Examine individual changes

'{{Mergefrom|Customer satisfaction dimensions|date=July 2009}} '''Customer satisfaction''', a [[business]] [[technical term|term]], 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 and is part of the four of a [[Balanced Scorecard]]. 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.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Future of Business: The Essentials |last=Gitman |first=Lawrence J. |coauthors=Carl D. McDaniel |year=2005 |publisher=South-Western |location=Mason, Ohio |isbn=0324320280}}</ref> There is a substantial body of empirical literature that establishes the benefits of customer satisfaction for firms. == Measuring customer satisfaction == Organizations need to retain existing customers while targeting non-customers;<ref>{{cite book |title=Fundamentals of Customer-Focused Management: Competing Through Service |last=John |first=Joby |year=2003 |publisher=Praeger |location=Westport, Conn. |isbn=9781567205640}}</ref>. Measuring customer satisfaction provides an indication of how successful the organization is at providing products and/or services to the marketplace. Customer satisfaction is an abstract concept and the actual manifestation of the state of satisfaction will vary from person to person and product/service to product/service. The state of satisfaction depends on a number of both psychological and physical variables which correlate with satisfaction behaviors such as return and recommend rate. The level of satisfaction can also vary depending on other factors the customer, such as other products against which the customer can compare the organization's products. Work done by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (Leonard L) <ref>{{cite book |title=Marketing Services: Competing Through Quality |last=Berry |first=Leonard L. |coauthors=A. Parasuraman |year=1991 |publisher=Free Press |location=New York |isbn=9780029030790}}</ref> between 1985 and 1988 delivered SERVQUAL which provides the basis for the measurement of customer satisfaction with a service by using the gap between the customer's expectation of performance and their perceived experience of performance. This provides the researcher with a satisfaction "gap" which is semi-quantitative in nature. Cronin and Taylor extended the disconfirmation theory by combining the "gap" described by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry as two different measures (perception and expectation) into a single measurement of performance relative to expectation. The usual measures of customer satisfaction involve a [[Sample survey|survey]] <ref>{{cite book |title=Customer satisfaction toolkit for ISO 9001:2000 |last=Kessler |first=Sheila |year=2003 |publisher=ASQ Quality Press |location=Milwaukee, Wis. |isbn=0873895592}}</ref> with a set of statements using a [[Likert scale|Likert Technique]] or scale. The customer is asked to evaluate each statement in terms of their perception and expectation of performance of the service being measured. ==Methodologies== {{Example farm|section|date=March 2009}} [[American Customer Satisfaction Index]] (ACSI) is a scientific standard of customer satisfaction. Academic research has shown that the national ACSI score is a strong predictor of [[Gross domestic product|Gross Domestic Product]] (GDP) growth, and an even stronger predictor of [[Personal Consumption Expenditure]] (PCE) growth. On the microeconomic level, research has shown that ACSI data predicts [[stock market]] performance, both for market indices and for individually traded companies. Increasing ACSI scores has been shown to predict loyalty, word-of-mouth recommendations, and purchase behavior. The ACSI measures customer satisfaction annually for more than 200 companies in 43 industries and 10 economic sectors. In addition to quarterly reports, the ACSI methodology can be applied to private sector companies and government agencies in order to improve loyalty and purchase intent. Two companies have been licensed to apply the methodology of the ACSI for both the private and public sector: [http://www.cfigroup.com CFI Group, Inc.] applies the methodology of the ACSI offline, and [http://www.foreseeresults.com Foresee Results] applies the ACSI to websites and other online initiatives. ASCI scores have also been calculated by independent researchers, for example, for the mobile phones sector<ref>{{cite journal |last=Turel |first=Ofir |coauthors=Alexander Serenko |title=Satisfaction with mobile services in Canada: An empirical