Customer

The term “customer” refers to actual and potential users of your organization’s products or services. Customers include the end users of your products, programs, or services, as well as others who might be the immediate purchasers of your products, programs, or services. These others might include distributors, agents, or organizations that further process your product as a component of their product. The Criteria address customers broadly, referencing current customers, future customers, as well as customers of your competitors.

Customer-driven excellence is a Baldrige Core Value embedded in the beliefs and behaviors of high-performance organizations. Customer focus impacts and should integrate an organization’s strategic directions, its value creation processes, and its business results.

See the definition of “stakeholders” for the relationship between customers and others who might be affected by your products, programs, or services.

Go to related Baldrige Best Practices (click to access):

• Customer Relationship Management

• Customer Satisfaction Determination

• Customer Segmentation and Knowledge Determination

Go to related Baldrige Application Information Capture and Response Templates (click to access):

• Customer and Market Segments and Requirements

• Customer Listening and Learning Approaches

• Customer Access Approaches

• Customer Follow Up Methods

• Customer Contact Service Standards

• Competitive Environment

The term "customer" appears in the Baldrige Criteria in the following locations: