- MOST PERTINENT
- 2.1. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS
- 2.2. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION RESEARCH
- 2.3. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION DATA, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION MEASUREMENTS
- Recommended Sources
- POSSIBLY USEFUL
2.1. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS
If it tells you where the issues are and how to fix them, that's analytics." It's also about identifying why customers leave an IVR. One of the main reasons is that "more often than not, you're asking them to do something they do not want to do," Fluss says. "Or the system could be slow, or you could be asking them for information they don't have. "There's a lot of information available, but you need actionable information like this to make a difference." As a side benefit all this can result in a reduction in agent call volume, Fluss says. Another analytics solution growing in parallel with CEA is desktop analytics, an internally focused technology that measures departmental performance and the agent's interaction with desktop servicing applications to cut call handling times. The two solution types, though still very nascent, are already making positive contributions to contact centers and their customers, the report states. Among the contributions, the report identifies helping contact center and enterprise managers address important goals, such as generating revenue, reducing customer attrition, increasing the use of self-service applications, improving agent satisfaction, and reducing agent attrition and turnover. "These applications are delivering cost savings of 5 percent to 10 percent to organizations," Fluss maintains. "When implemented properly, they help managers achieve their cost- savings goals while improving the customer and agent experience. [1] Why doesn't the valuable information gathered through customer service satisfaction surveys result in improved service? Because the real challenge for organizations is not in collecting customer feedback but in using it effectively. Nearly all organizations ask customers about their performance - easier to ask for data than to act on it. [2]
Just about every company measures customer satisfaction. Do the results lead to real service improvements for their customers? Forward-looking businesses are right to measure customers' opinion of their service. How else can they react to the ever-increasing pressure to improve the quality of the customer experience? Yet few managers believe the information they collect has any real impact on the way their business operates. Customer satisfaction surveys are now so popular with organizations that both professional researchers and customers complain of "questionnaire fatigue" and an increasing "nuisance factor". [2]
Many companies generated customer loyalty by improving electronic service quality (e-service quality) but the effects needed to be further examined," scientists in Tainan, Taiwan report. "The first purpose of the study is to integrate relevant literature and develop a comprehensive research model of electronic commerce to identify its antecedent and consequential research variables. This study tests the interrelationships among the perception of e-service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The second purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of customer perceived value on the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty. Through a questionnaire survey, the results of this study indicated that e-service quality has influence on customer satisfaction and then generates customer loyalty, which is consistent with Bagozzi's appraisalemotional responsebehaviour framework. Another key finding is the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty, which is stronger for customers with high perceived value than low perceived value," wrote H.H. Chang and colleagues, National Cheng-Kung University. [3]
Companies can talk about getting the "voice of the customer" into the organization, but that voice can be barely audible over other calls on management time - cost, quality, time and productivity - to name but a few. Another reason for inaction is that issues about service reported on customer satisfaction surveys are often not actionable at an operational level. User friendliness of systems, access to helplines, or number of staff available, can be outside their direct control. [2]
Whiteware and household appliances are also good examples of products which we expect to be delivered in perfect condition every time. A few years ago manufacturers would have budgeted for several customer complaints and warranty claims on these products per 100 produced but today these defects have been reduced to almost zero. Japanese manufacturing firms have strongly influenced these improvements in satisfying customer needs. With their Kaizen philosophy of continual improvements in operating performance, they have pushed customer acceptable quality levels higher and higher. In some industries this has been one of the main contributing advantages which has created new product brand leaders. In many companies this continual striving for improvement has resulted in enhanced customer satisfaction, increased market share and long-term company viability. [4]
The proposed solutions are detailed in Table II. With input from clinic administration and based on the analyses from the simulation experiments and the patient preferences listed, the scale of preference relations (shown in Table I) were applied according to the SSQS procedure. The resultant prioritized solutions and their weighted rankings are shown in Table III. Solution B (CIT 45, HBA 3, CT 17.7) is preferred, although its average waiting time after scheduled appointment (WTASA) is larger than that of solution A. Solution B's higher WTASA is offset, with respect to patient preferences, by its superior performance on average total time in the system (TIS). This study has researched the topic of integrating total quality management, customer satisfaction and simulation techniques in health care to develop the simulation service quality system. The purpose of this research was to present possible alternatives for improvement to achieve the timeliness standards at a U.S. Veterans' Hospital by developing recommendations to reduce the time a patient waits for service. [5]
Although TQM has existed for decades, it has only been in the past few years that America has begun to embrace it more fully. Whether it's through Deming's 14 steps or Kaizen, America's corporations are discovering that the concept of continuous improvement is rooted in getting closer to the customer. With the book Service America!: Doing Business in the New Economy, by Albrecht and Zemke in 1985, the service sector has also begun to understand the importance of bringing the power of the customer into the center of its business. Both of these movements strongly advocate customer satisfaction research as an integral part of a quality organization. [6] Andy Hayler, author of the report states, "As part of the research we carried out a customer satisfaction review of all the leading data quality companies." Hayler continued, "Customer satisfaction is, in our view, a very good indicator of the quality of a software product because customers that have gone through the entire implementation process are in the best position to judge whether a product actually delivers on its promises." [7]
The remaining 40%Io is not definable and is probably based on prejudices, familiarity, habit, and other personal elements that are unique to the individual. If the vast majority of customers are totally satisfied with the elements of a product or service, these elements, ironically, are not likely to positively or negatively influence a purchase decision; they become accepted elements. If there is a range of satisfaction opinions with respect to specific elements, that potentially raises the importance of these elements in the decision process. The goal is to identify and quantify those "key de-influencers." Asking customers to rate the importance of elements that determine their satisfaction with a product or service, while seemingly straightforward, is doomed to failure. [8]
One can imagine a salesperson from a marketing research supplier calling on a prospective customer and "pitching" satisfaction research. The salesperson would describe the various benefits and the versatility of this research, and stress many of the points made about the technique that are described in this article. One could further imagine the interested client asking this salesperson whether his or her company uses satisfaction research themselves to reap all the same benefits. [6]
The answer might not be what you imagine. During the course of writing this article, only five research companies could be identified as possessing their own customer satisfaction program: Burke Marketing Research, Consumer Research Inc., the Gordon Black Co., Maritz Marketing Research, and Walker Marketing Research. Although I am sure I have probably missed a few (and to those companies, I apologize), I am even more sure that this number is minuscule compared to the total number of existing research companies. Why wouldn't a research company, with all its research capabilities, employ such a tool? Why wouldn't any company? It requires extra effort and a strong commitment to the customer to embark on such a program. Nancy Bunn, director of Burke's customer satisfaction program, states that by employing satisfaction research internally, Burke really gets to listen to its customers and focus on their concerns. Bunn explains that at Burke, an independent auditor is used to contact its clients and to measure overall satisfaction ratings as well as specific ratings on individual projects, the account executive, and the project team. [6]
If you dig deeply enough into any research survey project, you will eventually find some nuance of the program that can be called into question. This is almost inevitable, since any researcher will tell you that, alongside the statistical marvels and mathematical wizardry they perform, much of what researchers do is highly subjective and based on personal opinion. How can cheating on customer satisfaction surveys be allowed to happen? The answers are many, but most often they involve some form of organizational politics. Whoever has the management muscle to get his or her way in the company can usually construct reasonable sounding justifications for changes in the survey program. In any case, if your company has or is considering implementing a customer satisfaction measurement program, the previous examples should give you some idea of how these programs can be manipulated. [9]
