Monitoring Customer Satisfaction is a Requirement of ISO 9001. The ISO 9001 standard specifies that a business should monitor customer satisfaction, and its quality management system should include a procedure for doing so.
However, the standard does not include instructions on measuring customer satisfaction; it is not prescriptive.
But there are several techniques for keeping track of client happiness, and each organisation should choose the one that works best for them.
In this blog, we shall put light on the importance of ISO 9001 Customer satisfaction, and how it is instrumental to the success of businesses. We shall also unveil some secrets to boost business growth by harnessing the power of customer satisfaction.
Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is determined by how well a product or service meets the customer’s demands and fulfils the customer’s expectations. Monitoring customer satisfaction is an essential strategic and managerial tool.
Importance of Customer Satisfaction
There are numerous justifications for an organisation to gauge and track client satisfaction.
Regardless of the business you’re in or the product you’re selling, ensuring customer happiness is a top responsibility. Consumers now have more options than ever before, so if they’re not happy with your service or goods, they won’t wait to let you know; instead, they’ll just quit and patronise one of your rivals.
Hence, to make well-informed management choices about improving products and services, conducting sales operations, and diversifying and differentiating the company, it is essential to have an ongoing customer satisfaction programme.
For businesses to continually improve their services and products and acquire a competitive edge, they should thoroughly understand their consumers’ requirements, expectations, behaviour, and factors that affect their decision-making.
Customer happiness and satisfaction should be a top priority for the following reasons:
1. Repeat customers represent the best value
It’s generally accepted that keeping an existing client costs at least five times less than finding new ones. Maintaining satisfied clients increases lifetime value and lowers acquisition expenses for your company since they are far more inclined to stick around.
2. Negative Experiences might turn off Customers:
Until you offer them a reason not to, your clients will remain devoted to you. Approximately 96% of customers agree that customer service influences their decision to be loyal to a business, so offering a top-notch customer experience and consistently top-notch products is essential to preserving client loyalty.
3. Happy Customers will stay Loyal:
Your clients won’t feel the need to shop elsewhere if you provide them with a good experience. It’s important to note that customers who feel loyal to your brand are significantly more likely to make repeat purchases and recommend your company to others. Studies have conclusively demonstrated that loyal customers are more inclined to make subsequent purchases and refer acquaintances. Their chances of engaging in these behaviours increase by an important factor of five and four, respectively. To ensure client loyalty, exceeding customer expectations and prioritising customer satisfaction is essential.
4. Happy Customers will spread Word of Mouth:
Social proof is crucial for drawing in new customers. Positive online reviews, word-of-mouth, and recommendations are incredibly advantageous to your company since 88% of buyers trust online assessments as much as they would personal advice.
Methods for Monitoring Customer Satisfaction
In clause 9.1.2 of ISO 9001, which offers advice to businesses on gauging customer expectations and satisfaction levels, customer satisfaction is discussed.
The key is ensuring a business has methodologies to successfully monitor and measure its customer satisfaction signals. There are many methods to achieve these.
Here are the most common methods for monitoring customer satisfaction:
1. Create a Client Feedback Plan:
It is essential to create a successful plan for obtaining consumer feedback to implement clause 9.1.2.
The key to customer satisfaction is data, and customers must provide you with honest feedback that genuinely reflects their levels of satisfaction.
Create your client feedback plan by:
- Identify your desired target market.
- Select appropriate means for gathering feedback. Assign a team or employee to collect the information.
- Select the data analysis strategy.
- Select your implementation strategy for the data’s findings.
2. Identify Key Metrics for Client Satisfaction:
What aspects of your methodology for managing the customer experience affect customer satisfaction? The appropriate approach varies depending on the industry and type of company, but potential considerations include things like:
- Product Quality
- Delivery timeframes
- Customer service
- Packaging quality;
- pricing;
- the simplicity of purchasing and payment;
- contract compliance;
- responsiveness
3. Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Customer satisfaction surveys are a fantastic tool for gathering information on consumers’ general perceptions of the company. They are split into three categories: open-ended enquiries, rating scales, and demographics. Questions on colour, religion, interests, last name, locality, and income are all in the demographics section. Statements related to consumer satisfaction with the company’s goods and services are included in the rating system. Customers can record their comments by writing them down in open-ended enquiries.
Surveys should be customised for the customer’s hectic schedule and can be sent by email, post-service, or in-app. Businesses may invest in customer survey creation tools or use free software to build their surveys. Surveys, however, have a lot of drawbacks and are only helpful for companies with loyal customers, and regular usage reduces the reaction rate.
4. Post-delivery Questionnaires
We may get client feedback by including a survey with the product or after the service is rendered.
In meetings or telephone calls during service delivery, after service delivery, or both, client feedback can be gathered through an open dialogue or a pre-defined questionnaire.
Customer satisfaction surveys conducted over the phone or in person offer a priceless chance to ask direct questions and better understand the demands of the clientele.
Phone conversations and meetings take time and are more expensive than mailing a form.
Sampling is one method to cut expenses.
5. Social Media
Due to its informal format, tracking customer satisfaction feedback on social media takes time and effort.
However, it may be closely observed through the customer behaviour which involves understanding how the consumer feels about the company.
The ability to quickly contact more than millions of customers who use the company’s goods is another benefit of utilising social media to monitor consumer satisfaction.
However, relying solely on social media to gauge client happiness has certain drawbacks.
The accuracy of the data is beyond your control.
6. Introduce Improvements in Response to Feedback:
After collecting it in line with step two satisfaction indicators, examining the data and putting your findings into practice is crucial. Once modifications have been made, you should start a fresh round of customer satisfaction surveys to evaluate their effects.
ISO 9001 Monitoring and Measurement of Product
Your company is required by ISO 9001 to measure and monitor the quality of its products regularly. Monitoring and measuring guarantee that the intended objectives are reached, and all requirements are met at every step of the product’s realisation.
Customer satisfaction depends on monitoring and assessing product attributes since they maintain a constantly high standard for your goods or services.
Your company is required by ISO 9001 to measure and monitor the quality of its products regularly. Monitoring and measuring serve to guarantee that the intended objectives are reached and that all requirements are met at every step of the product’s realisation.
Customer satisfaction depends on monitoring and assessing product attributes since they maintain a constantly high standard for your goods or services.
Analysing, observing, and documenting your processes while identifying their features are all parts of monitoring and measuring. This procedure involves the following:
- Figuring out which methods require measurement and monitoring.
- Determining the monitoring or measuring type that is needed.
- Choosing the necessary monitoring and measurement equipment.
- Ensuring that the monitoring and measuring equipment receives the appropriate calibrations or verifications.
- Deciding who will collect, examine, and analyse monitoring and measuring data.
- Deciding how and when to send top management monitoring and measuring data.
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