Improvement of Customer Satisfaction
- Improvement of Customer Satisfaction
- Toshiba Group Customer Satisfaction Policy
- Customer Satisfaction (CS) Promotion Structure
- Improvement of Support to Customers
- Improvement of Customer Satisfaction (CS) Mind of Employees
- Sharing and Utilization of Voice of Customers
- Inspections and Audits of Customer Support
- Policy on Customer Information Protection
- Universal Design
- Policy for Nuclear Safety Improvement
Feedback from our customers is the origin of all our ideas. In order to increase customer satisfaction (CS), all Toshiba Group employees operate from a customer perspective. This applies not just to those who work in direct contact with customers, such as those in sales and after-sales services, but in all divisions, from development, design, manufacturing, product quality, corporate staff, and so on.
FY2021 Key Achievements
- We set a special month to improve Customer Satisfaction, and undertook measures that included education and lecture on CS for all Toshiba Group employees.
Toshiba Group Customer Satisfaction Policy
The Customer Satisfaction Policy of Toshiba Group is to make the voice of customers the starting point for all ideas and provide products, systems and services that deliver customer satisfaction.
Toshiba Group Customer Satisfaction Policy
We make the voice of customers the starting point for all ideas and provide products, systems and services that deliver customer satisfaction.
- We provide products, systems and services that are safe and reliable.
- We respond to requests and inquiries from customers sincerely, promptly and appropriately.
- We value the voice of customers and endeavor to develop and improve products, systems and services to deliver customer satisfaction.
- We provide appropriate information to customers.
- We protect personal information provided by customers.
The same content is included in Standards of Conduct for Toshiba Group 2. Customer Satisfaction.
Customer Satisfaction (CS) Promotion Structure
For cross-functional activities in accordance with the Toshiba Group Customer Satisfaction Policy, working groups (WGs) by subject and the After-sales Service Improvement Committee have been set up.
CS Promotion Structure
Customer Support
Toshiba Group have set up call centers for different product groups and services. Each call center formulates its own targets for improving the quality of customer support.
Toshiba Group in Japan respond to customer inquiries concerning the products and services offered by Group companies, both in Japan and overseas, through the Toshiba Customer Information Center. It provides cross-divisional services to our customers, by guiding them to our specialized call centers, and forwarding calls to the division in charge, etc.
Opinions and requests from customers are fed back to the relevant divisions so that they can be reflected in product and service improvement.
Toshiba Customer Information Center has a temporary service center to ensure that the functions can continue even in the event of a natural disaster or other issue. During the state of emergency period declared in 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19, we switched to our temporary service center to ensure uninterrupted operation as part of efforts to reduce the risk of infection. We are currently back to normal operation with thorough infection prevention measures in place.
Toshiba Customer Information Center: Breakdown of Inquiries (FY2021)
Toshiba Group Call Center Structure in Japan
Improvement of Support to Customers
Initiatives for After-sales Services
In order for each after-sales services division in the Toshiba Group to share their issues and good cases of CS improvement as well as tackle service improvement Group-wide, we have established an After-sales Service Improvement Working Group.
This working group’s activities include surveying service sites to identify issues and training for service engineers.
Moreover, we also have After-sales Service Meetings by region to share information within each region and strengthen cooperation.
Activity Example: Voice Recognition System Used in Maintenance Services
Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corporation is introducing a system in which matters to be reported during regular checks of elevators and escalators can be recorded as maintenance reports using a voice recognition system.
Maintenance staff voice-record the details and the state of the inspection on-site into a smartphone during the inspection. The recorded sound data is converted into text, and recorded as text data in an app installed on the smartphone. As the staff can record just by speaking a few words even during maintenance operations, this allows us to provide as required precise information to customers more quickly. It also improves safety by reducing the workload of maintenance staff.
In the future, we will improve this system further, and evaluate how to apply it in times of emergency, for example after earthquakes.
Activity Example: Remote Support System Used in Maintenance Services
Toshiba IT-Services Corporation is introducing a service using remote support system for their information equipment maintenance service.
We use smart glasses in maintenance services to share videos and audio between technical supporters and field engineers, and capable to provide services that meet our customers' needs. They allow us to provide detailed and attentive support and also contribute to early detect the cause of any trouble and facilitate quick recovery. We will explore the possible application of smart glasses in various operations and work to improve service quality.
