posted 20 June 2001 09:03 AM               

Customer feedback is divided into two types: Positive and negative. (complaints always abound, however how do you deal with the customer that calls up and has an improvement idea?)

Typically, different people in your organization will receive this +/- feedback. Your "procedure" needs to focus in on:

a) how this is reported to your company (forms?, email?, surveys?, cust service reps?)
b) who is responsible for receiving this information and reporting it
c) how to collect this information (via a common "form", generic emails, a simple networked access database, or?)
d) who is responsible to collect the information, sort it into a meaningful collection, ready for analysis
e) what is done with the collection of information (statistical analysis?, preventative/corrective action report initiated and forwareded to engineering, etc...)

This of course needs to be tied into and be an element of CQI. (however large or small you want to make it)

posted 20 June 2001 10:55 AM               

We're adapting our procedure to address both sides of the issue incorporating current mechanics for customer complaint recording, and developing a brief customer survey we can send out. (Have talked with some places that telephone their cutsomers every day and ask about their delivered products, quality etc. They track & document all feedback looking for trends.

posted 21 June 2001 04:48 PM               

The measureables your company uses should be a mix of 'passive' and 'active' methods for determining customer satisfaction. Examples: Market Share; Customer Retention; Acquisition of new customers; Satisfaction; Profitability; and Customer Feedback,

From "Measurements of Customer Dissatisfaction" from Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D. P. 'The Balanced Scorecard':

Many customers do not go to the trouble of complaining. They simply take their business to one of your competitors. Customer dissatisfaction indicators include complaints, claims, refunds, recalls, returns, repeat services, litigation, replacements, downgrades, repairs, warranty work, warranty costs, miss-shipments, and incomplete orders.

There are numerous sources of information concerning customer satisfaction - direct complaints and comments, questionnaires and surveys, reports from consumer organizations, reports from the media and sector studies.

One of the easiest ways to ask customers for help and one the usually turns up very valuable information is the focus group interview. Any capable facilitator who understands the objective of the research can usually do a good job. The real trick is thinking through the findings, interpreting what the group participants have told you and relating it to the quality of your product or service.