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Customer Satisfaction: Where'S The Roi?: Current Trends in Public Opinion From Wirthlinworldwide
Customer Satisfaction: Where'S The Roi?: Current Trends in Public Opinion From Wirthlinworldwide
VOLUME 12 | NUMBER 7
TheWirthlinReport
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: HIGHLIGHTS
WHERE’S THE ROI?
2
THE AMERICAN CONSUMER CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE Corporations increasing
MOST DEMANDING IN THE WORLD, ALWAYS WANTING MORE focus, spending
FOR LESS, AND GENERALLY UNWILLING TO GIVE HIS OR HER Most executives say their
LOYALTY BASED ON PRICE OR QUALITY ALONE. IN RESPONSE
company will spend more on
customer satisfaction efforts
TO THESE EVER-INCREASING CONSUMER DEMANDS, AND AS
in the coming year.
PART OF THEIR OWN COST CONTROL IMPERATIVES, CORPORA-
TIONS HAVE DEPLOYED A RANGE OF TOOLS AND TECHNOLO- 3
GIES, FROM BASIC CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS TO Which tools work best?
ADVANCED CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Surveys, employee training
AND OTHER BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE TOOLS. seen by business leaders as
most effective for enhancing
WirthlinWorldwide, which has solutions; 3) Consumers' desire
customer satisfaction
been advising clients around for a more personalized experi-
the world on customer satisfac- ence is on the rise; organiza- 4
tion and loyalty issues for more tions need to recognize that Getting personal
than 30 years, recently com- each customer relationship is Consumers value companies
pleted two surveys which pro- unique and find ways to cus- that provide a personalized
vide an updated point of view tomize their offerings; 4) experience and customizable
from two key audiences: U.S. Identifying and resolving con- products and services
consumers and Fortune 1,000 sumer problems is
5
corporate executives. We critical—when these efforts fail,
asked each of these groups to customer loyalty disappears. Is anybody listening?
Many customers who com-
share their perspectives about
plain get an unsatisfactory
the consumer marketplace and CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: response or none at all.
the efficacy of the tools used A MOVING TARGET?
by businesses today to 5
enhance customer satisfaction. The American Customer The human touch
The results of this latest Satisfaction Index, an ongoing Inability to speak to a live
research, detailed below, point survey of consumer sentiment, person is biggest consumer
to four primary challenges in has tracked consumer satisfac- complaint. Balancing
the future of customer loyalty: tion since 1994. While specific technology and personal
service is essential.
1) Although corporations have sectors have shown changes,
spent (and will continue to ACSI’s composite index is no 6
spend) significant energy and better today than it was nine
Four imperatives
resources on improving cus- years ago. This seems to run for building customer loyalty
tomer loyalty, the overall pic- counter to the fact that, during
ture, on the whole, has not this time, many organizations
improved significantly over have been focusing on cus-
time; 2) Efforts to improve cus- tomer satisfaction and spend-
tomer loyalty through automa- ing significant capital on tech-
tion and technology provide nology, people and other
benefits, but may be offset, at enhancements to improve per-
least partially, by the lack of a ceptions of their offerings. This
human connection in these lack of improvement suggests
71%
OF EXECUTIVES SAY THEY WILL
tives if they plan to focus more
or less on customer satisfaction
this coming year than in the
past two years. Nearly all exec-
where will companies get the
biggest bang for their buck?
We asked executives and con-
sumers both to share their
SPEND MUCH MORE OR SOMEWHAT
MORE IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS ON
utives surveyed say they will viewpoints on several customer
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION RELAT-
focus more (38% much more satisfaction activities and their
ED EFFORTS.
and 46% somewhat more) over perceived impact on return on
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
11%
28%
OF FORTUNE 1000 EXECUTIVES
LOYALTY TASK FORCES/COMMITTEES SURVEYED SAY THAT THEIR
ORGANIZATION DOES NOT HAVE
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3% 12% AN ONGOING CUSTOMER SATIS-
FACTION RESEARCH PROGRAM.
base = Corporate Executives 0 20 40 60 80 0 10 20
74%
84%
EXPERIENCE WITH COMPANIES
YOU DO BUSINESS WITH
49%
LACK OF INDIVIDUAL
8%
ATTENTION
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED 3%
OF THOSE THAT EXPERIENCED A
PROBLEM WERE EITHER DISSATIS- 0 10 20 30 40
FIED WITH THE RESPONSE OR GOT
base: Consumers
NO RESPONSE.