Initiatives for Handling Inquiries from Customers
We have a Call Center Improvement Working Group, which is aimed at improving the quality of response at Toshiba Group call centers in Japan. This working group conducts surveys to identify issues with the Call center, checks the quality of operations at the Call center.
Improvement of Customer Satisfaction (CS) Mind of Employees
Customer Satisfaction Improvement Month
In FY2015, Toshiba Group created Customer Satisfaction Improvement Month. Thereafter, we implement measures to promote and raise employees’ awareness about the importance of CS during November every year.
E-learning to Improve Customer Satisfaction
We provide e-learning for Toshiba Group employees to improve customer satisfaction. In FY2021, we held e-learning sessions for 78,718 Toshiba Group employees in Japan, representing that 99% of all employees attended the sessions and learned about the importance of enhancing CS.
Customer Satisfaction Lectures
We hold lectures for Toshiba Group employees introducing the activities of companies and people working actively to enhance customer satisfaction. In FY2021, we invited Mr. Minoru Aoshima, a fellow at Nomura Research Institute, Ltd., to lecture about the recurring model which it should be able to build strong relationships with customers by making improvements of customer satisfaction levels. The lecture was distributed in video format during Customer Satisfaction Improvement Month.
After-sales Service CS Improvement Activity Award
We held an After-sales Service CS Improvement Activity Award ceremony in November 2021, with Toshiba Group’s after-sales companies and divisions in attendance. At the ceremony, we presented awards for activities that contributed to improvements in customer satisfaction in the After-sales Service division as part of efforts to further improve customer satisfaction and increase workplace motivation.
Training of Employees on Supporting Customers
We provided trainings for employees to understand the importance of customer satisfaction, and to learn the skills necessary for supporting customers. In FY2021, we have distributed a video online on the basics of writing business e-mails and also held awareness raising education session online.
Sharing and Utilization of Voice of Customers
At Toshiba Group, all relevant departments share information on ’customers’ complaints, opinions, and requests about our products and services received through our daily sales, repair, and service activities, and via telephone or the internet, in order to improve the quality of our products and repair services.
Activity Example: Utilizing a New Facility Training Building with Showroom Features
Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corp. constructed a new facility training building on the site of the Toshiba Fuchu Complex in FY2013. This new building, which also functions as a showroom, is designed for providing maintenance services for elevators and building facilities as well as for conducting engineer trainings in order to improve facility construction skills. The building is equipped with a high-rise elevator shaft for skills training on the maintenance of high-speed elevators. Such elevators have been increasing in number in recent years as increasingly taller buildings are erected. This facility training aims to ensure safety and comfort during high-speed elevator operation.
In addition, the East Japan Service Information Center, which provides round-the-clock support services, including remote monitoring of Toshiba elevators and building facilities, relocated to this building and expanded its office in order to provide a variety of technologies designed to ensure security for customers. A maintenance support system that makes use of mobile phones is also available to facilitate speedy recovery from damages suffered due to an accident or large-scale earthquake.
East Japan Service Information
Center of Toshiba Elevator and
Building Systems Corp.
Activity Example: Providing Various Services around the Clock throughout the Year
Toshiba Automation Systems Service Co., Ltd., which provides maintenance services for social infrastructure system equipment, such as a banknote processing equipment, ID issuing equipment, railway station equipment, and logistics and postal equipment, supports customers in around 20 countries, including Japan, with a 24/7 support service network. The call center features a layout that takes into consideration of the work environment for operators. Also service experts are enrolled and striving to improve the quality of daily operations by leveraging their experience to improve customer satisfaction.
Toshiba Automation System Service Co., Ltd.
Call Center, Technology administration department
Inspections and Audits of Customer Support
Since FY2005, we have conducted quality checks every year to major call centers at Toshiba Group in accordance with the Toshiba Group Contact Center Guideline. We focus on improving matters that are given high priority but show low implementation rate.
Policy on Customer Information Protection
Toshiba was quick to recognize the importance of protection of personal data, and in 2000 established the Toshiba Personal Data Protection Program based on its Privacy Policy. The Company strives for continual improvement in its management system.