2.2. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION RESEARCH
The level of interest in customer satisfaction research has paralleled the growth of two intertwined fields, total quality management (TQM) and quality service. [6]
On a positive note, more and more businesses and organizations are realizing the benefits of developing a formal system of monitoring customer opinions and perceptions of the quality of a company's goods and services. Some are driven to this step out of a sincere desire to improve the quality of their organizational efforts, some out of competitive necessity, others due to the misperception that by executing customer satisfaction research, all the firm's problems will disappear. [6]
The vast majority of dissatisfied claimants-more than 70 percent-are unhappy with the process of handling the claim, either in terms of service by insurance personnel or in the delay in settling the claim. We know from focus group research that claimants want their hands held throughout the claims process. Where possible, claimants should be given a clear description of the claims process in terms of procedures and time frames, so they know what to expect and are not surprised by new steps in the claims process or by the length of time it takes for the process to move from one step to the next. Another source of customer dissatisfaction may arise from the lack of job satisfaction on the part of claims adjusters. It is known from other service businesses that a key to customer satisfaction is job satisfaction among frontline employees. [10]
The result: in a decade of intense competition Motorola has maintained a position of leadership in the electronics industry. Federal Express--Federal Express, the first service industry to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1990, established Service Quality Indicators (SQI) to measure and tell them where they are at any given time toward reaching their goal of 100 percent customer satisfaction. The SQI contains 12 components weighted to reflect those categories which have the greatest impact on their customers' needs and expectations. The number of average daily failure points for each of the 12 components is calculated by multiplying the number of daily occurrences for that component by its assigned importance weight. [11]
The meeting continues with a walk - through of the supervisor's area, with the supervisor taking the lead, discussing area needs and requirements in the five categories of; quality, cost/cash, environment, lean systems, and volume. This isn't image folks. it deals with reality, with the supervisor in charge tabling issues on behalf of his people and his process. Our daily operational format is another innovative process, and we are very regimented in our approach to this process. Daily operational meetings, on both shifts, focusing on people, product, process and cost, consist of reviews of panel alignment, dimensional integrity, body tolerances, paint appearance and general customer satisfaction. These reviews are not held in auditoriums or offices, but on the assembly line. [12]
"We believe Melissa Data's inclusion in the report and our position as a leader in customer satisfaction reflects our commitment to being a partner in data quality with our customers," said Gary Van Roekel, vice president of sales and marketing, Melissa Data. "We believe data quality provides immediate ROI and is as important to SMB customers as it is to enterprise -- that's why we strive to offer robust, multi-platform solutions like our Data Quality Suite of APIs and the Total Data Quality Integration Toolkit for SSIS. All our products are scalable and affordable, and we offer unlimited technical support to make sure each customer maximizes the potential of their data assets." [7]
Functional beliefs (e.g., product quality) are more influenced by physical attributes tested during trial than symbolic beliefs. While attractiveness in advertising can temporarily lower one's satisfaction with one's own appearance (as hypothesized in H4a and H4b) and result in no difference across model conditions in product evaluations (as hypothesized in H3), the theoretical perspectives discussed above argue that exposure to attractive models (as compared to more average-looking models or no models) will bolster consumers' perceptions of their own attractiveness and self-confidence when consumers use the product. H5: Women who viewed the advertisement with the highly attractive model will report feeling more attractive and more self-confident when using the advertised product than those who viewed the average-looking model (H 5a) and those viewing the control (no model) ad (H5b), controlling for satisfaction with one's own attractiveness. We tested our hypotheses in the emerging market of Romania. This venue provided a context in which international firms (e.g., Avon, Procter & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive, and L'Oréal) were beginning to enter the market, introducing Western cosmetic brands (PricewaterhouseCoopers 2004). [13]
"We instituted our guest questionnaires in 1989 with the goal of improving communication and service." MOTIVATE YOUR STAFF. Recognizing the importance of guest satisfaction led Foodmaker Inc. to use customer questionnaires as part of the monthly quality inspections of its Jack-in-the-Box restaurants. By basing a percentage of its employees' bonus structure on these questionnaires, everyone from the grill person to the area manager is forced to face the importance of the customer's opinions. [14]
Our in-depth interviews offer preliminary evidence that young Romanian women react similarly to women in more developed economies. They associate attractive models with higher quality and higher priced products, and are more inclined to purchase higher quality products. Our informants react both negatively and positively to attractive models in ads, reporting that they may denigrate satisfaction with one's own attractiveness, but coupled with product use, such models may have transformative abilities to shape the informants' own self-attractiveness and self-confidence. [13]
Our research considered the immediate post- ad exposure effects of an attractive model on product evaluations and self-judgments. It is interesting to note that with regard to attitude toward the ad, product quality, and purchase intention, our experiment participants responded equally favorably to ads with attractive models and ads with no models. These findings, considered on their own merits, argue for promoting cosmetics without using an attractive model - thereby taking advantage of the immediate positive reactions to the ad and the product, and avoiding the immediate negative impact of the beautiful models on women's satisfaction with their own attractiveness. [13]
We included satisfaction with one's own attractiveness as a covariate because it was statistically significant in adjusting each of the dependent variables (Tabachnick and Fidell 1989, pp. 345-346). The correlations between the items measuring satisfaction with one's own attractiveness (rs between.67 and.74) are much higher than the correlations between those items and (1) self-perceived attractiveness (rs between.08 and.21), as well as (2) selfconfidence (rs between.12 and.27), indicating discriminant validity (Churchill 1979). Consistent with our hypotheses, we found a significant difference in post-trial self-perceived attractiveness and self-confidence across model conditions (satisfaction with appearance was a significant covariate in the respective analyses, F 24.13, p <.001; F 24.31, p <.001). Bonferroni post hoc analyses indicate that women in the highly attractive model condition report feeling more attractive and more self-confident wearing the lipstick (M 5.50; M 5.43) than participants in the averagelooking model condition (M 5.06; M 5.02) and those in the control condition (M 5.11; M 5.03). Our research brings together multiple theoretical perspectives to hypothesize the effects of attractive models on product evaluations and self-judgments, as well as the extent to which product trial and the time associated with trial alter these effects. [13]
Recent advertising exposure can cause attractive models to become temporarily more salient, changing the comparison level for attractiveness judgments for a short time (Richins 1991). As such, women's satisfaction with their own attractiveness may initially be affected by exposure to a particular ad featuring attractive models, but as time elapses (e.g., our two-week trial period), the salience dissipates, and satisfaction with personal appearance is no longer affected by that particular ad. Our research is the first to empirically investigate the timing and nature of these expected temporary effects. H4: Immediately after viewing ads with highly attractive models, women will report lower satisfaction with their own appearance than women viewing ads with average-looking models (H4a), or women viewing a controlad (with no model) (H4b). After the extended (i.e., two-week) trial period, however, the immediate effects of model attractiveness on satisfaction with one's own attractiveness will dissipate, such that there will be no difference across model conditions in consumers' post -trial attractiveness satisfaction (H4c). [13] Traditionally, researchers quantify customers' opinions using rating scales. Customers rate their overall satisfaction with the organization. In addition they usually rate the organization in several areas that directly affect the overall satisfaction rating, such as delivery time, out-of-stock conditions, helpfulness of sales personnel, accuracy of billing, etc. [15]
Customer experience, or more properly consumer satisfaction, is something that should inform a company's operations from top to bottom. [16]
A somewhat dissatisfied customer generates 7% of revenue but a totally dissatisfied customer costs 180% of the revenue of a totally satisfied customer. Interestingly enough, in Japan the weightings for the satisfaction metrics are virtually identical to those in the U.S. except for the totally dissatisfied customers. [8]
