Immutable Rules for Customer Satisfaction

As the focus of contemporary discussion on management issues moves into ever new fields, I am increasingly asked by potential clients “Why is customer satisfaction important?” Well, in case we forget, “it’s the repeat business, stupid!”  It’s about providing customers with a quality good or service that is so outstanding that it sends their customer satisfaction sky high and ensures that they return time and time again.

Are there some immutable laws of customer satisfaction that can help the practitoner is putting together a good customer care process, perhaps under the aegis of a Key Account Management approach?  I think that there are some basics that are applicable to every situation and I outline them below in note form:

Useful References on the Immutable Rules for Customer Satisfaction

Oliver, R. L., 1980, A cognitive model of the antecedence and consequences of customer satisfaction decisions, Journal of Marketing Research, 17 (September), pp 46-49

Grönroos, C., 1982, Strategic management and marketing in the service sector, Research Report No. 8, Helsinki, Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration.

Churchill, G. A. and Surprenant, C., 1982, An investigation into the determinants of customer satisfaction, Journal of Marketing Research, 9 (November), pp 491-504

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