This paper attempts to answer these two questions, with special reference to the automobile market. The paper is divided into three parts. The first part examines the nature of the satisfaction construct from a theoretical perspective, and then proposes the compex building blocks of customer satisfaction that might characterise the motor vehicle purchase and consumption experience. The second part describes the research design and the results from a syndicated study of new car buyers which show that while new car build quality has steadily improved over the past several years, customer satisfaction with this quality has not increased at the same pace. The third part of this paper examines the characteristics of those key 33% of buyers who have the highest satisfaction levels, on the grounds that they are likely to form an important target group in their own right. The evidence from the syndicated studies show them to be similar to other new car buyers in terms of demographics and buying processes. However, with respect to their attitudinal characteristics they appear to be different, particularly in terms of their greater certainty as to what make and model they are likely to buy, and their higher emotional involvement with their car and driving. While this paper concentrates on new car buyers, the fourth section will conclude with a brief discussion not just of the implications for automobile manufacturers, but for other product and service industries as well, and the marketing implications for firms seeking new ways to meet the expectations of their buyers.
This paper presents the case that a voyage of "self discovery" is the key to getting a new message, representing changed values, over to staff. Success comes only when staff truly understand the rationale behind the change and the benefits of it. Once they adopt for themselves the new values, and learn to act on them for themselves, the benefits will be enormous. However, the message cannot successfully be preached. Managers must embark on a course which will enable their staff to discover the key truths for themselves. This is hard work and requires considerable patience, but in time the effort will be amply rewarded. These conclusions are based on a case history covering the experiences within an Information Technology department within British Petroleum pic. It concerns the launch of a Total Quality Management initiative. One of the two key messages embraced by the initiative was quality (ie Customer Satisfaction based) measurement. The main period of the case study is October 1991 to April 1992. During this period, many problems were encountered, mistakes made and the whole approach had to be changed to allow the staff involved far more control over direction. Tangible benefits began to be realised some 04-May months after initial engagement of staff. The paper is divided into two parts. Part I gives a chronological case history. It details the key successes and failures and the critical turning points along the way. Part II discusses the main lessons learned. It articulates an idealised approach, based on the approach actually adopted in the case study, modified with the hindsight now possible. It references the specific experiences described in part I that support the proposed modifications.
This paper attempts to identify some of the reasons why so many customer satisfaction surveys fail to satisfy their clients and run aground within two to three years of being set up. In discussing the issues confronting the researcher, it describes some of the difficulties of measuring customer satisfaction, and indicates the ways in which these might be overcome. Finally, it attempts to outline the directions in which this type of research needs to develop in the future if it is to maintain its value.
This paper deals with "Satisfied Clients", a methodology for the measurement and improvement of client satisfaction. This methodology has been developed by Stork NV, the Netherlands, and has been applied with success at different Stork companies. The quality measurement provides a realistic picture of what clients really think and the results are seen within the operating company as providing more clarity and insight. The experience with the survey, so fare, is that there is tendency within a company to have a far more rose-tinted view of matters than can be justified on the basis of clients' expressed opinions.
This paper examines the ways in which various media have been used to communicate the findings from a customer satisfaction tracking study - Customer Perception and Satisfaction Index (CPSI). CPSI is a continuous postal self-completion survey conducted by Royal Mail, the UK postal administration. The paper falls into five sections. The first part describes in some detail the background to, and mechanics of the survey, and the way in which it fits in to Royal Mail's Total Quality Programme. The second section examines the ways in which the research is used. The paper progresses by demonstrating the reasons why communication is particularly important in surveys of this nature, prior to showing how CPSI findings are communicated to the end user. The final section of the paper summarises the lessons that the authors have learned over the past three years of running CPSI.
Expectation research has shown that high quality products, or services coupled with only an effective reactive support mechanism (i.e., a typical customer service function), will not be sufficient to support consumer loyalty into the next decade. Product/service providers must now take the next step; to proactively initiate a mutually beneficial relationship with their customers. This relationship should offer continuous support to the customer thus ensuring a reduction in attrition caused by product/service and process imperfections, the end result being long-term profitability. For the purpose of this paper, the relationship development process will be called proactive relationship management (PRM). Simply stated, PRM is proactive and ongoing communication with the customer via telephone throughout the product/service ownership or use period for the purpose of enhancing the potential of long-term loyalty. The specific benefits of PRM include: Real-time voice of the customer feedback for product/service improvement; Measurement of future product/service expectation; Identification of silent customer dissatisfaction; Enhancement of the ability to predict future purchase activity through customer database management; and most importantly, An increase in repurchase intention or loyalty through the smoothing of transactional dissatisfaction and the development of trust. The PRM process is essentially a customer retention strategy hybrid and should be an integral part of a companys customer service, customer satisfaction, and quality improvement mechanisms. Generally speaking, companies that can overcome the logistics problems associated with identifying each customer on an individual basis, contacting them in an ongoing manner, and offering them support with an effective infrastructure will see the most impact in terms of enhancing the potential acquisition of long-term customer loyalty. This document is just the beginning of ongoing research and concept development in the area of leading edge proactive customer retention and offers the following insight: A detailed explanation of PRM including benefits and pitfalls, implementation methodology, and its role in the corporate customer satisfaction/quality improvement strategy; and, Quantitative research showing consumer expectation and acceptance of PRM and the positive impact it provides on loyalty benchmarks such as customer satisfaction, willingness to recommend, and repurchase intention.