Toshiba clearly states the purpose while using customers’ personal data and, in principle, obtains such information directly based on the consent of customers. The majority of the information is basic personal data essential for contacting customers or providing services, such as name, address, telephone number, and email address. Toshiba appropriately handles personal data in accordance with internal regulations and rigorously controls personal data using a framework integrated with the data security management structure. When outsourcing operations that involve the handling of personal information, we select and manage contractors in accordance with our internal standards.
The principal purposes of use of personal data held by Toshiba are published on the following website.
Please refer to the Cyber Security Report for details on personal information protection.
Universal Design
Toshiba Group is promoting universal design (UD), in order to contribute to the realization of a society where everyone can live at ease and in comfort, regardless of age, gender, and physical ability.
Toshiba Group will further deepen each employee's understanding of the concept of universal design, and will create UD products and services that incorporate user feedback and ideas. We will also promote UD in the workplace.
For details on our initiatives, refer to the Universal Design section on the Toshiba website.
Trial Operation of Traction Energy Storage System with SCiBTM for Railway Applications
This system is equipped with Toshiba's SCiB™rechargeable batteries with superior features and makes effective use of the regenerative power generated by motors when trains are braking, helping contribute to energy-saving measures. The system can also be used to supply emergency power during a wide-scale power disruption. There is a demand in the railway sector for a continued safe, stable, and secure transportation infrastructure. However, there has also been a reduction in the number of skilled engineers due to a shortage in available labor both domestically and overseas and issues surrounding technology transfer. With this in mind, we have developed an intuitive operations monitor that can be used without requiring any particular specialist knowledge. The monitor now features intuitive animations to represent the flow of power from the battery to the supply cables, making it much easier to understand. Also, in the event of a fault, the system first displays the type of malfunction and where it originated, before then displaying function screens such as the history of that section and trend graphs, facilitating identification of the underlying cause of the malfunction. In this way, we provide easy-to-use and intuitive designs for interfaces of important social infrastructure that are not generally seen. By doing so, it is our hope for more people to gain interest in the field of social infrastructure, and that it will be possible for those who already work in the sector to take greater pride in their work. The first productions of this system have been introduced into the first urban railroad in Dhaka, People's Republic of Bangladesh, and is now in operation on a trial basis.
We have received GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2021 (Japan Institute of Design Promotion) and iF DESIGN AWARD 2021 (iF International Forum Design GmbH).
Communication with Outside Organizations
To spread and promote the use of universal design, Toshiba Group provides information on its own initiatives and the results of its activities and also actively collaborates with outside companies and organizations.
Activity Example: Provided free online seminars on the legibility of text
When living in an information society, first and foremost, it is vital that information is clearly conveyed to others. At Toshiba, we also deal with equipment, systems, and services that are used in the public sphere, and, based on our knowledge of universal design and ergonomics, we focus our attention on designing such products and services in a way that ensures information is easily read, understood, and conveyed to a wider audience, from children to the elderly. In March 2022, Toshiba held a free online seminar targeted at those outside of the Company entitled “Ergonomics – Learn from a Designer; Mechanisms of the Eye and Text Legibility”. Roughly 200 people participated in the seminar, ranging from designers to members of the general public. Some of the feedback we received included, “This was all things that I can apply to my own work” and “The seminar was incredibly useful for document creation tasks.” Due to the positive reception, we intend to implement these seminars in a series format in future. By disseminating information on such human characteristics, we hope to contribute to further propagation of universal design and the realization of a society in which everyone can live with greater comfort and ease.
Webinar announcement banner and webinar display
Policy for Nuclear Safety Improvement
As a company involved in the nuclear industry, we recognize the importance of continuous improvements for nuclear safety. So, we are fostering a nuclear safety culture, as well as voluntarily and continuously working to improve nuclear safety, in light of lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.
Initiatives at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
The government and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO) have developed a mid-and-long-term roadmap towards the decommissioning of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in 30 to 40 years. This roadmap has set the target for the areas of contaminated water, removal of fuel from spend fuel pools, retrieval of fuel debris, and management of radioactive waste.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has been making continuous efforts to develop the technologies to solve the challenges for achieving these targets and providing support toward decommissioning.
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