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Proposed verification method for the content suitability of the customer satisfaction survey

Josu Takala (Department of Production, University of Vassa, Vassa, Finland)
Amnat Bhufhai (Banpu Public Company Limited, Bangkok, Thailand)
Kongkiti Phusavat (Department of Industrial Engineering, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand)

Industrial Management & Data Systems

ISSN: 0263-5577

Article publication date: 1 July 2006

2940

Abstract

Purpose

To address multiple problems facing a company's top management with respect to the customer satisfaction survey. Is the customer satisfaction survey still suitable after many years of use? What method should be applied to help ensure better utilization of information from the customer satisfaction survey? Should the three aspects (i.e. quality, delivery, and responsiveness) representing the customer satisfaction continue to be used as part of the survey's main contents. As an ISO 9001: 2000 certified company, the customer satisfaction survey is required.

Design/methodology/approach

A method was proposed to help integrate the survey results with other key performance indicators (or ratios). This integration represented the verification effort on the suitability of the customer satisfaction survey. The examinations into the interrelationships between these three aspects the company's performance indicators included three perspectives. They were: no time‐factor consideration; one‐period time‐lag factor; and two‐period time‐lag factor. The set of key performance indicators was selected jointly with the company's top management.

Findings

The findings indicated that the quality and responsiveness aspects were still suitable. This was because these results were closely related to the production volumes, number of customer complaints, number of customers, and, etc. Therefore, the revision of the customer satisfaction survey needed to focus on adding other aspects such as flexibility and courtesy while doing away with the delivery aspect.

Practical implications

The proposed method, and its findings and recommendations received positive responses from the company's top management. This method utilized and related existing performance information in an integrated manner.

Originality/value

This study generated a potential approach to understand and to help interpret the customer satisfaction survey's results, to boost the utilization of relevant performance information, and likely to assist in a target‐setting process during a planning session.

Keywords

Citation

Takala, J., Bhufhai, A. and Phusavat, K. (2006), "Proposed verification method for the content suitability of the customer satisfaction survey", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 106 No. 6, pp. 841-854. https://doi.org/10.1108/02635570610671515

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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