When Satisfaction No Longer Satisfies...

The complexity of today’s business environment creates significant new customer satisfaction challenges. Many companies, by their own admission, believe they have failed to truly understand what specifically drives importance and value within their customer relationships. Typical satisfaction measurements have provided some initial guidance but little specific insight as to why customer relationships often end up being considered as “vendor” and “tactical” versus “strategic” and “essential”.

Moving up the relationship value chain requires a deeper level of customer insight across multiple dimensions in order to enhance satisfaction measurements with a more granular evaluation of key relationship value drivers. What are the essential aspects of the relationship that create the basis for a strategic and value-added position.

Satisfaction measurements have provided a good baseline but it is now time to evolve our approach into a multi-dimensional analysis that can be used to not only identify the overall state of the relationship but also the specific actions needed to increase performance, position and value.

As you evaluate your customer satisfaction activities and tools, look for ways to enhance your current approach with a multi-dimensional assessment. This level of insight will prove to be an invaluable asset in your pursuit of building high-value, strategic relationships with your customers.

--Read Ziegler, President & CEO Vantedge Group