| I received a very polite inquiry from India this | | | | Literally, this means they may be inclined to pay five |
| morning. | | | | dollars for your cherries, but only four dollars to your |
| It read: | | | | competitors. |
| Can you please tell me exactly, "What is customer | | | | (5) Good will is yet another aspect of customer |
| Satisfaction?" | | | | satisfaction. This is an intangible asset, as any |
| My first impulse was to suggest reading my book. | | | | accountant can tell you, but it has value. It is the |
| But after a few seconds, it occurred to me this is a | | | | reasonable expectation that clients or customers will |
| genuine question that is foundational. | | | | return to do business with you in the future. This can |
| Let me make seven clear points about customer | | | | arise from habit, from developing a sense of |
| satisfaction that may help you: | | | | community, kinship, or friendship with purchasers. |
| (1) Most companies never stop to define it. If you | | | | Good will is, in part, a desire to do business with you, |
| ask them, "Is it important?" they'll shout, "Heck, yes!" | | | | again. |
| but they would be hard put to explain what it is. This | | | | (6) Satisfaction is not measured accurately by |
| is a serious shortcoming, which prevents them from | | | | surveys and questionnaires. These are contrived, |
| aiming at and systematically producing customer | | | | forced-choice expressions of attitudes and emotions |
| satisfaction. | | | | that are abstractions to customers, that don't |
| We know what a "sale" is, don't we? It is an | | | | naturally arise from transactions. Using surveys and |
| agreement, a deal, an exchange of money for | | | | questionnaires, literally, we are "putting words into |
| performance, or a promise of money for a promise | | | | the mouths" of those that do business with us, |
| of performance. | | | | substituting our constructs for theirs. |
| (2) In many cases, satisfaction is thought to be an | | | | (7) The best predictors of loyalty, good will, and |
| internal, psychological or emotional state, fostered by | | | | repeat business and the truest indicators of genuine |
| a customer. Specifically, it is the degree of one's | | | | customer satisfaction are directly observable during |
| "pleasure" arising from a "purchase." Yesterday, I | | | | transactions and as transactions conclude. Customers |
| bought a pound of ripe, organic cherries for five | | | | "telegraph" their feelings, attitudes, and intentions |
| bucks. Fairly pricey, I thought, as I put the item into | | | | through distinctive verbal and nonverbal clues that |
| my shopping cart. But after biting into one or two, | | | | can be monitored, measured, and managed. |
| tasting the sweetness and texture, I concluded I | | | | When pursuing customer satisfaction, most |
| made a wise investment. My pleasure equaled or | | | | businesspeople act like the three blind men describing |
| surpassed the purchase price. I was and am satisfied | | | | an elephant, touching it here and there, at random, |
| with the purchase. | | | | making grossly inaccurate inferences about its |
| (3) Customer satisfaction is also measured by the | | | | characteristics. |
| likelihood that I'll purchase the same item, again; and | | | | But unlike the elephant examiners, most |
| that there will be a "halo effect" that will make me | | | | businesspeople voluntarily disable themselves, opting |
| willing to purchase other fruits and vegetables from | | | | to pretend that surveys and such are satisfaction, |
| the retailer that sold me the cherries. | | | | when if they merely opened their eyes and looked at |
| (4) Loyalty is also an aspect of customer satisfaction. | | | | the right things, they could see, quite clearly what it |
| I define it as a premium that customers are willing to | | | | is, and when and how it occurs. |
| pay because they have been satisfied in the past. | | | | |