Our post-ad exposure experimental data corroborate immediate positive product evaluations and negative self-judgments. The subsequent two-week trial equalizes product evaluations across model conditions (attractive versus average-looking versus no model) and mitigates the negative effect of attractiveness on women's satisfaction with their own attractiveness. [13] Distribution of customer satisfaction levels for all the significant elements comprising the company's products, services, customer service, and company relationships. Both the Revenue Index and the measure of the various components of customer satisfaction would be available in both absolute terms and percentile ratings vis-a-vis other companies. [8] According to Which?, the consumer organisation, Tesco received a customer satisfaction score of only 58 per cent, well behind the 82 per cent achieved by the top scorer, Ocado, an online service that sells products from rival supermarket Waitrose. [17]
The design and analysis of customer satisfaction surveys rarely involve front-line service providers. This excludes the very people who will be directly affected by improvement actions that should follow from the data gathering exercise. They should be involved; they are the people who can make the changes happen. [2] Hren observes that companies seeking assistance in satisfaction research are not just looking for general research skills. They require the expertise that can collect and analyze data as well as "recommend how to use the information to drive change with the organization." This expertise only comes with time and experience in the field of customer satisfaction. [6]
Providing goods and services that people want to pay for and are satisfied with is the reason companies exist. These are not things that can be tacked on as an appendage or an afterthought. No organisation should need to have on its staff someone whose designated task is to provide customer satisfaction. That should be the job of every single employee in the organisation. That Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of easyJet, feels the need to employ a customer experience champion is worrying. He should himself be that champion. He is, after all, the knight. It is as though Don Quixote had sent Sancho Panza in to do battle on his behalf. [16]
"As an educational trade association, it is our responsibility to help provide information and best-of-breed solutions to small and medium-sized merchants," said Brandon Dupsky, Managing Director, eCommerce Merchants. "We chose CREDITZ as a partner because they have deployed a creative marketing and reward engine built to address the primary CRM needs of online ecommerce businesses. CREDITZ Digital Currency is a new form of payment and a loyalty network system all-in-one package that is designed to be a win-win proposition for eCommerce businesses and their customers. CREDITZ are paid to customers for purchasing from online merchants who appreciate their business. Customers are then able to return and spend those CREDITZ back where they earned them or with any other merchant in the CREDITZ Network. It's simple and easy to implement, providing instant customer satisfaction while allowing eCommerce Merchants to directly benefit with increased sales and profits. "We believe this partnership provides members of the eCommerce Merchants with a unique resource to set them apart in a highly competitive online marketplace," says Roy Hayes, EVP of CEO America, Inc. "We are committed to helping eCommerce businesses grow by giving each of their online customers a free CREDITZ account and adding up to 200 CREDITZ (2 value) to each account to help them start building their CREDITZ balance. We are partnering with eCommerce businesses to help them show appreciation to their customers and finding ways to increase loyalty to their brands." This article was prepared by Marketing Weekly News editors from staff and other reports. [18] Furse, D.H., Burcham, M.R., Rose, R.L. and Oliver, R.W. (1994, "Leveraging the value of customer satisfaction information", Journal of Health Care Marketing, Autumn, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 16-20. [5]
The researchers concluded: "Conclusions indicate that website owners should not only improve e-service quality, but also emphasise customer perceived value." Chang and colleagues published their study in Total Quality Management & Business Excellence (The impact of e-service quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty on e-marketing: Moderating effect of perceived value. [3] The simulation service quality improvement system (SSQS) for the analysis of alternatives to achieve the timeliness Customer Service Standard is developed based on the study of literature related to TQM, customer satisfaction and simulation in health care. [5] The company continues to be burdened by poor customer service, despite working to make things better in recent quarters. It made the biggest improvement more than a year ago, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, but still remained behind the other national players. [19] Extensis was founded ten years ago with the concept of providing PEO services to the small and midsized business community in the NJ-NY metropolitan area. By focusing on delivering high customer satisfaction and actively guiding their clients through the challenges of growing a business in this region, Extensis has delivered year-over-year growth. [20]
Customer satisfaction research is supposed to determine which factors under the organization's control have the most impact on satisfaction. By understanding what variables drive satisfaction, the organization can change its business practices to create more satisfied customers, leading to increased sales and longterm viability. [15]
As one would expect, market research suppliers have reacted to the shifting corporate emphasis toward customer satisfaction research. It would be difficult to find a market research supplier that doesn't claim to possess customer satisfaction research capabilities. Only a few actually have separate divisions within their organizations that do nothing but customer satisfaction research or are a customer satisfaction specialist. Why would a research firm concentrate on only customer satisfaction or create a separate division to address only this market? According to Gary Hren, managing director of Burke Customer Satisfaction Associates of Cincinnati, while this type of research looks easy, it's really very specialized. [6] Most important, a strong customer satisfaction program allows an organization to develop actionable strategies to reduce customer problems. The continuous nature of the research allows the firm to monitor the outcomes of these same action-oriented strategies. The results of this research can be applied in many different ways. [6]
2.3. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION DATA, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION MEASUREMENTS
One way to achieve better levels of patient satisfaction is by reducing the time and discomfort of waiting long periods of time to be attended by a doctor. Taking into consideration the advantages of using simulation techniques to mimic a real-world system, this research incorporates the use of the discrete-event simulation package SIMAN (Pegden, Shannon and Sadowski, 1995) to help develop a model for the analysis of different alternatives to enhance the resource utilization of the staff of outpatient clinics while meeting the mandated timeliness standards. The validation and initial application of this research was performed at an outpatient treatment clinic at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital in Columbia, Missouri. [5]
The results obtained by applying the SSQS methodology have successfully reduced the waiting of clinic patients and, hence, have achieved the original timeliness standard goal. It is believed that achieving this goal will increase patient satisfaction. With the proposed solution implemented at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital a study is under way to gauge if this belief is, in fact, true. This research is unique in that it uses a TQM approach to assess overall user preferences, applies designed simulation-based experimentation to analyse the underlying system, and develops a decision selection procedure which combines these preferences and analyses to recommend solutions to achieve the objectives. [5]
With regard to one's own attractiveness, we demonstrate that beautiful models can result in lower satisfaction (Martin and Kennedy 1993; Richins 1991). These post-ad exposure findings in Romania are consistent with prior research conducted in developed markets. [13]
Consumers' ability to try the product enhanced the possibility of purchase likelihood. We hypothesized that women viewing attractive models would report less favorable satisfaction with their own attractiveness than those viewing average-looking models and those in the control group. An ANOVA with model condition as the independent variable and satisfaction with one's own attractiveness as the dependent variable and Bonferroni post hoc comparisons indicate that immediately after ad exposure, participants in the attractive model condition rated their satisfaction with their attractiveness significantly lower (?? 4.86) than those in the average-looking model (M 5.33) and the control (?? 5.31) conditions, supporting H4a and H4b, respectively. [13] Our findings demonstrate that attractive endorsers of beauty-enhancing products initially generate positive product evaluations and negative satisfaction with one's own attractiveness among our Romanian participants, replicating work in Western markets. [13]
At the top level, there are four major aspects, or inputs, that influence an individual's opinion (see Figure 3). They are price, quality, delivery, and features. The variations of satisfaction with those inputs will have consequences on the Overall Satisfaction level. The relationship between those inputs and the satisfaction level can be derived through techniques currently used in data mining. [8] A projects audit was carried out against measures of success of time, cost, quality, and customer satisfaction and the results are shown in table 7. On this basis, the author of this article was satisfied that the majority of projects had been executed satisfactorily, with the exception of a few projects that suffered delays, cost overruns, poor quality, and failure to satisfy customers. [21] A good customer satisfaction program serves as an external form of quality control that is service-centered, communication-centered, and continuous in nature. It allows an organization to monitor the thought and opinions of its customers in a comprehensive manner that is both accurate and precise. [6] Customer satisfaction research can be used to develop long-term strategic plans as well as more immediate customer relations problems. It can be used as a valuable addition to training programs and even serve as basis for employee compensation and bonuses. [6] What typically develops is as much a consultative relationship as simply that of a research supplier. Perhaps one of the most interesting things I discovered while researching this article was the small number of marketing research firms that sell customer satisfaction to clients and actually use this same tool internally. [6]
One cannot manage what one can't measure, and many of us have policies and procedures that reduce our ability to serve the customer. The process of mapping out the various relationships within and between departments serves to aid in the identification and elimination of these policies. The technique that is closest to the core concept of marketing in identifying customer satisfaction levels is simply to ask the customers how satisfied they are. Most organizations have not historically bothered to take this step. [6] The focus of the marketing strategy process model is on the formulation of segmentation, targeting, differentiation, and positioning strategies to create, communicate, and deliver the value to the customer resulting in gaining customer satisfaction and loyalty; i.e. marketing objectives. [22]
The logistic and multiple regression models were developed on the customer satisfaction data provided in the surveys. [15] To determine whether logistic regression could perform as well as or better than multiple regression in predicting satisfied customers, logistic regression models were compared to multiple regression models developed for customer satisfaction data for several companies in differing industries. [15] Eqos on-demand software enables companies to work collaboratively with trading partners to enhance customer satisfaction, improve supplier performance, accelerate delivery times, and ensure compliance. [23]
When two companies merge, there eventually needs to be a match between each organization's customer culture in order to avoid problems that can lead to defections. This requires an identification of the impact of the three fundamental elements on customers' satisfaction in both companies. It can be derived by using a process very similar to that used to determine the key drivers of customer satisfaction. [8] Thunderhead NOW also enhances customer engagement, improving customer satisfaction, loyalty and revenue outcomes. Due to its unique combination of business user control, open standards-based architecture and broad enterprise capabilities, Thunderhead has quickly established itself as a clear market leader and is one of the fastest-growing software companies in the world. [24]
In quality, our customer satisfaction audits improved by 37.7 per cent over 1991. [12] There is a growing consensus that patient satisfaction is an important indicator of health care quality. [5]
Past research indicates that exposure to facial pictures of attractive models can influence women's overall satisfaction with appearance (Richins 1991). To reduce potential demand effects related to satisfaction with one's own attractiveness, the questions were embedded in a section preceded by the statement consistent with the cover story, "The company is interested in learning more about you, your tastes, and how you feel about yourself so that they can better understand you as a consumer." [13] Multiple regression requires the research analyst to treat the overall customer satisfaction rating as continuous data. [15] Collecting customer satisfaction data that are not directly relevant to an organization's unique circumstances or part of its unique processes will not drive improvements. [2] Once the rating scale data have been obtained, many analysts use multiple regression to determine which subcomponent areas drive customer satisfaction. [15]
A binary overall customer satisfaction variable follows the logistic distribution and allows for the use of another regression technique: logistic regression. [15] On a 10-point scale, customers who give an organization an overall rating of 9 or 10 may be considered satisfied, while the rest of the customers are considered not satisfied. Viewing customer satisfaction ratings in this manner (are/aren't) invalidates the use of multiple regression because the dependent variable is not continuous, but binary. [15]
By weighting each category in the satisfaction scale by the percentage of customers choosing the various satisfaction levels and totaling the result, a Revenue Index can be derived. This index defines the percentage of the potential revenue that is being contributed from the customer base. If the Revenue Index is 67%, this means that approximately another 33% of revenue could be obtained through an increase in customer satisfaction. This also means that a 1% increase in the Revenue Index will result in a 1 % increase in revenue, as illustrated in Table 1. [8] Blueprinting one's service system is also a very important step in increasing overall customer satisfaction. [6]
Joseph E. Toole is director, client services with Walker: Customer Satisfaction Measurements, Indianapolis, Indiana. The editor of this column is Sarah Kennedy, president, the Canadian Productivity Network, Mississauga, Ontario. [9] Customer satisfaction with the entire limited service restaurant segment remained even from 2008, at 78. [25]
Initially, we statistically derived the relationship by tracking quarterly revenue and customer satisfaction measurements of 800 international and domestic company accounts over a four-year period. The conclusions of this statistical analysis were in some ways surprising. It demonstrated that a somewhat satisfied customer would generate 38% of the revenue of a totally satisfied customer. [8] Vickie Henry is owner and president of Feedback Plus Inc., a customer satisfaction and consulting company in the United States and Canada. [26]
Identification and quantification of the strengths and weaknesses of a company as viewed from the customer's perspective. Prioritization and quantification of the key drivers of customer satisfaction and their relationship to revenue growth. [8]
The ratings on the subcomponent areas are used as independent variables in the multiple regression model. These models predict the customer satisfaction rating based on customers' ratings of the subcomponent areas. [15] The main drivers of an organization's customer satisfaction are determined by how much each area contributes to the overall explanation of the multiple regression model. [15]
Customer satisfaction research allows an organization to do just that. [6] With CashPro, the innovation process becomes part of the client experience, thereby increasing customer satisfaction. [27] P3. A positive customer experience is assured only when creating the value leads to customer satisfaction and their loyalty is engendered. [22] Multiple regression assumes that the ratings are normally distributed on a bell-shaped curve. It is well-documented, however, that customer satisfaction ratings obtained on ratings scales are not normally distributed, but are skewed toward higher scale values. [15] Provision of customer value is a necessary but not sufficient condition to gain customer satisfaction. [22]
To create the binary dependent customer satisfaction variable for the logistic regression, customers were denoted as satisfied or not satisfied based on the companies' rules for determining satisfaction. In general, this rule is the top two boxes of the rating scale, or a 9 or 10 rating on a 10-point scale. [15] Customer satisfaction studies are increasingly being used as the basis for performance evaluations, bonuses, and awards. [9]
In practice, customers and organizations do not view overall customer satisfaction ratings on a continuous basis. [15] To assess satisfaction with one's own appearance, we used five, sevenpoint items (e.g., "I am pleased with my appearance right now," "I think people find me attractive," and "I feel satisfied with the way my body looks right now"; Cronbach's.91) (Heatherton and Polivy 1991; Richins 1991). [13]
As an additional step, all of the internal satisfaction audits are inspected in an aggregate format by a steering committee for opportunities to make companywide improvements. [6]
RANKED RECOMMENDED SOURCES
(27 source documents numbered in order of appearance in text)
6. Using customer satisfaction research to get closer to the customers
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/33.html
15. Use logistic regression with customer satisfaction data
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/22.html
13. HOW PRODUCT TRIAL ALTERS THE EFFECTS OF MODEL ATTRACTIVENESS: An Adapted Etic Approach in Romania
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/9.html
8. What good customers are worth to a shrewd buyer
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/11.html
5. Achieving hospital operating objectives in the light of patient preferences
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/23.html
2. Viewpoint: Why customer satisfaction research doesn't get results
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/12.html
22. Marketing strategy: taxonomy and frameworks
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/18.html
9. How to cheat your way to higher customer survey scores
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/31.html
3. Life Sciences; Studies from National Cheng-Kung University in the area of life sciences described
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/8.html
16. EasyJet's ' customer experience champion' is the height of hot air
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/19.html
7. Melissa Data; Melissa Data Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction in Data Quality Landscape Report
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/3.html
12. Chrysler and minivans: Are we there yet?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/29.html
4. Comparative perceptions of product quality management
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/34.html
1. Emerging Analytics Tools Could Cut Costs by 10 Percent
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/5.html
20. Extensis Group Llc; Extensis Group Featured in ENTERPRISE Magazine
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/2.html
14. Feedback Helps Boost Repeat Business
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/36.html
26. Great service expectations: Avoiding "bad hair" days
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/28.html
21. A Critical Analysis of Asbestos Removal Project Cost Implications
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/6.html
18. CEO America Inc.; CREDITZ Digital Currency Announces Strategic Partnership With eCommerce Merchants Trade Association
