Customer satisfaction incorporates the idea that a business should provide what a customer asks for, when they want it, how they want it and where they want it. Customer satisfaction can be measured by considering what the customer’s perception is and what the customer’s expectations are.
Customer satisfaction can be demonstrated by the equation:
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION = PERCEPTION – EXPECTATION
This means that the level of satisfaction of a customer is found by looking at the expectations they had of the product or service on offer and the perception they get from receiving the product or service.
The principles of customer satisfaction are based upon the fact that any business that wishes to survive and prosper, must meet its customer’s requirements. To do this everyone within the company needs to understand exactly what the customer’s requirements are.
Some things which businesses may consider in relation to this are:
- Is the product or service useful and worthwhile?
- Will the product or service do the job it is supposed to do?
- Is the level of service and/or product that which the customer wants?
- How does this level of service and/or product match your competitors?
- Are you able to provide the service and/or product in the timeframe required by the customer?
- How does your time-frame compare to your competitors?