With trepidation, you open the binder to examine your anxiously-awaited customer satisfaction results. You close your eyes as you do it. You open them slowly. You let your breath out in a sigh of relief. 80% of your customers are satisfied. Time for a celebration. Time to bask in the glory of a job well done.
Okay, bask a bit. But don't bask too long. The real story here is that 20% of your customers are
not satisfied. Perhaps they aren't angry enough to be truly "dissatisfied," but they didn't feel good enough about your business to give you top marks. In this 20% lies the opportunity to outdistance your competitors. Look deep into the data. What didn't they like? Examine the comments. What did they complain about? Did any of them leave their names and/or telephone numbers? If so, you are lucky. Call them. Talk to them. First see if there is something you can do to make them feel better about your business and give you a second chance. (Coupons, free product, and other such items should be given serious consideration.) Then, examine your policies and operations to see whether you can make changes to your policies, procedures, and practices to make all your customers happier.
Will you ever reach 100% satisfaction? Perhaps not. Is it worth trying? This is a question that only you can answer.
Do you own or manage a small business, or a department of a large business? Check out our special E-Value2003 Employee Satisfaction Survey, specially designed and priced for businesses with 1000 or fewer employees.
