Customer Satisfaction and Trust
We are active in the following viewpoints to Win Customers' Satisfaction and Trust.
- Quality Assurance Philosophy
- Response to Public Regulations Concerning Products
- Initiatives to Ensure Product Safety
- Upstream Initiatives for Quality Assurance
- Promoting Human-Centered Design
- Preventive Measures Using Analysis and Evaluation
- Customer Support and Service
- Responding to Customer Inquiries
- Product Repair Service
Quality Assurance Philosophy
Quality Assurance Philosophy
Offering customers products and services that generate satisfaction and confidence
The Pioneer Group has established a "Quality Assurance Philosophy" based on the belief that the most fundamental aspect in the pursuit of customer satisfaction is ensuring quality. To achieve this goal, we are working to improve quality by clarifying quality assurance responsibilities and authority. Specifically, in addition to the quality assurance meetings for each business, a product safety committee and a public regulations committee have been established to work across the organization as the Pioneer Group as a whole.
Under the Quality Assurance Philosophy, the Pioneer Group has established the Pioneer Group Quality Policy for each fiscal term, positioning product and service quality, product safety, official regulations, and the product environment as important management items, and working to ensure that all employees involved in the development and production process, as well as the sales and service process, are fully aware of these policies.
In addition, in order to provide products that satisfy our customers, we consider the improvement of "promotion of human-centred design", which is a customer expectation for our products, to be an essential element, and we will reflect this in our product evaluations.
Major quality assurance management system accreditations held:
- ISO 9001 quality management system
- ISO/TS 16949 quality management system for automotive production and relevant service part organizations
Response to Public Regulations Concerning Products
The Pioneer Group collects regulatory information from the countries, regions and industries within which it conducts business, along with standardization information from international organizations. This information is disseminated by the Public Regulations Committee, which is organized on a Group-wide basis, and is incorporated in the development and manufacture of products. The Group also ensures through its sales divisions that products comply with national and regional regulations before release. Through these means, the Pioneer Group strives to ensure compliance with public requirements for products and promotional materials.
Main Public Regulations Concerning Products
- Regulations concerning product approval include safety regulations, electromagnetic compliance (EMC) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) regulations, and communications standards
- Labeling regulations for consumer protection and product certification cover labeling on products, operating manuals, packaging, and other matters
- Environmental regulations
Initiatives to Ensure Product Safety
The Pioneer Group has identified basic issues for ensuring the safety of its products, promotional materials, installation work and repairs, and it strives to prevent injury to people and damage to property. To achieve this, a framework centered on the Product Safety Committee has been established, and based on the Action Guide of Product Safety, the Group works on a routine basis to prevent incidents and to respond promptly should they occur.
In this context of product safety, information is actively collected from customers, dealers and distributors and collated by the Company's Quality Assurance Division. Reports are then promptly submitted to upper management, and relevant information is fed back to customers, dealers and distributors.
Action Guide of Product Safety
Outline of Information Flow from Customers Concerning Product Safety
Ensuring Product Safety
The Pioneer Group maintains a structure and system for ensuring product safety during the early stages of new product development. Taking into consideration a broad spectrum of factors, including the needs of users as well as the wide-ranging environments in which products will be used, the Group undertakes risk assessment relating to product safety. In implementing measures aimed at addressing individual risks, the Group is working diligently to prevent the chance of an incident occurring from product shipment through to final disposal.
Product Safety Standards and the Product Safety Manual
As a part of the overall product development process, the Pioneer Group has formulated a set of proprietary product safety standards that encompasses not only statutory information but also past experience. In adhering strictly to these standards, the Group is endeavoring to deliver enhanced product safety.
In addition, the Group has published the Product Safety Manual for product designers and engineers, explaining various vital aspects of product safety as well as other basic concepts. Drawing from resources both within and outside the Group, the manual includes a number of product safety examples. Written in a clearly presented manner, it is used internally as a product safety education and training tool.
Upstream Initiatives for Quality Assurance
Rapid Acquisition of Market Quality Information and Enhanced Responses to Issues
In the Pioneer Group, information from customers is accurately communicated to relevant divisions for use in sales support and quality improvement activities. For example, at the Customer Support Center in Japan, inquiries and complaints are compiled into a monthly report entitled "The Voice of the Customer," which is distributed to directors, department heads of related divisions and all relevant staff. In addition, the center provides information that can be used for product planning in periodic meetings with business divisions. Similar activities are undertaken at the Group's overseas subsidiaries.
