Balanced Scorecard Benchmarking Business Process Reengineering Collaborative Innovation Core Competencies Customer Relationship Management Customer Segmentation Decision Rights Tools Downsizing Growth Strategy Tools Knowledge Management Lean Six Sigma Loyalty Management Mergers and Acquisitions Mission and Vision Statements Online Communities Outsourcing Price Optimization Models Scenario and Contingency Planning Shared Service Centers Strategic Alliances Strategic Planning Supply Chain Management Total Quality Management Voice of the Customer Innovation Related Topics Customer Relationship Management Customer Retention Customer Satisfaction Measurement Description Customer Surveys help to determine customer requirements and identify better ways to anticipate and fulfill them. It is important for companies to collect input from customers and potential customers on a regular basis to prioritize their needs and understand how to successfully meet these needs. Through these actions companies can develop new products, improve their current product and service offerings and understand how to correctly price these offerings. Companies should use information from Customer Surveys to identify and eliminate the roadblocks to achieving desired levels of satisfaction and loyalty. Surveys can be used to target attractive customer segments and fulfill critical customer needs while increasing sales and building strong customer relationships. The overall goal of a customer survey should be to understand the most highly leveraged opportunities for improvement. Firms can use Customer Surveys to better align their capabilities and resources with customer wants and needs. Methodology To effectively use Customer Surveys: Interview current and potential customers to determine critical dimensions of performance; Actively solicit customer satisfaction feedback through written or online assessments, phone calls, focus groups, and on-site visits; Analyze the results of customer feedback to determine opportunities for improvement; Disseminate these results across the company; Design and implement changes to improve satisfaction levels and target unmet customer needs. Common Uses Managers use Customer Surveys on an ongoing basis to understand how well they are meeting customer needs. By gaining this understanding, companies are able to: Enhance product performance or develop new products; Improve service offerings; Develop optimal pricing strategies; Target marketing efforts towards specific customer segments or towards specific customer preferences; Improve brand equity. Selected References Barabba, Vincent P. Meeting of the Minds: Creating the Market-Based Enterprise. Harvard Business School Press, 1995. Birn, Robert. The Handbook of International Market Research Techniques. Kogan Page, 2001. Bhote, Keki R. "What Do Customers Want, Anyway?" American Management Association,March 1997, pp. 36-40. Davidow, William H., and Bro Uttal. Total Customer Service: The Ultimate Weapon. HarperCollins, 1990. Hill, Nigel, and Jim Alexander. Handbook of Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty Measurement. Gower Publishing Company, 2000. Johnson, Michael D., and Anders Gustafsson. Improving Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty and Profit: An Integrated Measurement and Management System. Jossey-Bass, 2000. McQuarrie, Edward F. The Market Research Toolbox. Sage Publications, 1996. Monster, Robert, and Raymond Pettit. Market Research in the Internet Age. John Wiley & Sons, 2002. Myers, James H. Measuring Customer Satisfaction: Hot Buttons and Other Measurement Issues. American Marketing Association, 1999. Naumann, Earl, and Steven H. Hoisington. Customer Centered Six Sigma: Linking Customers. American Society for Quality, 2001. Vavra, Terry G. Improving Your Measurement of Customer Satisfaction. American Society for Quality, 1997. Whiteley, Richard C., and Diane Hessan. Customer Centered Growth: Five Proven Strategies for Building Competitive Advantage. Perseus Press, 1996.