https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

News


For John Deere, customer input drives product development

For John Deere, customer input drives product development

John Deere’s rich history of supporting government and military operations dates back to the days of the “John Deere Battalion” in World War II, and even further back to the Civil War.
  • Written by Josh Cable
  • 27th October 2008

More than 170 years after the company was founded, John Deere still considers its government customers – whether at the federal, state or local level – to be a critical part of its business. So it should come as no surprise that the company goes out of its way to seek the opinions and insights of public-sector customers when developing its products.

“It’s company policy that we design our products based on the voice of the customer,” noted Greg Doherty, group director, product and technology marketing for John Deere’s Worldwide Commercial and Consumer Equipment Division.

When it comes to selecting mowers, utility tractors and other grounds maintenance products, government agencies – much like any other customer – place a high premium on product safety, durability and reliability as well as on customer service and dealer support, Doherty explained.

Developing grounds maintenance products that meet those high standards doesn’t happen by accident. John Deere develops it products based on a “very formal and quantitatively rigorous customer-requirements process,” according to Doherty. That process includes a number of mechanisms to solicit customer feedback, including focus groups, one-on-one interviews, quantitative surveys and observing customers using John Deere equipment.

“It’s very important that we take the voice of the customer into our design process,” Doherty said. “That’s our job, and we have people all over the world who are talking every day to customers. It’s important to John Deere that we design our product – no matter what type – to meet the needs of our customers.”

Dealers play a key role

An important component of John Deere’s efforts to seek customer feedback is its worldwide dealer network. Through John Deere’s dealer advisory councils, local dealers keep the company’s finger on the pulse of customers’ needs.

“Our dealers give us a lot of good input on things that we need – whether it’s a type of seat, or a cutting option for a mower, or a control for a tractor,” Doherty explained.

For example, feedback from John Deere dealers spurred the company to talk to customers in a number of segments – including government – about the need for an enhanced cargo box in some John Deere vehicles.

“And we’re in the process of changing the way we design cargo boxes,” Doherty said. “It may sound like a small thing, but sometimes these small things can be important when you’re using equipment every day.”

Another seemingly small modification that John Deere has made based on customer feedback is the addition of cupholders to its small tractors.

“A few years back, cupholders weren’t an issue on small tractors,” Doherty said. “Then all of a sudden people had minivans – one car company bragged that its minivan had something like 13 cupholders – and our customers said it’s important on our machines, because people get up early in the morning, they’re out mowing parks and they have their cup of coffee.”

While dealers provide valuable feedback on issues that affect everyday operators of John Deere equipment, they also are a voice for the equipment operators, fleet and government managers who spec and purchase the equipment.

“In the case of government and commercial customers, our dealers talk to the people who are buying the machines to find out what’s important to them,” Doherty said. “Support, price, resale value, parts availability, finance programs, municipal leases – we take into consideration all of those things that go into the purchase of these machines as well.”

When John Deere comes knocking …

One approach that John Deere uses to solicit customer input during the product-development process is letting customers beta-test new John Deere machines to put the products through their paces.

“We give machines to a customer, leave it with them for three or four months and contact them on a weekly basis to see how it’s working,” Doherty explained. “ … We might be testing a certain part of the machine, whether it’s the control system or the seat comfort or the deck performance.”

As a testament to John Deere’s commitment to obtain honest, unbiased input from machine users, the company often will conduct blind beta tests in which the equipment is not identified as a John Deere, Doherty added.

“It may be painted a different color, or it may not be coming from a dealer,” Doherty said. “A lot of times we’ll have trials that last maybe a day or two in which you don’t know who is actually sponsoring the research. We’ve done that many times, because the brand does bias the way that the user looks at the product.”

Regardless of the testing situation, Doherty credited government agencies for their willingness to help provide honest, constructive input.

“They’re dedicated to spending their taxpayer money wisely, and I think they see the benefit of having machines that they have helped design through their input,” Doherty said. “A lot of government employees and managers really go out of their way to help us, without even knowing that sometimes John Deere is the one asking for help. And I think that says something about the government customer – that they have the interests of their employees, their taxpayers and their management in mind. It’s pretty doggone impressive.”

Whether it’s the number of cupholders, the user-friendliness of a seat belt or the position of a lever, John Deere “takes the lead from our customers,” Doherty said. Because government customers are such a valued segment of John Deere’s business, he encouraged public-sector customers to participate in product testing if called upon.

“Because it helps us all,” Doherty said. “And we’re very proud of the fact that customers are a big part of our design process.”

Tags: News Public Works & Utilities

Most Recent


  • Advocacy organizations call for congressional action ahead of looming federal shutdown
    The political spat that’s frozen congressional action on the budget, potentially leading to a government shutdown if an agreement isn’t reached by midnight Saturday, could create ripple effects felt far beyond the jurisdictional lines of the United States Capitol. If a shutdown happens, ‘nonessential’ federal government functions would hault. Federal employees wouldn’t receive paychecks. Benefits […]
  • How governments can help older adults age in place during a housing crisis
    As a shortage of 6.5 million homes confronts the nation, the population of the U.S. skews increasingly older. The lack of affordable housing, compounded with the growing population of Americans over age 65, means that older adults who desire to age in place are finding it much more difficult to stay in their communities. The […]
  • Report: Younger employees working in public service are stressed over their jobs, worried about debt
    The COVID-19 pandemic pushed many older workers out of their public service jobs and into early retirement—contributing to the start of the ongoing ‘great resignation’ economic trend while leaving a knowledge gap that’s not easy for younger generations to fill. New research from the MissionSquare Research Group sheds light on the experiences of these younger […]
  • road maintenance
    Road maintenance is a good place to incorporate sustainable practices; predictive data analysis can help
    One way to achieve sustainability is to work to extend the life of an agency’s existing assets, says Matt Sprague, industry strategy director – local government at Trimble, a technology company that offers a variety of integrated infrastructure solutions. The solutions may enable improved decision-making by connecting the right information with the right administrators and […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Arbor Day Foundation and Intrinsyx Environmental offer natural solution to clean up industrial contamination in cities and towns
  • MS-ISAC members get free access to Deloitte’s Cyber Detect and Respond Portal to help respond to cyber threats
  • Deltek releases 12th annual Clarity Government Contracting Report
  • Amazon Business releases first B2B ecommerce report, highlighting e-procurement

White papers


7 Resources to Level-up Your Federal Grants Administration and Compliance

5th September 2023

Elevator Phone Line Replacement Strategy | A Guide to Reliable, Code-Compliant Solutions

29th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing Report: The Bright Future of Public Procurement

23rd August 2023
view all

Webinars


Grant Preparedness: Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Your Success

10th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing: Taking Local Governments into a Bright Future

1st August 2023

Stop Playing with Fire: How to Manage Infrastructure Asset Risk So You Know You’re Covered

20th June 2023
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


10 Safest Cities from Natural Disasters

29th September 2023

Gallery: Hottest temperatures recorded in American cities during July

12th September 2023

The top 10 Asthma Capitals for 2023

7th September 2023
view all

Twitter


Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.