Hi deedee
I would agree with D-D in that it's difficult to calculate true customer satisfaction without directly contacting them and asking them outright. Even then, the feedback that you receive may not always be accurate. The key is being able to know what your customer wants, and then delivering on that. Mutually agreeing on defined standards or specifications can give you the Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) that D-D described above - on time deliveries,short orders, etc....ongoing monitoring of these areas and documenting the results can provide you with quantitative data that can be reviewed to gauge customer satisfaction. (i.e. On time deliveries = 98%, Short orders < 2%,etc.)
Consumer complaints can be a good way to monitor the satisfaction of the end user of your product when the number of complaints based against the sum of your production. (X complaints per 10,000cs.)
Ultimately, it would be optimal to be able to see 100% customer satisfaction,and 0 consumer complaints. Unfortunately, we often times have to deal with real world results that aren't anywhere near that. Set realistic goals. Hold key staff members accountable. Review/follow up on results. When success is realized, set higher goals and repeat the process.
I’m interested to know if any forum members have a proven method of monitoring customer satisfaction.
-Chris