This paper discusses London Underground's continuous Customer attitude research program: known as the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI). It is written in the spirit of describing the genesis of an actionable management information tool: one that now forms the prime business goal of the worlds' oldest and most comprehensive urban rapid transit system. The paper covers: the development of the CSI; the interviewing and sampling technique used; how the information is reported and (using real data) shows how changes in the Underground's service affect Customers' satisfaction. Some simple suggestions for maximising response rates and controlling fieldwork costs are given. The paper also explains how this very large, mature organisation is managed, and how that structure is reflected in the research. The CSI is intended to be read and understood by staff at all levels within the Underground: from Train Operators to the Managing Director. The paper concludes by showing the value of a continuous tracking study such as the CSI when outside factors suddenly affect the organisation. This is illustrated by reference to CSI research carried out after a spate of terrorist attacks on London's transport network.
Measurement of consumer expectations and satisfactions has been of long standing concern to consumer behaviour researchers and has been extended, in recent years, by academics and practitioners who have research interests in service quality - where quality is considered to be the difference between consumers expectations and perceptions (satisfactions). Researchers in the Manchester School of Management have developed a portfolio of activities relating to customer satisfactions/quality. Investigations have been largely in the service sector where the characteristics of services (intangibility, heterogeneity, perishability and the inseparability of production and consumption) and, in particular, the role of service employees in the production and delivery of services, have implications for the (quality ot) service which customers expect and receive. Projects have focused on the expectations and satisfactions of both internal and external customers. Attention has been given to the dimensions and determinants of expectations/satisfactions and associated measurement techniques, including SERVQUAL and other rating scales. In this paper, the background to this research activity is presented and a number of projects are referred to, which focus on the measurement of expectations and satisfactions from the perspectives of managers, employees and external customers. The final section deals with some of the measurement problems encountered and suggestions for on-going research.
The consumer satisfaction study aimed at providing the customer, Casinos Austria, with practical hints concerning necessary, or desirable, improvements. Unlike concrete products or precise services, the "casino experience" is affected by a variety of factors which can often be changed on a long-term basis only (buildings, new offers). Casinos Austria used the results to systematize their efforts to optimize the quality of the experience. With regard to the representation of the experience, the emphasis is not on the methods but on the possibilities of utilization arising for a customer who needs to achieve consumer satisfaction even though the casino guest was not "lucky at gambling".
To ensure quality at all levels requires comprehensive and continuous surveys and feedback between customers, dealers and the manufacturer. This allows strategy and action to be integrated at all levels in the meeting of customer needs. The needed benchmarking of how customer expectations are being formed is provided by parallel surveys of competitor performance. In addition, a means is provided for implementing the results. IBM Personal Systems implemented their "Customer First" programme in 14 countries in Europe in 1991 to help maintain its market leadership in personal computing systems. Though only in its first full year of operation, there are already substantial dividends for IBM and its Business Partners, the dealerships. Findings are still coming in but already they have allowed IBM to identify the key factors that drive satisfaction measure and track satisfaction identify areas of key strategic significance improve these through education and training Illustrative findings from the programme are presented to show the operation of Customer First and give a measure of its impact on IBM Personal Systems operations. A particular feature of the programme is that the means of implementing the results was designed into the project from the beginning. Customer Satisfaction consultants have been appointed in 8 countries to help interpret the customer satisfaction results for the dealers and to provide the requisite training.
Among government departments in the United Kingdom, the Inland Revenue has been among the first to engage in a large scale, multi-stage programme of customer service research in accordance with the Government's Citizen's Charter initiative. This paper maps the progress to date in carrying out this research and in meeting a very complex range of communication challenges, both internal and external, in the context of major structural and organisational change within the Department Adopting a case study format, we examine the difficulties encountered in meeting the broad range of communication requirements, and we cover both the intricate internal management of these issues, as well as the role of the research consultant as a touchstone of non-political objectivity in assisting the communication process. The paper concludes that a close working relationship between the client and the research consultant, including unstinting commitment to the task on both sides, is vital to the success of such an endeavour.
This paper examines the development of customer satisfaction research in the non-competitive environments inhabited by public sector organisations and the privatised utilities. It explains how the absence of the stick of competition and the carrot of profit have led public sector organisations to develop new approaches to customer satisfaction research, where that research is seen as part of an auditing mechanism rather than, as in the private sector, as a marketing function. It shows how customer satisfaction research has helped in the development of supply-side performance indicators and in some cases supplanted these indicators. The paper also shows how customer satisfaction research is being developed to aid privatised utilities in decisions affecting future investment strategies and in justifying price increases needed to fund that investment.