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/1.html
23. Eqos; HMV Selects Eqos to Streamline Promotions and Supplier Deals
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/19.html
11. The quality measure is customer opinion
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/30.html
27. Case Study: Product Innovation at Bank of America
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/2.html
19. Hopes Are High for Sprint, Pre
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/6.html
17. It is competition that delivers the goods
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/16.html
25. Domino's Pizza; Domino's Pizza Tops in Customer Satisfaction !
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/5.html
10. Mishandling claims will sink insurers
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/19.html
24. Thunderhead; Thunderhead Introduces Analytics and Collaboration Tools with New Release of Customer Communications Management Solution
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/13.html
6. Using customer satisfaction research to get closer to the customers
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/33.html
15. Use logistic regression with customer satisfaction data
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/22.html
13. HOW PRODUCT TRIAL ALTERS THE EFFECTS OF MODEL ATTRACTIVENESS: An Adapted Etic Approach in Romania
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/9.html
8. What good customers are worth to a shrewd buyer
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/11.html
5. Achieving hospital operating objectives in the light of patient preferences
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/23.html
2. Viewpoint: Why customer satisfaction research doesn't get results
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/12.html
22. Marketing strategy: taxonomy and frameworks
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/18.html
9. How to cheat your way to higher customer survey scores
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/31.html
3. Life Sciences; Studies from National Cheng-Kung University in the area of life sciences described
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/8.html
16. EasyJet's ' customer experience champion' is the height of hot air
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/19.html
7. Melissa Data; Melissa Data Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction in Data Quality Landscape Report
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/3.html
12. Chrysler and minivans: Are we there yet?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/29.html
4. Comparative perceptions of product quality management
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/34.html
1. Emerging Analytics Tools Could Cut Costs by 10 Percent
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/5.html
20. Extensis Group Llc; Extensis Group Featured in ENTERPRISE Magazine
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/2.html
14. Feedback Helps Boost Repeat Business
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/36.html
26. Great service expectations: Avoiding "bad hair" days
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/28.html
21. A Critical Analysis of Asbestos Removal Project Cost Implications
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/6.html
18. CEO America Inc.; CREDITZ Digital Currency Announces Strategic Partnership With eCommerce Merchants Trade Association
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/1.html
23. Eqos; HMV Selects Eqos to Streamline Promotions and Supplier Deals
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/19.html
11. The quality measure is customer opinion
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/30.html
27. Case Study: Product Innovation at Bank of America
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/2.html
19. Hopes Are High for Sprint, Pre
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/6.html
17. It is competition that delivers the goods
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/16.html
25. Domino's Pizza; Domino's Pizza Tops in Customer Satisfaction !
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/5.html
10. Mishandling claims will sink insurers
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/19.html
24. Thunderhead; Thunderhead Introduces Analytics and Collaboration Tools with New Release of Customer Communications Management Solution
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/13.html
2.4. EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT, EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
Firms that achieve sustainable competitive advantage capitalize on other weapons in the strategy arsenal including strategic synergy between marketing and other functional area and organizational strategies as shown in Figure 6. There are strategy-structure-management/operations synergies inherent in the integration of the processes of their formulation and implementation. In the following section we trace the sources, elaborate on the terms and conditions, and enumerate the outcomes of capitalizing on these synergies. Earlier in this paper we indicated that the literature cast marketing strategy in the context of either marketing process models or corporate/business strategic planning models. Our contention was that while the focus of the strategic planning model variety is on achieving corporate financial objectives through designing and implementing product, pricing, promotion, and place (distribution) programs, the focus of the marketing process model variety is on the formulation of segmentation, targeting, differentiation, and positioning strategies designed to create, communicate, and deliver value to the customer to ensure their satisfaction and gain their loyalty, i.e. achieve marketing objectives. Since, neither of the models standing alone captures the multidimensionality of marketing strategy formulation and implementation from a customer, company, and competitor vantage, we decided to present both types of models accenting the view of the 3Cs of market places/space. In this section of the paper we start with the marketing process model of creating a positive customer experience. [1]
Mystery shopping is another too to obtain valuable information regarding the success of your training program. Are your employees effectively determining the needs of the customer? Do your employees have appropriate product knowledge and offer options suited to the customer's needs? Do your employees reflect genuine concern for your customer A mystery shopper can obtain answers to all of these concerns while your employee simply executes his or her regular routine. Another tool is the closed account survey or "autopsy report," information gathered from those customers you've lost. Today's consumers are usually receptive to any forum which allows them to vent the reasons why they chose to abandon one financial organization for another. Finding out exactly why a customer has decided to move their accounts elsewhere may help you retain more of your existing customers. [2]
The current focus is on optimizing performance, by working with J. Schmid & Associates, e-commerce marketing firm DMinSite, and consumer data and analytics firm NextAction to develop more customer demographic information to guide prospecting and retention efforts. American Express helps on die retail side, providing demographic data on customers who use this payment method and who respond to the promotional campaign. Jack Stack reviews this data weekly for campaign adjustments as well as quarterly to make bigger program changes. [3]
Joban Spa Resort Hawaiian--Joban Spa Resort Hawaiian, the first leisure-industry company in Japan to win the Deming Prize for quality control in 1989, measures everything. Joban starts its measurement system with the customer's needs and works back into its systems and processes and measures everything. It has measured everything from the level and type of background music the customers enjoy to videotaping people standing in check-in lines to determine how long they'll wait before becoming annoyed. Florida Power and Light--Florida Power and Light, the first U.S. company to win Japan's Deming Prize, identified eight priority areas for improvement based on customer needs. They then selected the appropriate quality indicator that would help them monitor progress in each of these priority areas. Their quality indicators measured those things their customers found important. The quality indicator for reducing customer dissatisfaction, their first priority, was the number of complaints to Florida's Public Service Commission per thousand FPL customers. Another quality indicator in the priority area of reliability measured was the number of transmission line force outages. Florida Power and Light listened to the voice of the customer and then they worked "to do a better and better job of meeting their needs and expectations." Xerox Corporation--In 1980, Xerox found itself in trouble--they were losing their once dominant marketshare. When they benchmarked themselves against major competitors, they found themselves way behind in both unit cost and in quality. [4] Many different elements are associated with a service or product, e.g., quality, features, price, etc., that a customer unconsciously integrates to form a level of overall satisfaction. The knowledge of these details is important if the current customer base is to be thoroughly understood. [5]
Whether by implementing Total Quality Management or another management theory, customer service training is an ongoing process for all of your employees. Employees don't know what differentiates their bank from others, nor do they offer the customer all services available. [2] Frequently, many do not even know what is available. Failing to know what is available, employees are unable to bring those services and products to the attention of your customers. Essential front-line employees may lack sufficient training on how to determine customer needs and then match those needs to specific services. [2] If a customer rates the quality of service as excellent, or if a customer comments about a particularly well-done job by a specific employee, the staff member receives a commendation. All of these accolades are published on the telco's Intranet and can be viewed by all staff members. Quarterly, all names of those who have received accolades are entered into a raffle, and the winner receives 250. [6]
In one case, account representatives being held accountable for survey scores visited the customer's office and asked the survey questions directly, filling in the customer's answers on the survey form. When someone in the company finally questioned this approach, a parallel telephone survey conducted b an independent firm uncovered dramatically lower results. In another example, a hotel chain had its employees slip a survey under the doors of guest rooms. Employees quickly figured out that they were only hurting themselves by giving surveys to guests who had problems at the hotel. 2. Re-contact customers who have been sued and encourage them to alter their previous answers. One of the more insidious forms of cheating, this approach involves looking through customers' answers, contacting those who gave a less-than-desirable rating, and gently badgering them into giving a revised evaluation. During the course of follow-up conversations, customers are encouraged to state that they were "satisfied" after all. Exclude potentially unhappy customers from the list of those to be surveyed. If it is known beforehand that some customers will give low survey scores, a reasonable explanation can sometimes be constructed for excluding them from the survey. The technique was used to its fullest extent in a program where detailed listings of customer answers were relayed to company managers in the field each month. For the following week, these managers--the same ones held accountable for customer scores--were allowed to specify exclusions of individual customers from the database before the results were ever tabulated. [7] Even though it is voluntary and takes place in the morning before the office opens, the response is great, said General Manager Jim Crabtree. "The breakfast is a great opportunity to recognize the positive initiatives taken by various employees, and to thank them for their hard work," he said. The telco also keeps its customers abreast of accomplishments of YVT's employees via the company newsletter. [6]
