Critical to Customer (CTC) refers to the essential attributes of a process or product that are necessary to meet the needs of the customer. CTCs are the specific characteristics or features that hold the utmost importance in ensuring customer satisfaction and driving customer loyalty.

Organizations identify CTCs by considering customer feedback, conducting surveys, and performing market research, taking into account customer preferences and the competitive landscape. Once identified, organizations focus their process improvement efforts on enhancing the CTCs to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Improvement strategies concentrate on reducing defects, enhancing the consistency and reliability of the CTCs, and amplifying the overall value of the product or service. Understanding the CTCs is crucial for organizations as it enables them to grasp what customers value the most and concentrate their process improvement initiatives on areas that have the greatest impact on customer satisfaction, loyalty, revenue, and profitability. By prioritizing the CTCs, organizations can drive customer satisfaction, foster customer loyalty, and achieve financial success.