Prioritization of customers’ requirements based on the spectrum of company-oriented to customer-oriented approaches

Purpose Companies look for their customers’ requirements (CRs) due to the importance of providing customer satisfaction in creating a competitive advantage. The purpose of this study is to introduce and categorize methods of prioritizing CRs based on company-oriented to customer-oriented approaches spectrum. Design/methodology/approach Three methods, i.e. traditional FMEA, the Madzik and Kormanec method and the FAHP-FTOPSIS method, have been used to prioritize CRs in an auto-parts company. In this study, the most important CRs were identified and prioritized based on the opinions of senior managers to increase customer satisfaction in an auto-parts company. So, the 10 CRs were prioritized via customer-oriented and company-oriented approaches by considering the opinions of the managers of the company. Requirement curves were depicted with the help of average start and endpoint for each CR. Moreover, Risk Priority Number (RPN) and values of the effort and effect indexes were calculated using customer orientation and FAHP-FTOPSIS methods. Findings The results of this research showed that CR1 (High quality of the part) is in first place of priority in traditional FMEA, CR3 (High quality of lining of the part) is in the first priority in the FAHP-FTOPSIS method and CR10 (After-sales service and warranty) is the most important in the Madzik and Kormanec method. The difference in results is because of the difference in their approach to data collection from customers or managers of the company. Originality/value The originality of this study is to consider the methods of prioritizing the CRs of products due to the spectrum of company-oriented to customer-oriented approaches.