investigation |journal=Telecommunications Policy |volume= 30 |issue=5-6 | pages=314–331 |url= http://foba.lakeheadu.ca/serenko/papers/Turel_Serenko_tp_published.pdf |year=2006 }}</ref>, higher education<ref>{{cite journal |last=Serenko |first=Alexander |title=Student satisfaction with Canadian music programs: The application of the American Customer Satisfaction Model in higher education |journal=Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education |volume= 35 |issue=4 | pages= |url= http://foba.lakeheadu.ca/serenko/papers/Student_Satisfaction_ACSI_Published.pdf |year=2010 }}</ref>, and [[electronic mail]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Dow |first=Kevin |coauthors=Alexander Serenko, Ofir Turel, Jeff Wong |title=Antecedents and consequences of user satisfaction with e-mail systems |journal=International Journal of e-Collaboration |volume= 2 |issue=2 | pages=46–64 |url= http://foba.lakeheadu.ca/serenko/papers/JeC_Dow.pdf |year=2006 }}</ref> The [[Kano model]] is a theory of product development and customer satisfaction developed in the 1980s by Professor [[Noriaki Kano]] that classifies customer preferences into five categories: Attractive, One-Dimensional, Must-Be, Indifferent, Reverse. The Kano model offers some insight into the product attributes which are perceived to be important to customers. Kano also produced a methodology for mapping consumer responses to questionnaires onto his model. [[SERVQUAL]] or RATER is a service-quality framework that has been incorporated into customer-satisfaction surveys (e.g., the revised Norwegian Customer Satisfaction Barometer<ref>{{cite journal |title=The evolution and future of national customer satisfaction index models |last=Johnson |first=Michael D. |coauthors=Anders Gustafssonb, Tor Wallin Andreassenc, Line Lervikc and Jaesung Cha |journal=Journal of Economic Psychology |volume=22 |issue=2|year=2001 |pages=217–245 |issn=0167-4870}}</ref>) to indicate the gap between customer expectations and experience. [[J.D. Power and Associates]] provides another measure of customer satisfaction, known for its top-box approach and automotive industry rankings. J.D. Power and Associates' marketing research consists primarily of consumer surveys and is publicly known for the value of its product awards. Other research and consulting firms have customer satisfaction solutions as well. These include [[A.T. Kearney]]'s Customer Satisfaction Audit process<ref>{{cite book |title=The Customer Satisfaction Audit |last=Bluestein |first=Abram |coauthors=Michael Moriarty; Ronald J Sanderson |publisher=Cambridge Strategy Publications |location=Axminster |year=2003 |isbn=9781902433981}}</ref>, which incorporates the Stages of Excellence framework and which helps define a company’s status against eight critically identified dimensions. For Business to Business (B2B) surveys there is the InfoQuest box[http://www.infoquestcrm.co.uk]. This has been used internationally since 1989 on more than 110,000 surveys (Nov '09) with an average response rate of 72.74%. The box is targeted at "the most important" customers and avoids the need for a blanket survey. == Improving Customer Satisfaction == Published standards exist to help organizations develop their current levels of customer satisfaction. [[The International Customer Service Institute]] (TICSI) has released The International Customer Service Standard (TICSS). TICSS enables organizations to focus their attention on delivering excellence in the management of customer service, whilst at the same time providing recognition of success through a 3rd Party registration scheme. TICSS focuses an organization’s attention on delivering increased customer satisfaction by helping the organization through a Service Quality Model. TICSS Service Quality Model uses the 5 P's - Policy, Processes, People, Premises, Product/Services, as well as performance [[measurement]]. The implementation of a customer service standard should lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction, which in turn influences [[customer retention]] and [[customer loyalty]]. == See also == * [[Business case]] * [[Customer Service]] * [[Customer Loyalty]] * [[The International Customer Service Institute]] == References == {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Customer Satisfaction}} [[Category:Business terms]] [[Category:Consumer behaviour]] [[ar:رضا العميل]] [[de:Kundenzufriedenheit]] [[ta:வாடிக்கையாளர் மனநிறைவு]] [[ja:顧客満足]] [[fi:Asiakastyytyväisyys]] [[sv:Kundnöjdhet]]'