Customer Satisfaction - Customer Perception - ISO 9001

[Carl Exter]

I'm looking for some assistance regarding the measurement of customer satisfaction as required by 8.2.1 of ISO9001:2000. The "organization shall monitor information relating to customer perception" part seems to my rather unimaginative mind to be mandating customer surveys. However, we're finding it quite difficult to devise a satisfactory survey system, that we believe will be effective.

We already have adequate systems in place to deal with customer complaints, and have for some time. We can receive and respond to customer-initiated communication via email, fax, website, telephone, or old-fashioned post office delivery. But it seems clear that more is required by the 9K2K standard. I heard one manager suggest the monitoring of customer-retention rates but that was dismissed quickly as wholly inadequate: we wouldn't know they weren't satisfied until we lost them!

So what is being done out there to monitor customer perceptions? Any feedback and input offered would be very greatly appreciated!!

 

[Rosana]

Carl,

The inputs for this process in my company are:
* Survey
* Reports from the sales and marketing departments.
* Nonconforming products
* How sales are progressing with each customer (going up or down)
* Complaints
* More ideas!!!!!

Process
* Each six months the Sales & Marketing Departments prepare a survey for the customers. After the Sales & Marketing Departments have the survey they will analyze them together with other inputs. (Assign points to each question)
* The Quality Department will also analyze each 6 months of data about nonconforming products.
* More ideas!!!!!

Outputs
* Results from customer surveys and other factors evaluated
* Corrective Action
* More ideas !!!!!

 

[s_warin]

The defect of book and the satisfaction

One publishing house when recieves a complain about the defect of book. Three questions were asked.
1. What is the title of the book?
2. What is the defect?
3. What is your address?

Question 2. is for prevention in the next production.
Question 3. is for sending the new book to the reader.
Plus a sentence "We will send the new book for you. You need not send your book back, please keep it."

If you are the reader, do you satisfy with this practice?

 

[Carl Exter]

This sounds like an excellent method of handling customer complaints.

However, I perceive satisfactory resolution of customer complaints to be other than monitoring perceptions of customer satisfaction. With your example, I may be satisfied with the way that the publisher resolved the problem I had, but I would be much more satisfied with my purchase if there were not a probelm to begin with.

My company has processes in place to handle customer complaints when the customer brings a problem to our attention. But many customers may not bother to complain to us.

Perhaps we could survey or interview each customer call to determine the level of satisfaction that they feel based on the resolution to the problem they just called us with. But I believe many people (myself included) would not want to sit on the phone any longer to answer such questions.. being annoyed enough that there was a problem that required me to take my time in the first place. Also, how would that increase our average call time, and increased dissatisfaction from increased hold time for other customer calls, and/or increased cost from more staff to avoid increased hold time??? yada yada yada....

As I said, I don't seem to be imaginative enough to find a good solution for this.

 

[s_warin]

That is the example.

You are right. I agree with you.

In the case you can not prevent the defect to the hand of the customer, you have to do something to make s/he feels better.

The manager of a Japanese store went to see the customer by himself with two or three times of goods to replace for the defect goods.

You have money back guarunttee. Do you have the stores that still use "Let the buyer beware?"

 

[Carl Exter]

We have warranties and guaranties on all our products. The warranty to replace the product if it becomes inoperable, and the guarantee to reimburse end-users should our products fail in advertised applications, and the end-user suffer loss as a result.

Most of our primary business customers, however, are in the distribution chain. We do little business with end-users or retail.

 

[db]

Think out of the box

An extreme example:

I work with a company that builds racing engines. Following each race, they check all the appropriate websites and television programs to see what the drivers and owners are saying about the engines. They might hear something like: “I would have won if I had more power off the turns.” This is information “relating to customer perception”. They might not ever get this information from the driver, or the owner directly. They document what they read/hear and use it to drive continuous improvement.

Surveys are one way, as is just talking with customers, trade associations, etc. How do you judge your reputation in your market? Ahhh….this is information “relating to customer perception” as well. Don't just limit yourselves to customer complaints eithe.

Hope that helps.

 

[trainerbob]

I have worked with clients that have good luck with "Contact Points". What they do is make a list of subjects/questions they would like to hear about from their customers and them split them up among the people in the organization that have regular contact with their customers. These are points that they just get into theri normal conversation as they talk to the customers on a regular basis, not a formal survey or query. They gather this information every so often and feel they have a pretty good idea of their customers perception of them and their external auditors have accepted them and in some instances praised them.
They also use this information for part of their continual improvement.

 

[John Martinez]

1.) Perception IS reality.
2.) Most customers will not complain, only take their business someplace else.
3.) This part of the standard is PROACTIVE; therefore, only measuring problems is not enough and not the intent.
5.) KISS. IF you use a survey, and a survey is only one of many tools, keep it simple. 5 excellent worded questions will get you a better response than 29 questions in 5 categories.
6.) Perception questions are: Have you received value for the price paid? Would you refer us to a friend?

I have one client I audited that I pushed this issue. The next periodic audit, they thanked me because they received no complaints. They had proof they delviered on time; however, their customer had the PERCEPTION they were late. Saved them from loss of business from this little companay called Wal-Mart.

 

[somashekar]

I'm looking for some assistance regarding the measurement of customer satisfaction as required by 8.2.1 of ISO9001:2000. The "organization shall monitor information relating to customer perception" part seems to my rather unimaginative mind to be mandating customer surveys. However, we're finding it quite difficult to devise a satisfactory survey system, that we believe will be effective.

We already have adequate systems in place to deal with customer complaints, and have for some time. We can receive and respond to customer-initiated communication via email, fax, website, telephone, or old-fashioned post office delivery. But it seems clear that more is required by the 9K2K standard. I heard one manager suggest the monitoring of customer-retention rates but that was dismissed quickly as wholly inadequate: we wouldn't know they weren't satisfied until we lost them!

So what is being done out there to monitor customer perceptions? Any feedback and input offered would be very greatly appreciated!!

Hello Carl.
I love to repeat this line again and again ... " Customer satisfaction is about Customer saying that he is satisfied with you and not you saying that the Customer is satisfied by you. "
Perceptions about your company by the customer is made by several people within the customer organization. Determine these personnel and determine which interaction of your company they are involved in. Make it a periodical visit to the customer (not the end user of the products that you make) and discuss this interaction across and get a first hand feel of the perception. It could be from the stores of the customer, accounts of the customer, Purchase head of the customer, or whoever.
Ask them sincerely what they expect to improve from your end. How good, cordial and sincere you are in this approach will show in how open thay can be to share the perception. Gather these and once back home (into your company) analyse them and draw action plan to improve upon what you have noted and understood. Bring this action plan into your QMS 8.5.1 - Continual improvement. So 8.2.1. feeds 8.5.1.
I am not for survey forms, e-mail communications, ratings and scores and targets for this which many do follow.
PS: During one such customer visit for the purpose of assessment of the satisfaction level and perception, what came out was that the ' Phones were not being picked by the front office promptly and many a times used to be missed.' As an action towards this, the PABX was upgraded to allow the caller to access the extentions directly and as a phone usage courtesy it was made known to all that the phones must be picked up within the first three rings. This worked, customer felt satisfied. This was never a part of the QMS though.