Be it any business – manufacturing, marketing, servicing etc. customer satisfaction is the premier instrument for which an organization thrives. The one who comes with a huge stack of wealth and exchanges it for the goods/service is regarded as the boss as Sam Walton had said, “There is only one boss. The customer.” Perhaps, the success of a firm depends on customer satisfaction, apart from the other aspects of Production, Price, Promotion and Place.
Marketing experts Don Peppers and Martha Rogers said, “The only value your company will ever create is the value that comes from customers—the ones you have now and the ones you will have in the future.” I assume this is the reason, countries like Japan invest so much in customer satisfaction. To those who aren’t aware of Japan’s customer service strategy, I will define the former later in this text.
Though there’s no actual science to back the theory of customer satisfaction, some associations have been adduced which cater to the existence of consumer gratification. Science, in general, is used to mend human emotions and post-purchase behavior with systematic analytics for in-depth knowledge.
Today, you wouldn’t find any individual without a mobile phone or the knowledge of the Internet. Yes, people are well read. They have the tools to analyze and compare products with the competitors’ substitute. The purchasing pattern depends on the content, packaging and the delivery system with what we reach to the genius minds.
“Let’s ask our customers” – this generally followed mantra doesn’t gather the much-needed result as expected to do so. I wouldn’t say that a very few, but quantitatively less number of followers care to eloquently express their views for the brands they follow. Periodic surveys, measuring customer loss rate of competitors will yield the desired outcome anticipated by customer-centered firms.
Let’s analyze the Modern Customer-Oriented Organization Chart:
Consumer behavior can be measured through analytic tools like Google Analytics, Facebook and Twitter Analytics. The number of people returning to a particular blog/product/service delineates the amount of satisfaction they relished while exercising the same. These statistics reveal the quantum of customer satisfaction.
Earlier, the customer was put down at the end of the hierarchy chart but with the changing environment, now customers took the foremost place, pushing down all the management groups.
A Few Examples to Understand Valued Customer Service and Satisfaction
- Japan’s Customer Service: In Japan, the seller walks out with you, ceremoniously hands the packed commodity and bows in gratitude. The concept of Customer Empowerment dwells here, which clearly explains that “The power is with the customer”. This way, they turn the first comers into brand evangelists who then attract his/her acquaintances/associates to use the same service. Uncommon for foreigners, this art of customer service surprise them but at most comforts them when they understand the concept. Truly, this subtle art has levitated customer satisfaction.
- Dell’s Customer Value:When Dell shifted its call centers in India and the Philippines to cut costs, customer satisfaction slipped and ultimately made Dell lose its market share and stock price as every customer had to wait for 30 minutes to get connected. At last, Dell ended up hiring more North American call center employees.
- Victoria’s Secret Customer Satisfaction: According to a study and data released by YouGov,the customer satisfaction has declined unfavorably after studying how the women aged 18-49 perceive Victoria’s Secret and how they want to associate with it. On a scale of -100 to +100, satisfaction score had dipped down to +30. Being at the top with a score of 31 in 2016, it has now fallen to 23 for the same demographic if we count its Buzz score.
Companies like Myntra, Flipkart are now trying to patch up the customer experience just like retail shops. You can order your requirements, try it and then return within a week if you aren’t happy with it. And in turn, the retail shops are trying to catch up the pace too. I would like to adduce an instance here. In 2014, I was suffering from health issues and wasn’t able to make it to the Blood Test Centre. The guy from the test center travelled and collected the blood sample from my home and even delivered the test results after a week. In a small city of India, I noticed that customer satisfaction is playing its role to lure people.
To conclude, I would like to say that true marketing doesn’t just depend on the 4P’s of Marketing but globes a whole lot of stuff of which customer satisfaction is just one part. A blend of every facet will fetch you the long-anticipated dream, every marketer has in his/her mind. Indeed, the quality and the service offered scales up the consumer’s aplomb and alacrity of espousing your product/service.