Especially for long-distance travelers, the stores are the perfect environment in which to alert customers to Jack Stack's mail order business. "We have a number of collateral pieces inside the store that make it clear to our guests that we have those services available to them," says Case Dormán, Jack Stack's president and CEO (and son-in-law of the company founder). "We'll have marketing pieces spread throughout the store in tactful places," he explains, emphasizing the importance of not detracting from the dining experience with a hardsell offer on these services. [3]
Personalize the message and educate the customer about all the unseen things the company and its employees do to provide safe, efficient, economical, reliable service. [8]
The library of the School of Communications and Arts of the University of Sao Paulo (ECA/USP), now called Service of Library and Documentation (SBD/ECA), was founded in 1970. It aims to give support to the teaching and research accomplished by the nine departments of the school (Library Sciences and Documentation; Communications and Arts; Cinema, Television and Radio; Journalism and Publishing; Theatre; Fine Arts; Music; Public Relations, Tourism and Advertising) and the School of Dramatic Art, a high school course maintained by ECA/USP. The SBD/ECA's collection is composed of books, theses, newspapers, music scores, disks, audio and video discs, films, pictures, compact discs, CD-ROMs, exhibition catalogues, plays and comic books, in a total of 133,100 items. Its community is composed of students, faculties, researchers and employees of the school, a total of 2,336 people. It serves an average of 550 customers a day, both from the University of Sao Paulo and from other institutions. In 1997, the SBD/ECA received financial resources from the Foundation for the Support to Research of the State of Sao Paulo (FAPESP) to rebuild its facilities, which had no substantial restorations since 1982. [9] You even have a great customer service training program for your new employees. Or so you think. A bank with a "great customer service training program" had employees, through no malice of forethought, make these statements to the bank's valued current and potential customers. [2] Externally, the telco's employee recognition program is based upon customer opinion. [6] Customer value, satisfaction and loyalty are necessary variables to generated desired marketing outcomes including market share and business share. The antecedents, processes, and outcomes of creating customer value are presented in detail in the remainder of this section. In the process of this presentation we advance propositions and frameworks that link marketing strategy formulation and implementation to performance marketing and financial performance outcomes. [1]
Profitability is a metric of the efficiency of marketing strategy. The above discussion clearly demonstrate that the focus of the marketing process model variety is on the customer, i.e. formulation of segmentation, targeting, differentiation, and positioning strategies designed to create, communicate, and deliver value to the customer to ensure their satisfaction and gain their loyalty, i.e. achieve marketing objectives. Therefore, we capitalize on the above discussion of financial metrics to transition to the last section of this paper focusing on the strategic planning model variety for marketing strategy formulation and implementation. [1]
Let customers tell you which end results to measure--After your list has been developed, rank order the product's or service's characteristics by occurrence and severity and by relative importance and level of satisfaction to the customer. Methods such as quality function deployment (QFD) and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) are excellent ways of doing this. [4] For our customers, there are two defining moments in their relationship with us: when they pay their premium and when they have a claim. A survey this year conducted by the New York-based Insurance Information Institute looked at the latter, sampling customer opinion on their satisfaction with claims. [10] The characterization of the customer culture may be obtained by including survey topics that address the higher-level questions that deal with satisfaction of the three major components. This is illustrated in Figure 5. [5]
The first and most direct element of customer value is the impact of the satisfaction of the customers on revenue. [5] Inadequate sales skills are often noted as a problem. Customers are treated with an attitude of indifference, as if they were just account numbers. If employees understood the real value of a satisfied long-term customer and knew how to develop customer loyalty, their attitudes and actions toward customers would be different. [2] In general, a key factor in burnout is a lack of control. Employees have to deal with customers faceto-face, but feel they do not have enough control to solve the customers' problems. An obvious solution is to extend the employee's sphere of influence so they have more power to solve the problems of claimants. Other methods of avoiding burnout include reinforcing support structures. Employees need to feel their superiors and coworkers appreciate and respect their work. [10] Working with a client recently, we were able to compare the effects on morale and motivation between gathering customer feedback involving front-line employees with data collection and the use of complaints data, compiled centrally and presented in league tables. [11] Tell staff and customers alike when customer data translates into real time changes. A comment like "Yes, the lowfat entrees were suggested by a regular customer" lets a guest know that her input is, indeed, valued. [12]
The problem was the enormous scope of unforeseen difficulties and risks leading to project delay, cost and stress. It was believed that the problem arose as a result of poor project planning and communication; a lack of initial reference to the existing asbestos registers, and major refurbishment and /or demolition projects setting off with limited information on asbestos containing materials. By use of a case study methodology, this critical analysis studied the cost implications of setting out with varying degrees of information on asbestos containing materials, using 20 randomly selected refurbishment and/or demolition projects running concurrently with asbestos removals. It was hoped that the knowledge gained would facilitate the development of a strategy for cost containment for similar projects in future. The importance of this study lays in its multi-dimensional approach while paying particular attention to measures of project success of time, cost, quality, and customer satisfaction. [13] The ultimate benefit was that of meeting satisfactorily the measures of success of time, cost, quality and customer satisfaction. [13]
In 1991, putting the Windsor assembly plant employee's pride on the line, exposing our strengths and weaknesses, plant management and members of the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) applied for the Canadian Award for Business Excellence in the quality category. Criteria such as employee participation, measurement, quality indicators, business practices, innovation, customer satisfaction, future planning, leadership and safety were all categories which were scrutinized, in detail, at all levels of the organization. [14]
Extensis has years of experience working with its clients to optimize the cost effectiveness of their HR expenses and providing valuable guidance in this fast-changing economic and legislative climate. Extensis enables their clients to cost-effectively outsource the management of human resources, employee benefits and payroll. These client companies can focus on their core competencies and growing their business. "Small Businesses are taking a deep look at their operations and are actively seeking alternative methods of doing business by which they can cut costs," said Dan Sheridan, Chief Marketing Officer of Extensis. "They are really having to look at how much they are spending and what they are spending on." "Along with that, companies have to be aware of new protections recently passed by Congress to help the newly unemployed keep their health insurance," said Don Mallo, Vice President of Human Resources for Extensis. [15]
Mike Semanco, President of Hennessey Capital and the 2008 Michigan SBA Financial Services Champion of the Year, is seeing more downsized employees pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. He cautions that would-be entrepreneurs set themselves up for failure if they don't do their homework prior to meeting with a business lender or investor. Mr. Semanco explains the five most common mistakes entrepreneurs make when applying for a business loan and offers solutions to avoid them. [16] "The models that were out there at that point were things like Amazon.com, shopping for books - but shopping for office supplies is a very different proposition," says J.B. Lyon, vice president of business services at Staples.com. Revamping the site for its May relaunch took about seven to eight months and involved about 100 internal Staples.com employees and outsourced staff at various times, Ragunas says. [17]
Each issue salutes staff and offers support to the employee group, said Crabtree. "If we receive a letter or a phone call of commendation from a customer regarding a specific employee, we share that accolade with the individual, as well as the entire staff," he added. [6] EMPLOYEE: "We only give that information to 'preferred customers,'" when asked about money market accounts by a potential customer. Could this have happened at your bank? Probably yes. [2]
Continually monitor and review quality characteristics with your customer. [4]
Participants were asked to return to Session 2 in two weeks. During Session 2, participants completed a follow-up questionnaire to assess their post-trial assessment of perceived product quality, price, purchase intention, and satisfaction with one's own attractiveness (Cronbach's.91). We also assessed consumers' post-trial evaluations of the advertised lipstick's experiential attributes (i.e., moisturizing and long-lasting), because these attributes can be important determinants of post-trial quality evaluations (Kempf and Smith 1998). Participants also completed seven-point semantic differential items to assess self-attractiveness ("Using this lipstick made me feel less/more attractive") and self-confidence ("Using the lipstick made me less/more confident about myself") (Richins 1991). When debriefed, participants' comments reflected their belief in the cover story. [18] Our research indicates that the initial negative effect of model attractiveness on satisfaction with one's own attractiveness is temporary - women report feeling more attractive and more self-confident when using the product. [18] H4c posited that the two-week product trial would eliminate the post- ad exposure effects of model attractiveness on satisfaction with one's own attractiveness. [18]
