Shawn’s Monday Morning Maxim

We recently purchased a new SUV for my wife, which included a subscription to Sirius XM. Unlike the radio in my car I found it nearly impossible to locate the list of all possible channels, leaving us with only 4 channels to choose from. None of which were very appealing. Despite several emails and a visit to the dealer we were unable to resolve the issue, following which we received a survey in the mail asking how we were enjoying the car. Although I attempted to score the survey maintaining a holistic perspective relative to the experience, I found that some of my frustrations with the radio and a few other minor annoyances led me to score the dealer much lower than I might have otherwise.

Within three days of completing the survey we were able to figure out how to properly program the radio.

Customer satisfaction and retention must be measured continuously, not at a specific point in time. The process must be fluid to be effective. Measure at one point in time and you can receive results that will completely skew the results.

• Confirm during the sales process.
• Check in after a visit to your store or facility.
• Follow up once the product or service is received.
• Follow up 1 week after the product or service has been received.
• Follow up at one month and three months following this.
• Check in annually to confirm continued satisfaction.

Ask customers about their level of satisfaction continuously to gauge the effectiveness and value of your customers experience. The result will be a clear idea of overall satisfaction as well as ideas on where specific improvements need to be introduced.

© Shawn Casemore 2013. All rights reserved.