Measuring Customer Satisfaction
Running head: MEASURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Measuring Customer Satisfaction
James Brown
Keller Graduate School of Management
Quality Management
GM588
Professor Robert Lee
Mar 20, 2011
Measuring Customer Satisfaction
As we move into a huge global business environment we find that the need has become much greater to measure and track customer satisfaction. This measurement is a relatively new concept being adopted throughout the business community. It was stated in the Harvard Business Review that “The gulf between satisfied customers and completely satisfied customers can swallow a business.” (Review, 1995) In order to be effective in satisfying your customers and monitor how well you are doing you need to have a well designed system.
Best practices in measuring customer satisfaction is using a well designed questionnaire that focuses on specific company products and services. The questionaire must be focused.
“The purpose of a customer feedback questionnaire is to measure the level of customer satisfaction with a product, service, or brand. Yet measuring how a company is failing to meet its clients' expectations and pinpointing areas for improvement is problematic if the client satisfaction survey design is flawed. A well-designed questionnaire can make all the difference. Falling back on customer feedback survey software or free questionnaire templates will only get a researcher partway there.” (Proctor, 2009) I am finding that best practices in measuring customer satisfaction involve developing questionnaires that focus on internal employee surveys, linking them with annual planning processes. These surveys can be manual or digital and should serve to reduce customer complaints, and assist the organization in better defining and exceeding the most important requirements of their customers. (McManus, 2009) Most companies are always surveying their external customers but rarely if ever survey their internal customers and
Measuring Customer Satisfaction
James Brown
Keller Graduate School of Management
Quality Management
GM588
Professor Robert Lee
Mar 20, 2011
Measuring Customer Satisfaction
As we move into a huge global business environment we find that the need has become much greater to measure and track customer satisfaction. This measurement is a relatively new concept being adopted throughout the business community. It was stated in the Harvard Business Review that “The gulf between satisfied customers and completely satisfied customers can swallow a business.” (Review, 1995) In order to be effective in satisfying your customers and monitor how well you are doing you need to have a well designed system.
Best practices in measuring customer satisfaction is using a well designed questionnaire that focuses on specific company products and services. The questionaire must be focused.
“The purpose of a customer feedback questionnaire is to measure the level of customer satisfaction with a product, service, or brand. Yet measuring how a company is failing to meet its clients' expectations and pinpointing areas for improvement is problematic if the client satisfaction survey design is flawed. A well-designed questionnaire can make all the difference. Falling back on customer feedback survey software or free questionnaire templates will only get a researcher partway there.” (Proctor, 2009) I am finding that best practices in measuring customer satisfaction involve developing questionnaires that focus on internal employee surveys, linking them with annual planning processes. These surveys can be manual or digital and should serve to reduce customer complaints, and assist the organization in better defining and exceeding the most important requirements of their customers. (McManus, 2009) Most companies are always surveying their external customers but rarely if ever survey their internal customers and
Cited: Baldrige.com. (2010, September 28). Inforation You Need to Build the Organization you Want. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from Baldrige.com: http://www.baldrige.com/criteria_customerfocus/seeking-very-satisfied-customers/ McManus, K. (2009, September 16). Great Systems! Retrieved March 15, 2011, from Great Systems!: http://www.greatsystems.com/customerps.htm Proctor, K. (2009, November 19). Suite101.com. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from Suite101.com: http://www.suite101.com/content/measuring-customer-satisfaction-in-a171556 Review, H. B. (1995, November/December). Harvard Business Review.