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A
Performance factor can cause disgust at one extreme, but if fully implemented
can result in delight. This factor is also termed "more is better" but
could also be "faster is better" or "easier is better". Performance
factors are usually in existence already, but are neutral, causing neither
disgust nor delight. It is not so much the fact that the feature exists,
it is how it can be improved. The challenge is to identify them, and
to change their performance. Examples are speed of check in at a hotel,
ease of tuning on a radio, or fuel consumption. Performance factors
represent real opportunity to designers and to R&D staff. They may be
identified through market research, but observation is also important,
especially to identify performance features that are causing dissatisfaction.
Creativity or process redesign is often required to deliver the factor
faster or easier, and information support may play a role as in the
"one minute" check-in at some top hotels. The Cycle of Service (see
separate section) is a useful starting point to identify performance
factors.
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Finally,
a Delighter is something that customers do not expect, but if present
may cause increasing delight. Examples are flowers and wine awaiting guest
arrivals in some hotel rooms, or a radio tuner that retunes itself when
moving out of range of a transmitter By definition, market research is
of little use here. Once again, it is creativity, based on an appreciation
of (latent) customer needs that can provide the breakthrough.
We
should also note that the Kano factors are not static. What may be a Delighter
this year may migrate towards being a basic in a few years time. And also,
what may be a Delighter in one part of the world may be a basic in another
Thus it is crucial to keep up to date with changing customer expectations.
Benchmarking may be a way to go. From Kano we also learn that a reactive
quality policy, reacting to complaints, or dissatisfiers, will at best
lead to neutrality but proactive action is required to create delight.
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