction and develop products and services through 3 levels. The 3 level system differentiates

What is it used for? YouTube video tutorial from Sales Training International, says that "the model helps businesses understand, integrate and prioritize things which will make a product or service attractive to customers. improve its performance, differentiate it from competitors, and give it what is essential for its success."

This

Tracey shares that must haves need to meet the expected needs. When this foundation is done well, the customer is not “satisfied,” they are actually neutral. But if not done well, then the customer is dissatisfied. So the lesson on the must haves is that failing to do the basics will never allow you to move beyond them.  

: "Essentially for customer service, the concept is that a product or service requires the

Then comes meeting the desired needs. This is the standard that will maintain satisfaction. The customer may voice their needs here, but also expects that you understand their unspoken needs. As you develop your relationship with a customer, you are making an investment to better understand and potentially meet these unspoken needs. It is important to not that this level is simply the bar to meet to maintain satisfaction.  

Then there are the “delighters” or “exciters.” These are the things that are unexpected and really “wow” a customer. The most essential thing to remember about delighters is that they have a short shelf life. The excitement of something unexpected quickly can become just expected. This then causes you to have to constantly re-imagine what delights. What is expected today will not meet minimum customer expectations in the future.  

Here is an example to help understand this better: 

•    Must have: Your cell phone has a working telephone feature. 

•    Expected: The resolution of the cell phone camera should be good 

•    Delighter (not expected): A free high-quality case with your phone.  

How can the Kano model be used in global mobility?

Relocating employees and assignees who are receiving corporate mobility support expect that their basic needs will be met – think Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – food, water, shelter, safety. This is often referred to in mobility as duty of care. But those are just the fundamentals, the must haves that the Kano model represents at the most basic level.

At the next level, certainly local or country norms and economic status play into what is considered expected for each relocating employee. For example, for some, simply providing a reimbursement or stipend to contribute to self-sourcing temporary housing may meet their needs. For others, arranging and financially supporting a long-term stay in an A+ property with all the amenities is simply the bar that must be met. 

As far as delighters are concerned, “wows” don’t have to be expensive. This is the area where we can go wrong – thinking that in order to really delight a relocating employee, a lot of costs must be incurred. You’d be surprised at the reaction to simply sending a dog toy upon arrival to a relocating employee whose dog is their whole world. This simple but thoughtful gesture may demonstrate a level of care that is beyond expectation.

The lesson here for mobility is one-size fits all benefits or support doesn’t really work because just like you and me, individual expectation is in the eye of the beholder.

Changing temporary housing support from 30 to 60 days in your policy may not have any impact on relocating employee satisfaction with your relocation program but will assuredly cost you more! Consider allowing relocating employees to let you know what their needs are by giving them options or maybe even start with some little “extras” that will raise your bar!