Satisfaction: How Every Great Company Listens to the Voice of the Customer

J.D. Power is a customer satisfaction company and an award from them is always highly prized. As such, it was interesting to see what the authors had to say about businesses today. "Satisfaction" has a lot of case studies of companies (like Lexus, Enterprise Rent a Car, and Jetblue) which go the extra mile to delight their customers and to create experiences that will turn them from mildly enthusiastic into whole-hearted supporters. One interesting thing that I liked was how the link between profits and customer satisfaction was made, and how it was not always the right thing to do to please a discontented customer. This, in my eyes, gave the book more credibility, because it was not trying to sell you 100% on going overboard for every customer, but was making the case for why going above and beyond made good long term business sense much of the time, but had to be analyzed in specific situations. Secondly, I enjoyed learning about how customers who had a problem free experience were less likely to rate a company highly than those who had had a "serious" problem, which was then resolved efficiently and to the customer's satisfaction. These customers were much more likely to become lifelong supporters of the company. The case studies that were presented were always interesting and made the book a delightful read. I did not think I would like the book as much as I did. I highly recommend it!

My CEO recommended this book (double-dip reco on this item). The book provided the right focus on customer satisfaction that is vital to our organization and my department (customer care). I found take-away in every chapter. I have recommended to others, purchased this for my staff and will share a copy with other department heads as well. It is very important that we look at our customers and how they impact our business not just the fact they make a purchase...it's the "why" that brings them back or unfortunately turns them off that must be considered at every level. This book highlights both the positives and negatives of customer satisfaction that everyone including front-line team must understand and embrace to take them away from putting in their time to making a difference to both external and internal customers.

What the experts on customer satisfaction have done here is give their inside secrets to helping any business succeed. Cleverly and honestly written, what Power and Denove have shared is not only beneficial to retailers but also to buyers. It has given me a whole new approach to consuming. Noticing when employees in a store, a restaurant or a hotel go out of their way to make a difference - a smile, a hello, that extra little anything to make you feel satisfied or when things go wrong, that much more tolerable. Being one of those people that friends and acquaintances come to when they are looking for service or advice on products I know how many times I alone have swayed someone toward, or away from a particular car, cell phone, computer, appliance, hotel etc. I am truly an advocate of companies that perform well and leave you with a satisfying experience. If I've made even the slightest difference, good or bad, to company sales then, all the better for the ones that care. Weed out the bad and support the good. "Satisfaction" helps define the path companies need to take if they want to satisfy their customers and ultimately increase their bottom line.

Satisfaction should be the standard primer for everyone interacting with a customer or partner. Period. Easy to understand and written for abroad audience, this book is powerful ammunition in making any argument that the customer comes first. This book opens the JD Power door to many great stories, including those about the fate of companies with great inventions but the inability to listen to the consumer. For example, Peugeot invented one of the first fuel injectors, only to lose market share because Americans wanted to step on the gas pedal before starting their cars. You know you have a customer service problem if... "You're spending more money to acquire new customers compared with competitors or compared with internal standards. Employee turnover is another indication." If you have a problem.... "Consumers aren't expecting perfection, but they want problems to be dealt with in a forthright way." One example used was of Lexus. When they were first starting, there were a few "minor problems with its cars." So, "they rushed a letter of apology to every customer, then had the dealerships pick up the vehicles and bring them in for repairs." Lexus turned a problem into a customer service advantage. This book is filled with such relevant examples, such as using problem resolution as an opportunity to make new customers into vocal advocates for a particular company. A must read!

If you have anything to do with your company's strategic positioning, resource allocation, and/or customer satisfaction, this book is something you will want to read. As an entrepreneur and an MBA who has gone through the usual courses, I found the book refreshing, informative, and actually thoughtful about the real world rather than a book of formulations priming the sale for consulting services. The knee jerk reaction towards customer service is to make sure everyone has a fabulous experience each and every time they interact with your company. However, this book takes a more mature look at the kind of business you are in, the kind of strategy you have in the marketplace, the cost of the level of service that is appropriate to your competitive position, and who your customers really are (saying "everyone" is almost never a correct answer). I loved the discussion of turning apathetic customers into advocates. Advocates are customers that will actually go out and recruit for your company because of their enthusiasm for your products and services. The authors are very deliberate in showing when this is strategy is effective and when it is a waste of money. A very strong concept, I think. We all know about the angry customer who goes on the warpath against you, but this is not about avoiding creating them, that is essential, but thinking about creating positive market buzz through your customers. You may find that you can reallocate the service dollars you are currently spending more wisely, or that you are spending dollars to no real effect. There is also very helpful information on how to do some competitive intelligence through listening to not only your customers, but what customers have to say about their experiences with your competitors. The authors also show us how certain approaches to measuring customer satisfaction might not only distort the measure, but end up hurting the customer's experience. They show how compensating employees for good scores can motivate them to help distort the scores by manipulating the customers. There is also a good suggestion about how sophisticated customers might hold up the employee for extras in exchange for good scores. The book is full of great real world examples and is written in a lively and convincing way. VERY strongly recommended.