Which metric would be most important for a company to analyze customer responsiveness?

Lead time is the most important metric for analyzing customer responsiveness because it encompasses the total time taken from the moment a customer places an order until they receive the product or service. This metric provides insight into how quickly a company can respond to customer requests and fulfill their needs, which is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Lead time includes various components, such as processing time, waiting time, and shipment time, giving a comprehensive view of the entire customer experience. By focusing on lead time, companies can identify bottlenecks in their processes, streamline operations, and ultimately enhance their responsiveness to customers.

In contrast, other metrics like changeover time, wait time, and parallel time are more focused on specific aspects of production or operational efficiency rather than directly on the overall experience from the customer's perspective. While these metrics are important for internal process improvements, they do not capture the broader picture of customer responsiveness in the same way that lead time does.