TOOLS FOR TRACKING AND MEASURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

a) Suggestion system: it should be easy for customers to deliver suggestion & compliance.

Businesses provide questionnaires placed in prominent places inviting customers to fill

them. Others have customer hot lines where customers pass their suggestions.

b) Customer satisfaction survey: less than 5% of dissatisfied customer complains. Therefore

the above method may not be relied upon. They design a periodic survey using

questionnaires or telephone interviews. They may use the use the opportunity to identify

their competitors performance, the customer repurchase decision and willingness to

recommend the product to other people. Customers interviewed can be past,

present/potential customers.

c) Ghost shopping: the company hires people to pose as potential buyers then report their

findings on the strong and weak points they experienced while buying. This can be used

on the companies on their competitor products.

d) Lost customer analysis: the company should contact the customers who no longer purchase

from them or have switched to another brand product. This will give their reason for failing

enabling them to improve in future. It also indicates their rates of losing customers.

e) Focus Groups: Involves bringing together 5 – 10 customers and ask them questions or

have them react to material. In addition to individual responses, you get ideas that develop

as the group reacts to each others response. Ideas about customer needs, reactions to your

company, suggestions for new services etc can be gathered in this way

f) Client advisory groups: One way to get regular input from customers is to put together an

advisory group. This can act like a focus group, but is set up to provide information
 periodically over time. Advisory boards can be used to improve customer service, develop

new services, and encourage repeat business

g) Customer Satisfaction Survey: these can provide the necessary knowledge and tools to

implement appropriate and effective surveying programs. It may take any of the following

forms: i) getting customer feedback through face to face conversation or meeting ii) direct

customer feedback through surveys and questionnaires

h) Customer Complains: These are the issues and problems reported by the customer to the

supplier with regard to any specific product or related service. If the complains under a

particular segment are high in a specific period of time, then the performance of the

organization is low in that specific area or segment. If the complains diminish in a specific

period of time, then it means the organization is performing well and customer satisfaction

level is also higher.

i) Customer Loyalty: A customer is said to be loyal if he revisits the supplier on regular

basis for purchases. These loyal customers are the satisfied ones and hence they have a

strong relationship with the supplier. Hence by obtaining the customer loyalty index,

suppliers can indirectly measure customer satisfaction

j)