Everyone tracks metrics. If a metric is important enough to measure, it’s important to find ways to improve it. What happens if you don’t get the NPS you’re aiming for? Next time, consider Root Cause Analysis (RCA), a methodology that helps you understand the reasons and drivers behind your key metrics and how to improve them. It’s about finding, understanding, and fixing the recurring issues that are making your customers unhappy. When you can proactively address the issue before it becomes a problem, it’s a game-changer.

Elements of Root Cause Analysis Software

Conducting an RCA involves different methods and tools, but generally follows a similar process. To begin, you need to define the problem and its impact on customer service. Next, collect data and evidence related to the problem, such as customer feedback, metrics, logs, etc. With the data available, you can use data analysis to investigate possible causes and their relationships. To ensure accuracy, verify root causes by testing hypotheses and eliminating alternatives.

The need for continuous improvement 

 There’s always room for improvement, even in the most successful companies. Today’s savvy customers can tell whether you’re committed to their satisfaction—or not. Here’s a general outline of how to start the root cause analysis process.

• Define the problem
• Ask why. Why are customers unhappy? Why is NPS lower than expected? These questions often lead to more questions – hence the 5 Whys tool mentioned below.
• Collect data to identify key issues that explain why a metric isn't where you want it to be
• Bring together the project team and appropriate stakeholders for a brainstorming session.
• Depending on the nature of the problem you discovered, implement solutions to address the root causes and, ideally, prevent them in the future.
• Monitor to keep an eye on the effectiveness of the measures taken and adjust as needed (bonus tool – control charts are effective for monitoring key metrics over time)

3 Root Cause Analysis Tools to Consider 

 1. Pareto Chart: Use a Pareto chart to identify the most common defects, the most common causes of defects, or the most common causes of customer complaints. Pareto charts can help focus improvement efforts on the areas where the greatest gains can be made. A Pareto chart worksheet answers the following questions.

• Which defects occur most frequently?
• Which defects have the highest cost or incur the highest cost of poor quality (COPQ)?
• Which inputs cause more defects or fewer defects?

      2. Fishbone diagram: Use a Fishbone Diagram (also known as a Cause and Effect Diagram) to organize brainstorming information about the possible causes of a problem. Developing a fishbone diagram with your team can help you compare the relative importance of different causes.

• Bring together the project team and appropriate stakeholders for a brainstorming session.
• For each category, list all possible causes or process inputs. You can create secondary categories for the primary categories, and then list the causes or process inputs in the secondary categories. If the default cause categories are not appropriate for the problem, create new categories. Fishbone diagrams can include any type of cause that you want to investigate.
• Identify the most important causes

      3. Five whys: Use the Five Whys form to determine the root cause of a problem by repeating the question “Why?”

The five whys answer the following questions.

• What is the root cause of the problem?
• What are the relationships between the different root causes?
• How can we prevent the problem from occurring again?

How to do it:

1. Identify the specific problem.
2. Ask why the problem occurs.
3. Answer the first question about why. If the answer is not the root cause, then ask why that cause occurs.
4. Repeat this process for each cause until you have identified the true root cause. The true root cause should always point to a process that is not working well or that does not exist.
5. Act on the answer to the ultimate why, or the true root cause.

The five whys are not required, but they are usually sufficient. Every problem is different, so some problems may require more “whys” while others may require fewer.

The result

Once you’ve identified areas where you can better serve your customers, it’s time to take action and fix those instances. As you make improvements, it’s a good idea to continually gather customer feedback so that you’re armed with the data you need to continue improving and understanding your customers’ needs.

  Source: Minitab

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