BUSINESS STANDARDS
is the quarterly magazine of BSI Group, highlighting the vital role that standards play in today's business environment. Regular features include interviews with leading business figures, as well as news on the latest developments in management systems and standards.

Business Standards > Opinions

Viewpoint

Question: Can you really measure customer satisfaction?

The simple answer is yes. Two years ago, BSI Management Systems took our customer-focused strategy to the next level by introducing a satisfaction survey for our clients. A year ago, the survey was extended to our international client base and is now sent to all our clients around the world.

Before these surveys were introduced, BSI was very focused on internal issues but we, like many businesses, needed to turn our attention back to the customer.

These surveys are a good way to refocus management on what really matters: what makes customers put their business with BSI, and how can we improve?

We have enjoyed a remarkable response rate (over 40 per cent in the UK alone) and collected tens of thousands of responses, giving us a valuable insight into what we are doing well and where we need to improve.

For example, in some countries, we have enhanced our organizational structure in order to become more customer focused. We have used technology to deliver reports much faster than we have ever done before. We are also now delivering certificates significantly quicker than in the past. The results show that we have been successful and customers notice the changes.

This form of customer satisfaction measurement is fundamentally a communications tool and should set the agenda for management to address customer requirements and improve the underlying business.

For BSI, the surveys are setting the agenda for our ongoing investment in systems and infrastructure and in our communication with our customers. This measurement also has a knock on effect on current and potential customers. We enjoy contracts with large clients from around the world because we can demonstrate how well we are running the business. This is vital because, as every business knows, satisfied customers drive business.

To date, 98.4 per cent of clients surveyed say they would recommend BSI to another party. In addition, there has been a 33 per cent decrease in clients leaving BSI since we began the surveys, and in the UK, we have achieved an overall score of 4.45 out of 5 on the current satisfaction index.

But we will not rest on our laurels. As with everything else in life, it's important to refresh, renew and refine the process along the way. For example, we need to constantly review the questions we ask our customers to ensure they reflect what we need to know about our services and what our customers value. Constant improvement in customer satisfaction is absolutely critical to the survival of any modern business.
Flemming Norklit, managing director, BSI Management Systems

Yes, you can and must. You need to understand customer satisfaction levels so that you'll know what to do to improve. If you don't measure customer satisfaction levels, you'll never know how satisfied your customers are - or more importantly, how dissatisfied they are. The more satisfied they are, the more likely they are to buy your products and recommend your business to others. You must ask what is important to the customer, not tell them what you think is important. Then you can ask them how satisfied they are with your offering, within the context of their expectations. Like anything, good companies measure customer satisfaction well, bad companies do nothing at all. Thankfully, there are increasing numbers of good companies that are measuring customer satisfaction and that's being felt by the customer.
Robert Crawford, executive director, Institute of Customer Service

Business Standards © 2007. Editorial produced by Caspian Publishing in association with the British Standards Institution. Editorial opinions expressed on are not necessarily those of BSI Group or Caspian Publishing. Neither Caspian Publishing nor BSI Group accept responsibility for advertising or editorial content, nor for that appearing on linked third-party websites. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without written permission from BSI Group or Caspian Publishing.

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