Using metrics to measure customer satisfaction

There are various indicators for measuring customer satisfaction, such as HDI’s Inquiry Window Rating, Nikkei Business’s After-Sales Service Ranking, Oricon Japan’s Customer Satisfaction Ranking, J.D. Power’s Industry Benchmark Survey, JCSI (Japan edition Customer Satisfaction Index). There may be a few cases in which they are used as management indicators and contact center performance indicators.

However, the indicator only “walks by itself” (stands alone), and it may be unclear to what purpose it is actually used for reference.

This time, we would like you to refer and keep in mind the given points below when using these indicators: 1. Evaluation range 2. Evaluator 3. Sample validity 4. Factor analysis and structure-building 5. Five points for publicity (leverage), and whether it is suitable for the original purpose of using an index or not.

①Evaluation range (What are you evaluating?)

The first thing to keep in mind is what the indicator is evaluating.
Is it only a telephone channel? Does it also include a web channel? Or do you evaluate the product or service itself, or the overall process of marketing the said product or service? This is the way to think about it. It is a very important point to use this indicator to move around the improvement cycle.

②Evaluators (Who is evaluating?)

The next thing to keep in mind is would the evaluation be done by a “customer/user”?
We think it is important that the customer/user provides his/her own evaluation, and not from a specific expert such as a consultant. When activities for improvement progressed, they would stop temporarily and look back to ask “Why are you doing this activity?” If it is based on the customer/user’s evaluation at that time, one should not ask the significance of this activity which was already tackled in the first place. This is because it is already known that the basis of the activity is the expectations and requests of customers.

③Sample validity (Can it reflect on the actual situation?)

The next thing to keep in mind is the validity of the sample.
Specifically, “Are there enough samples to reflect the population?” “At what point in time is the behavioral (purchasing and use) evaluation based on? etc. In observing that the evaluation results can “walk alone” (stand alone), it is necessary to check them carefully before using them.

④Factor analysis / structure-building (Can customer satisfaction be structured or undergo factor analysis?)

It is a very common thing, but we must not avoid the “purpose of evaluation”. Only surveys are conducted regularly, with no activities for improvement in between. There are many cases where things cannot be connected to activities for improvement and may be temporarily overshadowed by survey results and rankings.

Why does that happen? It is probably because the factor analysis and structure-building for customer satisfaction has not been done. Because some of the customer satisfaction indicators are presented firmly to factor analysis and structure-building, when activities for improvement are assembled based on them, we can start the activities without “blurring”.

⑤Publicity (leverage) (In which medium do you publish?)

The final point to note is: “What kind of medium is the indicator to be released in?”
In order to understand who are affected by the evaluation results and how much, the possibility of reaching the target audience and the number of people should be checked. There may be pros and cons in using the evaluation results and rankings for customer communication, but it is important to know what kind of content you are trying to improve,and to communicate specific improvements to the customer / user.

Now, the points to keep in mind when utilizing the indicators that measure customer satisfaction have been explained , but the most important thing is not the index that gets the top ranking, rather, the evaluation results to really satisfy the customers in terms of usage. Would it not evoke happiness to you and your customers to connect the issues extracted from the indicators to continuously improve your company activities?