For example, consumers may infer prices based on the quality of the brand's trial performance. We expect that consumers' post-trial product evaluations will reflect their assessment of the highly diagnostic product. H3: Product trial will moderate the effects of model attractiveness on post-trial evaluations, such that, after product trial, there will be no difference across model conditions in consumers' post-trial product quality assessments (H3a), price judgments (H3b), and purchase intentions (H3c). Social comparison theory addresses how people develop selfknowledge and make choices based on their comparisons with others. Festinger (1954) hypothesized that humans have a drive to compare their own abilities and opinions with others for the purpose of self-evaluation, and others have argued that comparison may also serve self-enhancement and selfimprovement goals (see Wood 1989 for a review). Upward comparison (generally prompted by self-improvement and self-evaluation goals) is typically associated with attractive models, or those individuals who are "better off." [18]
Mailed to about 15,000 people, Carpenter notes the "majority are current customers or lapsed customers, and there's a little bit of prospecting in there, as well." He tallies the promotion's response rate at between 10 percent and 12 percent. Dorman and Carpenter have been pleased with the success of the American Express mailing and the restaurants' overall performance, especially during this recession. "Our restaurants have maintained their sales levels, for the most part. It is an environment where you really have to stay out there in front of your guests and continue to talk to them," says Dorman. [3]
Your staff probably already knows your customers better than you do. Get them involved in the input program from day one. Impress upon them that soliciting opinions and brief periods of customer communication are expected. Gary Kearns, manager of a San Jose, California, Hungry Hunter restaurant, tells his staff, "If you're not servicing a guest, you'd better be servicing somebody who is." [12] Our problems are not just our problems in the foodservice field, but in all areas where employee and customer interaction happen. [19] Not just the service crew, but other employees wearing company identification. Get senior management involved in making those personal calls. This approach will captivate the media. They can actually follow along with the company's management and employees and communicate the sincerity as well as the message. [8] Plateau Telecommunications in Clovis, N.M., has a similar internally regulated employee recognition program. Employees may recognize their co-workers for an outstanding effort on a particular project by submitting a form to the telco's director of employee services. [6] Xerox decided to benchmark the best practices of other companies; began by implementing total quality control, starting with statistical process control, and by encouraging employee involvement. Their CEO David Kearns directed a broad sweeping change in corporate culture known as Leadership Through Quality. [4] We've described our daily operational routine, our working together meetings, our cultural change, our employee empowerment, the quality improvement process, error - cause - removal, our goals and objectives, communication and operational commandments. [14] Activity is reported at quality improvement team meetings. This process grew slowly, due to peer pressure, but it is now recognized as a way to get tough things done. The employee who initiates the ECR, realizes that he or she may be part of the corrective action team and can be the only one to close an ECR, so that it can't be swept under the rug. [14]
Wilson has published numerous articles dealing with employee involvement and has presented papers on the subjects of total quality management, statistical process control, and Taguchi methods of experimental design. [4] The past 10 years have seen a staggering decline in the quality of front-of-the-house employees, if the industry tackles this issue like it did food safety, it could reap big rewards. [19] The past 10 years have seen a staggering decline in the quality of employee in the workplace and the turnaround isn't happening anytime soon. [19]
Organizational compression, elimination of layers and centralizing responsibilities to shop floor managers is resulting in the deployment of authority to the employees. These may be three new commandments to management, but the autoworkers had been bending the company's ear for years trying to get it to listen and to help resolve problems of all sorts. These are union principles. These commandments provided the proper working environment for change to occur. [14] Being accessible to the workers at our product reviews and working together meetings, put management in the position to be criticized, questioned and challenged on decisions that affected the workers, or the product, or the plant environment. It also diminished personal authority -- for some, power was lost. One of our first changes was relaxing the dress code. although this may seem insignificant, it did make a difference. [14] We specifically use Neural Network Analysis because it is appropriate for the nonlinear decision process that is typical of a purchase selection. The results of this analysis identify the percentage of the Overall Satisfaction that is directly influenced by changes from individual inputs. [5]
Consider an example: patient X, who has a scheduled appointment 10 minutes from the current time, is waiting in the check-in queue behind several other patients whose scheduled appointments are several hours away. By the time patient X reaches the check-in process he is late for his scheduled appointment causing a disruption in the nurse/ physician service schedules. Such disruptions ripple through the system, increasing time variability and hence increasing the average time patients spend in the system. The 45-minute maximum CIT policy reduces the number of these disruptions. [20] The service goal at Federal Express continues to be 100 percent defect free performance with emphasis on determining root causes and implementing solutions which prevent the defects from occurring again rather than simply fixing the consequences caused by the defective service. The weekly and monthly SQI summaries help guide Federal Express in their quest for continuous improvement of customer satisfaction. [4] Measurement is only the first stage in a cycle of service improvement and review. [11]
My die-hard passion for guest service was falling on more than a few deaf ears. Oh, I had the 10 percent of employees that we all get who do everything asked of them. [19]
For many telcos, like Albany Mutual Telephone Association (Albany, Minn.) and Roberts County Telephone Cooperative Association (RCTCA, New Effington, S.D.), salary adjustments are a primary means of rewarding outstanding employee performance. At Albany Mutual Telephone, General Manager John Rose annually compensates with a cash bonus those of his 12 staff members who consistently demonstrate good workmanship. "I feel that it is important to reward those employees that put forth extra effort," he said. [6] While bonuses are rare at RCTCA, General Manager Pamela Harrington, acknowledges that the potential for salary raises, contingent upon employee performance, is an effective form of recognition for employees that work especially hard. [6]
Platcau. "Being recognized for hard work is very important to employees, and so in the end, both the company and the staff benefit from programs that acknowledge that their hard work is not going unnoticed." [6]
The systemwide patient-safety training program, Breakthroughs in Patient Safety, encourages employees to think critically, communicate openly and consider alternatives. It gives employees a license to question, double-check, and communicate with their peers. A recent patient-safety climate survey showed that 85% of die system's employees agreed with the statement: "Colleagues encourage me to report safety concerns," Only 13% thought it was difficult to speak up if they saw a problem with patient care. [21] Let the employees who are being evaluated collect the survey results. This is a sure way to dramatically influence the results. [7]
2.5. BUSINESS REVIEW
After analysing different alternatives by means of a simulation model, the results suggest that in order to reduce the waiting time to be seen by a doctor, it is necessary to reduce the check-in time window. For this, it is necessary that the clinic's administration develop procedures to educate its patients to check-in more closely to their scheduled appointment times. [20] Suppose the analyst used a model that projected high growth. The management could review the analyst's assumptions and determine whether or not they are consistent with the N-P results. [22]
As expected, we observed no differences in satisfaction with appearance across the model conditions after trial. [18]
Our working together meetings, product reviews, organizational meetings, skip level meetings, recognition programs and our operational commandments, put people first. [14] Children with a sense of false entitlement want a job and pay but have no desire to work for it. I have read article after article about Generations X, Y and Z, and how we should relate to them, how we need to be more on their level and come across as friends, not heavy-handed employers. There are still operators out there who treat their employees as pieces of meat and confound many of us who wonder how they keep people at all. [19] I hurt inside when I hear things like that. I want people to like their jobs. I want them to treat guests as family. I want to treat them right and pay them well for work well done. [19] "Reference works are neither research literature or review articles. [23]
Garvin, D.A., "Competing on the Eight Dimensions of Quality", Harvard Business Review, Vol. 65 No. 6, November 1987, pp. 101-09. [24]
In a September 2008 issue of Harvard Business Review, Ed Catmull, cofounder of Pixar and the president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, talked about how Pixar fosters collective creativity. One of Pixar's core operating principles is that, "We must stay close to innovations happening in the academic community"2 It's part of the company's effort to eliminate boundaries between different disciplines. Earlier this year, Bank of America and MIT's Media Laboratory announced the creation of the Center for Future Banking. [25] At MGW Telephone Co. in Williamsville, Va., President and General Manager Ron Smith recognizes the live-year milestones of employees at a meal shared by all of the telco's staff. "To ensure the survival of the company, we have to recognize the employees who have been with us for many years," he said. [6] Perhaps the best reason for corporate advertising is to reach employees. It was no accident that Glaxo's campaign was aired shortly after its painful merger with Wellcome in 1995, when the company was much criticised for firing scientists. [26] Two serious blood transfusion errors right about that time showed that the changes hadn't been deep enough. At that point, Memorial Hermann began to develop its strategy of training every employee in patient safety. It also adopted "red rules," or simple rules that must be followed every single time without exception. [21] If your employees have a hard time determining what makes your banking institution different from the others in the city, consumers are equally confused. [2]
