For Our Customers
We believe that our constant pursuit of quality is the foundation of our relationship of trust with customers.
We will continue to maintain and improve the level of quality we provide in order to deliver joy and excitement through products and services that go beyond our customers’ expectations.
Rakuten Group Quality Policy
- Provide safe products and services to our customers.
- Reliably deliver the products and services promised to our customers.
- Provide products and services that comply with the applicable laws and regulations of the jurisdiction in which they are offered, whether they be in Japan or overseas.
- Provide products and services that are beneficial to our customers.
- Provide convenient, user-friendly products and services to our customers.
Quality Management Systems
Since establishment, Rakuten has committed to providing quality services to its customers. To keep this commitment today, three types of initiatives are conducted under the leadership of our Group COO (Chief Operating Officer): “Quality Improvement Activities,” “Quality Assurance Activities” and “Quality Control Circle Activities.”
We have also established committees that lead Group-wide quality initiatives in which Rakuten Group, Inc. and the wider Rakuten Group participate. The Quality Assurance Committee discusses the establishment and abolishment of quality standards and guidelines, and the evaluation of quality measures taken. The Quality Improvement Committee promotes implementation of quality-related measures and adoption of these measures in our services by monitoring service and product quality based on NPS® (Net Promotor Score)* and sharing best practices.
| Quality Assurance | Quality Improvement | Quality Control Circle (QCC) |
|---|---|---|
| Prevention of quality-related issues | Improvement of existing services | Bottom-up quality improvementactivities |
* Net Promoter Score, NPS® and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Fred Reichheld and Satmetrix Systems, Inc.
Quality Assurance Activities
The entire Rakuten Group is working to improve quality assurance to allow our customers to use Rakuten services with confidence. To ensure that the lineup of over 70 services available within our ecosystem consistently offers high quality, quality assurance activities are implemented based on international quality standards such as ISO9001.
Our cross-Group Quality Assurance Committee sets targets, establishes quality standards, carries out training and promotes the sharing of best practices to prevent occurrences and future recurrences of quality issues. Our vice chairs and executive vice presidents participate in quarterly Quality Assurance Committee meetings that bring together management and frontline employees.
Quality Improvement Activities
“Maximize Customer Satisfaction” is one of the core values of the Rakuten Group. We are working to improve the quality of our services and products in order to meet and exceed customer expectations
Rakuten uses NPS® and VOC to improve customer satisfaction.
Number of quality improvement
activities in 2021
Total:520
NPS® Net Promoter Score
Our NPS® activities quantify how much attachment and trust our customers have for Rakuten’s services and brand. The results are utilized for evaluating and improving customer experiences.
Surveys are conducted through direct and indirect questionnaires and interviews with users. Managers in charge of quality improvement of each service take the lead in analyzing NPS® results and implementing quality improvement measures.
In 2019, the Quality Improvement Committee created subcommittees to address NPS® issues common to all Rakuten Group services. By involving employees directly in the management of each issue, the subcommittees lead to more workplace-driven quality improvement activities.
Improvement Activities at Rakuten Travel
At Rakuten Travel, we are constantly working on quality improvement with the belief that understanding and evaluating the level of our service quality objectively and resolving issues will lead to the continued growth of our business.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the tourism industry, and Rakuten Travel was no exception. To facilitate the swift recovery of the industry, we promoted safe travel by implementing various improvement initiatives — notably, the addition of features to the service that show which facilities implemented COVID-19 prevention measures. Furthermore, we worked to overcome the unprecedented challenges together with accommodation facilities suffering from the drop in international and domestic tourists by providing support such as consultation on how to increase the number of reservations as well as expediting payment transfers to accommodation facilities.
I believe it is important to put Rakuten’s mission of empowering people and society into practice and walk together with our partners, especially when facing challenges like this one. Rakuten Travel strives endlessly to offer better services to our customers and encourage the growth of the tourism industry as a whole.
Vice President, Commerce Company
Yoshiyuki Takano
VOC: Voice of Customer
Based on opinions and requests received through social media and call centers, Rakuten is making continuous efforts to eliminate the pain points of its customers and improve service quality.
Examples of actions taken based on VOC analysis include the deployment of chatbot functionality for more convenient customer inquiries, and the expansion of the number of shops accepting Rakuten’s various payment options.
Furthermore, the UX Research Room was established in 2013 to directly elicit the opinions of customers. Users are invited to an interview room where employees observe how they use websites and apps and can ask them questions. Employees from various businesses can conduct user research in real-time and are able to debate and execute improvement plans on the spot in a speedy manner.
The following are some of the service enhancements based on the feedback and opinions from customers.
- Please see here (Japanese page) for details.
Quality Control Circle (QCC) Activities
Quality Control Circle activities are led by employees to improve quality and productivity by solving problems in the workplace. “Always Improve, Always Advance” is one of the Five Principles for Success of “Rakuten Shugi,” the values and principles shared by Rakuten employees. The culture of continuous improvement, or “kaizen,” is also strongly rooted in those principles. In pursuit of higher quality, we started QCC activities in 2016 as part of our comprehensive quality control program.
The implementation of QCC activities has not only led to the quality and productivity improvement of business operations and services, it has also translated into the enhancement of employee capabilities and the creation of vibrant working environments. This greatly contributes to the strengthening and advancement of Rakuten’s kaizen culture as well as to business growth.
From only 13 participants in 2016, QCC activities have been ramping up steadily, reaching 4,182 employees in Japan by 2021. The activities have also been implemented overseas, at Rakuten Ichiba in Taiwan and Rakuten TV in Spain.
Furthermore, QCC activities were also implemented in the COVID-19 mass vaccination center operations in 2021. We will continue our QCC activities not only for our own improvement, but also to empower society at large.
QCC activities at Rakuten Insurance General Information Center
As the number of customer inquiries rose, a drop in the level of customer satisfaction due to delayed responses became a concern. QCC activities were carried out to reduce incoming calls by 5% month on-month and ensure more stable operations at our call centers. Analyzing the situation and root causes, various countermeasures were taken such as the addition of relevant links to our FAQ page for customers to find answers to their questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