In addition to consolidating this sort of regular monthly information exchange, the Group will reinforce its response to issues arising in the marketplace. Information about these issues is conveyed via inquiries to the consultation service, along with repair and service information, analysis of returned products, feedback from Internet surveys, and so on. The Group will promptly feed this information back to its planning and design departments.
APQP Activities at Pioneer
The product development process consists of a complex interaction of various other processes. The initial (upstream) stage of product development starts with planning conception, which has a significant impact on product quality. The steps required for achieving quality targets are identified at this stage. Pioneer uses Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), an approach that cuts across various organizations to find and resolve issues quickly.
The Pioneer Group will continue to identify best practices in order to maintain and improve total quality across the Group.
The Four Key Points of APQP
- Predict and prevent problems rather than responding after the fact
- Team activities
- Information on current circumstances is constantly shared
- Effective communication
Outline of Information Flow from Customers Concerning Quality
Approach to Quality Assurance Activities
Establishment of a Process Framework Required for High-quality Product Development
Promoting Human-Centered Design
The Pioneer Group promotes Human-Centered Design, which is supported by Perceived Quality, Universal Design, and Ease of Use. The Group is constantly striving to offer a User Experience for customers to enjoy and be pleased to use our products with excitement.
Note:
Typically human-centered design is a process concept for product development based on the user's perspective, and it conforms to the international standard ISO 13407 for human-centered design processes for interactive systems. ISO 13407 defines the concept, for which there are specific standards concerning usability, Internet accessibility and so on.
Preventive Measures Using Analysis and Evaluation
The Pioneer Group seeks to resolve quality problems in a timely manner, undertaking preventive measures and prompt and appropriate action against the reoccurrence of problems. This is important for providing customers with products and services that win their confidence and satisfaction. Therefore, the Group aims to improve its analysis and evaluation technologies for quality problems caused by materials and components, or issues arising from work practices and the working environment at the site of the development and production processes.
Utilizing sophisticated analysis evaluation technologies, the Analysis and Evaluation Center pinpoints the underlying issues and problems that cause defective products by examining market, domestic and overseas Group company, affiliated company and material supplier manufacturing processes. Through an analysis and evaluation of non-defective articles, the center obtains know-how that can be reflected in preventive measures in the development and production processes to increase the long-term reliability of Pioneer products.
Customer Support and Service
The Pioneer Group is working to build a framework of the highest quality support and services throughout the world. Each year, the Group conducts a customer satisfaction survey concerning its support and services. The results of each survey are channeled directly toward further improvements in customer satisfaction. In this manner, the Group is endeavoring to expand the circle of Pioneer enthusiasts. The Group consistently makes decisions from the customer's viewpoint, building relationships of trust by providing service that appeals to customers and meeting their expectations around the world
Results of the Independent Customer Satisfaction Survey for Japan
| Overall satisfaction following repairs as reported by the survey | 90.3% |
|---|---|
| Customer satisfaction with the Customer Support Center | 97.1% |
(FY2024)
The above data are results of the customer satisfaction survey conducted by Pioneer.
"Overall satisfaction following repairs as reported by the survey" is the percentage of respondents who selected "Good" or "Fairly good" from four options ("Good", "Fairly good", "Not so good", "Poor") for several questions in the postcard/online questionnaire.
"Customer satisfaction with the Customer Support Center" and "Satisfaction with the Repair Desk" are the percentages of respondents who selected "Very satisfied"or "Fairly satisfied" from four options "Very satisfied,""Fairly satisfied," "Somewhat dissatisfied," and "Dissatisfied") in the survey by automated voice response after completion of response by call center staff.
Responding to Customer Inquiries
The Customer Support Center in Japan integrates all the support operations for Pioneer products in the country with the aim of providing clear and effective service from the customer's viewpoint. Every year, the center responds to approximately 200,000 before- and after-purchase inquiries by telephone and e-mail. The center does not simply respond to inquiries—it also provides product information from the customer's standpoint and offers value-added proposals in order to provide a higher level of customer satisfaction. In addition, information from customers, including the inquiries and complaints received by customer support departments in Japan and overseas, is accurately communicated to relevant divisions for use in sales support and quality improvements.
Response Rate for the Customer Support Center in Japan
(FY2024)
Product Repair Service
Pioneer is committed to improving quality with the goal of providing customers with reassurance and satisfaction.
Efforts to respond to customer expectations and requirements for improved speed of repairs in the event of a breakdown, are being developed globally as a key service activity, as well as clear explanations from the Repair Desk, the courtesy of responses and the adequacy of repairs and explanations.
Response to Inquiries and Repair Requests in Japan
Global Aftersales Service Organization