The results were analysed using an ANOVA for each set of experiments. This experimentation showed that the check-in time factor (CIT) is the most significant factor (at 95 per cent confidence) for all four response variables considered. CIT is the deviation between patients' scheduled appointment times and the times they actually check-in for their appointments. Using this knowledge a second set of experiments was run which limited CIT to a maximum of 45 minutes. No patient is permitted to check-in more than 45 minutes before their scheduled appointment time. This operating policy reduced patients' average total time spent in the system (TIS), including time waiting before check-in, by 54 per cent and reduced the average time patients must wait after their scheduled appointment times (WTASA) by 15 per cent. These dramatic reductions are explained by the overall reduced variability in the system that results from the 45-minute maximum CIT policy. [20] Lenders and investors do not have time to review 50 page business plans. [16] My hostess would quote wait times with no rhyme or reason and could not explain to me why. These were mistakes by educated people - people who I thought cared about their jobs, my opinion and what our guests thought. They didn't always, and that is what hurt the most. They cared when it was convenient or when they passed their tests at school that day. They cared when they needed money for rent or their cars needed repairs. [19] Due to the large variability in patient arrival times (ranging from 5.3 hours early to 4.2 hours late) it was considered valuable to analyse the change on absolute deviation, the waiting time after scheduled appointment, the total time spent in the system along with the deviation from appointment time. Therefore, simulation experiments were performed for each of these four response variables. [20] Technical Articles - Each month, Cost Engineering journal publishes one or more peer-reviewed technical articles. Unless noted otherwise, these articles go through a blind peer review evaluation prior to publication. Experts in the subject area judge the technical accuracy of the articles, advise the authors on the strengths and weaknesses of their submissions, and what changes can be made to improve the article before publication. [13] If price is a 15% influence, that means a 100% change in satisfaction with price would create a 15% change in overall satisfaction. [5]
2.6. GOOD EMPLOYEES
Only four of the seven guests attended the meeting. The interview was duly accomplished, both as a demonstration of respect to the other invited members and in the understanding that it would be very difficult to fix a new date for the meeting. In this manner, there were two music, one tourism and one information science students in the group. As it is common in such interviews, the group's agreement to audio recording was required. [9] No training program is 100 percent effective, and even good employees have "bad hair" days. [2] The telco also utilizes a Star Award program, wherein any staff member may issue an accolade on behalf of another employee. Star employees receive the award from their supervisor, and a note is placed in their permanent record. [6] Worker fear was driven out due to participative management mechanics and employee empowerment. [14] Even front-line employees have dashboard access, through the Partners in Excellence, or PIE, tool, which uses simple pie charts to track overall performance. [21] Where employee bonuses are tied to certain indicators, the dashboard shows how close meir division is to achieving bonus-worthy performance. [21] Maintaining high morale among employees in the workplace is critical to smooth business operations. [6] Managers are required to fill out paperwork or fill in on shifts for absent employees. [19] Again, I know that there are some good employees out there, but that 10 percent I mentioned isn't enough. [19]
"We had great employees and a great facility, and we were just dropping the ball in too many places." One of his first steps was to create a Memorial Hermann brand, to unite a system that had always functioned more as a collection of individual hospitals. "We felt we couldn't get to the highest level as a system if everyone was doing their own thing," Wolterman says. "There was great variation in the (system's) hospitals, and we didn't do a good job of taking best practices and sharing them with everyone." [21]
For the most part, we are an industry of operators who sympathize, empathize and relate. Still there are those employees who don't show up for a shift because of a party they are having or have been to, or those who could care less about work in one place because they know they could easily find work someplace else. We have all hired them whether we know it or not - or will admit it or not. [19]
According to Mager, primary literature is a typical research article on a niche topic, while secondary literature is a review article written for a specialist. It summarizes trends on a niche topic. "We want to distinguish those two from the tertiary literature," said Mager. [23] Furse, Burcham, Rose and Oliver (1994) show that a strong correlation exists among customer satisfaction, patient's perceived health status and clinical results. [20]
Vemuri, S. (1984, "Simulated analysis of patient waiting time in an outpatient pharmacy", American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, June, Vol. 41, pp. 1127-30. [20] Periodic reviews are carried out to determine the economic benefit deriving from holding onto the current property stock. These reviews include the cost/ benefit analysis, justification to keep, refurbish, demolish or sell/dispose of the assets. These reviews now include asbestos considerations as one of the critical factors affecting investment decisions. [13]
RANKED RECOMMENDED SOURCES
(26 source documents numbered in order of appearance in text)
6. How do you recognize employees for their accomplishments?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/6.html
19. Get real, operators: Consistently good service just a myth
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/19.html
2. Great service expectations: Avoiding "bad hair" days
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/28.html
14. Chrysler and minivans: Are we there yet?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/29.html
4. The quality measure is customer opinion
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/30.html
20. Achieving hospital operating objectives in the light of patient preferences
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/23.html
21. Empowered to improve
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/10.html
18. HOW PRODUCT TRIAL ALTERS THE EFFECTS OF MODEL ATTRACTIVENESS: An Adapted Etic Approach in Romania
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/9.html
5. What good customers are worth to a shrewd buyer
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/11.html
13. A Critical Analysis of Asbestos Removal Project Cost Implications
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/6.html
3. Multichannel Hospitality
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/7.html
1. Marketing strategy: taxonomy and frameworks
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/18.html
23. Case Study: Springer Raises Profile of Reference Works
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/15.html
12. Feedback Helps Boost Repeat Business
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/36.html
16. Hennessey Capital; SBA's 2008 Financial Services Champion Offers Advice on Avoiding the 5 Most Common Mistakes New Entrepreneurs Make When Seeking Financing
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/8.html
11. Viewpoint: Why customer satisfaction research doesn't get results
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/12.html
8. What I learned on the campaign trail
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/24.html
9. Using the focus group approach for evaluating customers ' opinions : the experience of a Brazilian academic library
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/17.html
10. Mishandling claims will sink insurers
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/19.html
7. How to cheat your way to higher customer survey scores
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/31.html
24. Comparative perceptions of product quality management
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/34.html
15. Extensis Group Llc; Extensis Group Featured in ENTERPRISE Magazine
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/2.html
17. Infoworld e-business 100: Staples.com
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/15.html
22. Understand your customer before preparing forecasts
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/27.html
26. Business: Puffed up
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/18.html
25. Case Study: Product Innovation at Bank of America
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/2.html
6. How do you recognize employees for their accomplishments?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/6.html
19. Get real, operators: Consistently good service just a myth
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/19.html
2. Great service expectations: Avoiding "bad hair" days
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/28.html
14. Chrysler and minivans: Are we there yet?
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/29.html
4. The quality measure is customer opinion
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/30.html
20. Achieving hospital operating objectives in the light of patient preferences
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/23.html
21. Empowered to improve
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/10.html
18. HOW PRODUCT TRIAL ALTERS THE EFFECTS OF MODEL ATTRACTIVENESS: An Adapted Etic Approach in Romania
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/9.html
5. What good customers are worth to a shrewd buyer
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/11.html
13. A Critical Analysis of Asbestos Removal Project Cost Implications
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/6.html
3. Multichannel Hospitality
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/7.html
1. Marketing strategy: taxonomy and frameworks
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/18.html
23. Case Study: Springer Raises Profile of Reference Works
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/15.html
12. Feedback Helps Boost Repeat Business
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/36.html
16. Hennessey Capital; SBA's 2008 Financial Services Champion Offers Advice on Avoiding the 5 Most Common Mistakes New Entrepreneurs Make When Seeking Financing
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesC/8.html
11. Viewpoint: Why customer satisfaction research doesn't get results
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/12.html
8. What I learned on the campaign trail
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/24.html
9. Using the focus group approach for evaluating customers ' opinions : the experience of a Brazilian academic library
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/17.html
10. Mishandling claims will sink insurers
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/19.html
7. How to cheat your way to higher customer survey scores
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/31.html
24. Comparative perceptions of product quality management
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/34.html
15. Extensis Group Llc; Extensis Group Featured in ENTERPRISE Magazine
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesA/2.html
17. Infoworld e-business 100: Staples.com
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/15.html
22. Understand your customer before preparing forecasts
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/27.html
26. Business: Puffed up
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/18.html
25. Case Study: Product Innovation at Bank of America
http://iresearch-reporter.com/themes/trim_demo/14/Sources2/SourcesB/2.html