Would you be impressed if a hotel offered you free WiFi?

Isn't it true that free Wi-Fi has become a fundamental requirement when booking a hotel?

What about 20 years ago? Would you find this offer impressive? In Lean Six Sigma methodology, this analysis is known as Kano Analysis.

By utilizing a Kano analysis, you can categorize your customers' requirements into six groups according to the level of satisfaction and fulfillment of their needs.

• Kano analysis is a valuable tool in product and service development and customer satisfaction. Based on the renowned Kano model created by Professor Noriaki Kano, this methodology effectively categorizes and classifies customer requirements and preferences to enhance overall business performance.

  The model is illustrated as a graph, with the vertical axis representing the level of customer satisfaction and the horizontal axis denoting the level of functionality or performance.

• The Kano model has four categories:

  • Must-be: These are the essentials, must-haves, and things that can bum people out if missing. Your customers assume these are part of the deal. Meeting these won't get you gold stars or extra points because they're standard. But skip these, and you'll disappoint. A hotel can't boast about having beds in every room since that's a given. Guests would be seriously unhappy with the place if there were no beds.

  • One-dimensional: These needs - also known as Performance needs - are all about the idea that more is better. The more you fulfill these needs, the happier your customers will be. For instance, in the case of a hotel, having more free parking is better.

  • Attractive: Here are the things that give your customers that WOW factor and make them super happy. They're the surprises they never saw coming or knew they wanted. These little extras boost satisfaction without adding a ton of new features. The tricky part with these Delighters is that they can quickly turn into must-haves. What used to be an exciting surprise can soon become something we demand every time. And that can cost you a pretty penny in the long run. A free Wi-Fi 20 years ago was impressive; now it's a must-have.

  • Indifference: Sometimes, customers don't care about a particular feature. So, no matter how well it works or how good it is, their satisfaction remains the same. You can think of it like a flat line on a graph, where satisfaction stays constant whether the functionality is low or high.

Image source: https://asq.org/quality-resources/kano-model

Kano suggested that the One-dimensional, Attractive, Must-be, and Indifferent categories could be identified through a questionnaire completed by the customer. Each question was posed in two formats: one inquiring about the presence of a specific feature and the other about its absence. The customer was required to select one of five possible responses for each question.

1. I like it that way

2. It must be that way

3. I am neutral

4. I can live with it that way

5. I dislike it that way

Depending on the answers to the two questions, the customer's needs can be categorized into one of six groups.

A = Attractive

M = Must-be

O = One-dimensional

I = Indifference

R = Reversal

Q = Questionable

When a customer response is labelled as Questionable, it suggests there is a contradiction in the response. On the other hand, if it is labelled as Reversal, the response is the opposite of what the customer actually feels. In either case, the response is considered invalid.

Kano created a chart to determine the ultimate category for every attribute of a product or service. It simply involves locating where the two responses to the question intersect.

Image source: https://www.sensorysociety.org

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