Customer Satisfaction Means Nothing
June 15th, 2006
I hate my cell phone company just like everyone else hates theirs’. (I still say there is a HUGE opportunity for a company to come in a rock that industry.) And while I’m not a T-Mobile customer (I know you’re disappointed, Catherine Zeta), I have to comment on their new ads that tout how they have won six awards for customer satisfaction.
So I ask you, “Do you want to be satisfied by your cell phone company or blown away?” I choose blown away. Unfortunately, no such provider exists yet, but I’m just using this industry as an example.
As the pastors over at Church of the Customer always like to point out, “Satisfaction is the LOWEST rung of the loyalty ladder.” If you shoot to satisfy your customers, then you’re shooting for the status quo. I’ve never seen a status quo kind of company have loyal (and loud) advocates, have you?
Other posts by Spike.
May says:
I HATE the cell phone company too. (same one as you Spike) Satisfied? yes with actual phone. no with any interaction with company.
Good point. Don’t strive for satisfaction.
June 16th, 2006 at 7:27 amGammo says:
I have Verizon. I like ‘em well enough. I don’t hate ‘em. They were pretty helpful too when I needed to rent a cellphone for the UK.
Blown away? nah. I would’ve been blown away if they offered it to me as a part of my regular monthly phone plan.
June 17th, 2006 at 3:10 pmpaul says:
It’d be great if large companies (those in telecom, for instance) thought that providing better customer service, and thus training and selecting better people for the roles, gave them a competitive advantage over their competitors. But they don’t. It’s very low on their list of priorities due to the market and capital conditions.
Customers surely want better experiences, especially with those companies we are tied to and to whom we shell $50-$80-$100 a month to, often for years (For 5 years now I have refused to have cable TV - thanks, I’ll read and watch DVDs, I don’t need another).
But gigantic companies know customers can’t go very far and that there’re huge barriers to entry into the market, hence they possess a near monopoly situation. What then is their focus?
Since there’s a bottom line obsession - and not a public trust focus, as we’ve always been led to believe - the shareholder and market interests must reign supreme. In fact, it’s mandated by state and federal laws that the corporation must make a profit. And perform. Amen. It’s advanced capitalism and it’s got consequences for all the operational good.
If you had to choose between making a few unruly customers happy (even 40%), or making a better esoteric experience for your employees, OR complying with the state and federal and market rules, and getting a fat paycheck and bonus putting you at the top .5% of the population in a system that rewards wealth with power, what would you do? Don’t answer unless you’ve been there, anything else is fantasy.
Over the years, the consumer population has often been effectively splintered and marginalized, and against large corporations, it becomes difficult as individuals or small groups to influence the game. Not impossible. But the power of lawyers and corporate resources, not to mention a lack of time, provides challenges to system change. And getting attention.
New strategies and tactics are needed. Discussions, like this one. And a belief in personal dignity!
June 22nd, 2006 at 7:14 amadmin says:
Ok, so I have been with Alltel for many years because I like the service. I get great reception everywhere I go. But, they STILL do not send my phone bills to the correct address. I have sent them change of address forms(at least eight times) and gone to the store and watched them change the address in the computer. My bills still get sent to the wrong address. If they would just take the time to mail my bill to the right place, I might consider renewing my contract with them, but, Verizon is looking pretty tempting…
June 22nd, 2006 at 7:21 amSpike says:
Great points, Paul. Keep on fighting the good fight!
June 23rd, 2006 at 4:47 amRudy says:
all to many companies still don’t see the value of being blown away. I don’t get it. Everyone can intellectualize it, but when it comes to investing now for the long-term benefit, everyone forgets the universal common sense value the concept holds. Investing in common sense, isn’t common sense.
December 16th, 2006 at 6:32 pmBart says:
Actually- everybody’s ‘gut feelings’ are more precisely measured within the ‘domains of satisfation’, very intersting research on return and recommend rates etc. There are three ‘zones of satisfactions’- actually 1) dissatisfaction 1.0 to 4.1, indifference (no cusotmer loyalty) 4.2 to 7.8, and 3) Satisfaction which includes loyalty, preference, delight and world-class.
Return and recommend rate does not start until you score at least a 7.9 and then it is 20% (or one in five people) who will return and recommend- all the way to 1600%- peole who tell people etc.. (zealots for a particular product or service).
According to the research, there are ten domains of satisfaction that affect this behavior and should be considered as an integrated set. Quality, timeliness, value, efficiency, ease of access, inter-departmental teamwork, commitment, front line service behaviors, environment, and innovation. All customer complaints will fall into one of these areas-
Its a pretty cool way to audit any supplier.
See more at http://www.whatcustomerswant.com
Bart Berry
January 6th, 2007 at 8:37 pm