Learning from the customer

In developing test tools ranging from calibrators to DMMs, Fluke takes its cue from the customer, says Tom Johnson, who heads the Precision Measurement business.

T&MW: How important is the voice of the customer (VOC) process to Fluke?

Johnson: VOC is a core part of our strategy at Fluke. We use it to explore new ideas, as well as to validate customer reactions. Our methods range from just watching customers work with our products to one-on-one interviews, surveys, and market analysis. Some VOC work relates to a specific development effort, but much of it is ongoing—through Web surveys, warranty cards, and reviews of service reports.

T&MW: How does customer input influence product development?

Johnson: It helps determine what products they need and what functions our products should have, as well as price points. For example, we had a calibrator—the model 5520A—that had a power quality option, but customers told us it needed more functionality. So we did a lot of market research, including looking at the situation in Europe, where engineers must comply with new power quality standards (IEC 61000-40-30). The upshot is that customers wanted an instrument with more non-sinusoidal waveforms that could replicate what they see in the real world. So we developed our model 6100A power standard. It combines the functionality of an arbitrary waveform generator with high-powered voltage and current output amplifiers—then measures and corrects the output with a power analyzer, all in a fully traceable instrument.

Similarly, we found that our core customers in the cal labs weren't content with our model 1281, an eight-digit, high-end bench meter out of the former Wavetek group in the UK. This led to development of our new 8508A reference multimeter, which won the 2003 Test & Measurement World Product of the Year award. It offers the features of eight products in one package: DMMs, null detectors, dividers, resistance bridges, current comparators, AC/DC transfer standards, thermometers, and multifunction transfer standards. It's been a gangbuster success.

T&MW: Is the feedback from customers limited to product development?

Johnson: Often, it has to do with the services that engineers and technicians want us to provide. For instance, when we got into temperature calibration with the acquisition of the Hart Scientific business in 2001, it was clear that we had to do a much better job of customer support, especially in Europe, where we decided to set up a world-class temperature lab. We are also finding a greater demand for training today, especially in developing markets, where more and more of our sales take place. And even in mature markets, such as the US, more customers take advantage of our training sessions, application notes, support groups, PC-based programs, and virtual demos on the Web.

T&MW: What other factors influence changes in customer needs?

Johnson: Technology drives many of the changes. In our business, which traditionally focused on electrical calibration, we now see more interest from customers in measuring temperature and pressure as sensors for those parameters proliferate. Power quality also has become a major issue. The blackout last year across the Northeast is really not that surprising, as utilities cope with deregulation. Power is becoming more and more distributed, so a lot more measurements are required, which demands much greater accuracy to minimize compounding errors. Also becoming more important to our customers are issues such as accreditation and compliance with new standards, such as the ISO/IEC 17025 requirements for testing and calibration labs.