| Customer satisfaction surveys and employee | | | | about their needs and expectations, and even when |
| satisfaction surveys identify customer requirements: | | | | they do understand customer requirements, they often |
| One of the best ways for companies in any industry | | | | fail in execution. Many companies do not conduct |
| to compete effectively, to increase customer | | | | customer satisfaction surveys or customer opinion |
| satisfaction and earn their loyalty is to provide | | | | surveys to gather information and insight from their |
| outstanding quality products and services that are | | | | customers, and they don't conduct employee |
| supported with exceptional service. In the everyday | | | | satisfaction surveys or employee engagement |
| fog of running a company, it is easy to lose sight of | | | | surveys to gather information, perceptions and |
| the need to provide quality and service excellence on | | | | suggestions from their employees. You can also |
| a consistent basis. Consumers and companies make | | | | conduct quality surveys and customer service surveys |
| purchasing decisions based on their experiences, | | | | that focus only on these key drivers of customer |
| recommendations, product and company reputations | | | | satisfaction. Given the importance of information |
| and in some cases based on research. Think about it. | | | | technology in running most businesses, you should also |
| What do customers do when they get ready to buy a | | | | consider conducting IT customer satisfaction surveys |
| car, buy clothing, choose a restaurant for dinner or | | | | to identify IT customer expectations and satisfaction |
| they decide to replace their smart phone? Quality, | | | | levels with IT services and support. |
| service and reliability are key issues that are | | | | While customer surveys and employee surveys are |
| considered when making these and most other | | | | very important for identifying customer requirements, |
| purchasing decisions. | | | | surveys are only the starting point. Customer survey |
| The cost of poor quality and customer service is often | | | | and employee survey results need to be turned into |
| hidden, and it is always high. Many business owners | | | | action plans that focus on meeting or exceeding |
| and managers believe that their companies can't | | | | customer requirements and achieving consistently high |
| afford to provide quality and service excellence. In | | | | levels of quality and service excellence. |
| reality, the opposite is true. No company can afford to | | | | It was this inability to grasp the need for quality and |
| achieve customer service and quality excellence on a | | | | service excellence, and then execute on that need |
| long-term, consistent basis. | | | | that almost killed the American automobile industry. |
| It is true that the cost of building quality and customer | | | | The same is true for countless other industries and |
| excellence into products and services is higher than | | | | individual businesses, including restaurants, retail stores, |
| not doing so, including the cost of using better | | | | manufacturers, technology companies, hospitals, banks, |
| technology and processes, better materials, and other | | | | universities and any other kind of business. |
| inputs, and providing employee training and focusing on | | | | If your company, or the products and services your |
| keeping employees satisfied and engaged. However, | | | | company produces and/or sells have a poor track |
| the cost of not providing quality and customer service | | | | record or reputation regarding quality and customer |
| excellence is even greater in terms of the cost of | | | | service, you are definitely losing business to your |
| customer attrition, customers you never get because | | | | customers. It is also costing you more money to run |
| of your poor quality, the cost associated with fixing | | | | your business. |
| quality problems and the cost of additional customer | | | | A final thought about Quality, Customer Service and |
| service needed to resolve problems encountered by | | | | Customer Satisfaction: |
| customers. | | | | If your Fortune 500, middle market or small business is |
| A great definition of quality is "conforming to customer | | | | not providing your customers with consistently high |
| requirements". It is all about identifying your current and | | | | levels of quality and service, you have a great |
| prospective customers' needs and expectations and | | | | opportunity to increase your customer satisfaction and |
| then identifying and executing on actions that meet or | | | | loyalty, your employee and business performance, and |
| exceed customer requirements on a consistent basis. | | | | your bottom line. Start by conducting and a customer |
| Unfortunately, many businesses fail to realize the need | | | | satisfaction survey and an employee satisfaction |
| for achieving quality and customer service excellence. | | | | survey in order to identify customer requirements and |
| Customer satisfaction surveys / customer opinion | | | | to gather information and insight for making needed |
| surveys and employee satisfaction surveys / | | | | changes to achieve quality and service excellence. |
| employee engagement surveys are cost-effective | | | | Then create an action plan, execute the plan well and |
| solutions for identifying customer requirements: | | | | follow up with annual customer surveys and employee |
| It is really not that hard to do, but most companies fall | | | | surveys to assess progress and identify new |
| short in identifying and meeting customer requirements. | | | | customer requirements as customer needs change |
| In many cases, they simply do not ask customers | | | | over time. |