Maximizing the Use of Customer Satisfaction Measurement and Tracking Data
By William K. Pollock
Virtually every business measures Customer Satisfaction in some manner. A forthcoming AFSMIsponsored CRM Preparedness Survey report will reveal that 74.2% of services organizations presently
measure Customer Satisfaction, with 75.9% of them conducting surveys monthly, quarterly, annually, or
better. More than half (54.0%) also use an outside firm to conduct their customer surveys. Does your
organization truly understand its customers' needs and requirements - and does it know how to fully
utilize the survey data it has compiled? Read on to see what your organization can do to maximize the
use of its Customer Satisfaction Measurement and Tracking data!
In recent years, the combined impact of a highly volatile economy, a growing regulatory environment, the
influx of new technologies, and an intensifying competitive marketplace have led to increased pressures
for many businesses with respect to:
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Establishing and maintaining acceptable levels of customer service performance;
Expanding, or refining, their overall portfolios of product and service offerings;
Growing their existing customer bases, and keeping them satisfied;
Identifying and cultivating new business market opportunities;
Remaining at, or keeping up with, the vanguard of technology;
Maintaining acceptable profit margins; and
Approaching customer service and support more strategically.
Still, as important as Customer Satisfaction Measurement and Tracking is (or should be) to the business's
understanding of its customers' needs and requirements, some organizations continue to measure their
general customer service and satisfaction performance solely by conducting internally-developed
customer "courtesy call" programs using in-house staff to survey the company's customers. While the
thought behind these programs is generally admirable, the benefits of conducting them are typically
limited only to the inherent promotional value of the calls - but not really in terms of deriving actionable
information that can be used to improve customer service.
The design of a more strategically focused Customer Satisfaction Measurement and Tracking program
would essentially address the following goals and objectives:
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To identify the specific customer satisfaction attributes that are proven to be important to customers;
To provide benchmark, or baseline, measurements of both importance and satisfaction for future
trend comparisons;
To determine the relative strengths and weaknesses of the company with respect to its products,
services and customer support;
To identify all of the critical areas requiring improvement;
To collect data that can be used to set targets or goals for improvement, and to serve as the basis for
formalizing internal strategic and marketing planning programs; and
To provide company management with an objective, scientific and statistically valid means for
measuring, monitoring, assessing and evaluating customer satisfaction data on a strategic, tactical
and ongoing basis.
The applications and uses of the findings from a Customer Satisfaction Measurement and Tracking
program of this type would be multifold:
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The organization could acquire new and useful input and feedback directly from its customers
regarding their perceptions of the value, need and levels of satisfaction associated with the purchase
and use of its products and services;
The survey results could then be used to monitor trends in both company performance and customer
satisfaction over time. This information could contribute directly to the ongoing improvement of the
company's products and services as part of an overall marketing plan, and could ultimately lead to
the development of new, or modified, products, services and support features designed to meet the
total needs of the customer base.
The results of the survey could also be used as a marketing tool for promoting the company's various
product and service lines through a number of means including:
- The creation of an executive summary, or "white paper" report, based on the general survey
results, for distribution to targeted customers and prospects via mail, insertion in corporate
literature folders, or at industry trade shows.
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Development of a series of promotional and public relations-oriented press/news releases and/or
features targeted to key business publications and trade papers.
- Publication of a "genericized" summary of the survey results in an appropriate industry trade
journal or magazine that serves the company's general customer/market base.
The results of the survey analysis, as well as a sampling of selected verbatim quotes and comments,
could also be incorporated directly into the company's advertising and promotional programs,
corporate brochures, website, testimonials, newsletters, e-mails, etc.
A Customer Satisfaction Measurement and Tracking program designed to provide all of the uses and
applications as described above would consist essentially of two phases:
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A Discovery Phase in which the principal performance evaluation criteria of customers would be
identified, and
A Quantitative Survey Phase in which actual measures of product and service quality importance,
matched against corresponding levels of satisfaction with the company's performance, would be
made.
In more general terms, the study would provide company management with a comprehensive analysis of
the benchmark, or baseline, customer satisfaction survey results, as well as the analysis of trend data
that could be used to identify key patterns of change, or movement, in customers' perceptions of
company performance over time. These would include, but not be limited to:
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Detailed analyses of the overall survey findings that establish baseline needs and satisfaction levels,
and track trends and shifts in customer satisfaction from period-to-period;
The identification of specific areas requiring improvement;
Generation of executive-level summary reports, detailed survey data and regular (e.g., monthly,
quarterly, annual) tracking reports;
Assessments of the strategic implications for the company based on the analyses of the overall
survey findings; and
Development of specific recommendations for improving customer service and corresponding levels
of satisfaction.
The establishment of a strategic customer satisfaction measurement and tracking program should be an
important component of every company's business plan. However, taking advantage of the multiple uses
and applications of the survey results will make it an even more cost-effective business tool.
Until next month, keep your customers satisfied!
Very truly yours,
Bill
William K. Pollock
President
Strategies For GrowthSM
P.O. Box 1024
Westtown, PA 19395
USA
Tel: (610) 399-9717
Fax: (610) 399-9718
E-Mail: wkp@s4growth.com
Website: www.s4growth.com