Customer Satisfaction

What is customer satisfaction?

Customer satisfaction involves determining the degree to which a company’s products or services meet the requirements of the end user. Companies that are certified ISO 9001:2000 must now demonstrate how they measure customer satisfaction, and how they are improving in this area. Firms planning to become ISO certified will need to begin developing these capabilities.

Customer Satisfaction and Customer Inputs are specifically referred to, and required by clauses of the ISO 9001-2000 standard. The Management responsibility section 5.2 cites relevant clauses for compliance; 7.2.1 and 8.2.1.

• Clause 7.2.1 requires an ISO certified organization to communicate with customers on feedback, including customer complaints.
• Clause 8.2.1 deals with measures of Quality System effectiveness and cites customer input as one measure that will be tracked.

Additionally, ISO clause 8.5.1 states that the organization shall continually improve the effectiveness of their Quality Management System. From these clauses, there is little doubt that customer satisfaction is a central part of any effective Quality Management System.

What are the benefits of determining customer satisfaction?

The need to determine customer satisfaction will vary somewhat by the competitive circumstances of a given industry. In intense consumer-focused activities, measuring customer satisfaction is critical. But every company in every industry can benefit by examining the needs of their customers. Some of the areas where improvement may be expected include:

• Better determination of customer uses and needs.
• Identification of problems with customer services.
• A sharper focus on areas having the greatest need for improvement.
• Gaining insight for new products and/or service offerings.

What can CIRAS do for my company?

Customer satisfaction measurements are not market surveys! A properly designed customer survey practice will aid in identifying where a company can apply resources to the best effect. CIRAS can help in the following ways:

• Educate staff on the range of methods suitable to a given company’s size and market circumstances.
• Aid in selecting the most effective methods for use.
• Educate on sample selection, question content, and the probable effectiveness of survey instrument forms—including practices to avoid.
• Aid in analysis of data.

What is my next step?