Customer satisfaction is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. It is seen as a key performance indicator within business. In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for customers, customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy. Organizations are increasingly interested in retaining existing customers while targeting non-customers; measuring customer satisfaction provides an indication of how successful the organization is at providing products and/or services to the marketplace. (“Customer Satisfaction,” 2008)
The usual measures of customer satisfaction involve a survey with a set of statements using a Likert Technique or scale. Likert Technique is a psychometric response scale often used in questionnaires, and is the most widely used scale in survey research. The customer is asked to evaluate each statement and in term of their perception and expectation of performance of the organization being measured. (“Customer Satisfaction,” 2008)
From the Build –A – Bear workshop case stated that their retailer had implanted an innovative Guest Satisfaction program that is tied to financial rewards for the Workshop managers. They think that guest satisfaction increase is the best indicator of how truly successful it is.
2. Identify and discuss the role of technology in the service encounter.
According to Fitzsimmons, J.A., & Fitzsimmons, M.J. (2008) the role of technology in the service encounter are technology- free service encounter, technology- assisted service encounter, technology- facilitated service encounter, technology- mediated service encounter and technology- generated service encounter. Figure 5.1, (pg4) displays the five modes in detailed.
The A mode is called technology- free service encounter, where the customer is in physical proximity to and