TABLE OF CONTENTS The main references to measuring customer satisfaction are found in Section 8, 'Measurement, analysis and improvement' and particularly in paragraph 8.2, 'Monitoring and measurement'. The first clause, 8.2.1, is entitled 'Customer satisfaction' and states:
As one of the measurements of the performance of the quality management system, the organisation shall monitor information relating to customer perception as to whether the organisation has met customer requirements. The methods for obtaining and using this information shall be determined.
A key indicator is the use of the phrase 'customer perception'. This means that it is the customer's perception of what has been provided, rather than the reality that counts. This can sometimes be frustrating for organisations when customers' perceptions do not align with reality, a so-called 'perception gap', and this situation can occur for a number of reasons. A common example is when an organisation makes improvements in an area where quality has been poor. British Leyland cars developed a reputation for poor reliability in the 1970s and early 1980s. Quality was improved considerably under Michael Edwardes and Graham Day, but it took some years (and a change of name to Rover) for customer perception to catch up with the reality of Rover's improved quality levels. It is widely acknowledged that customers notice and remember poor quality but tend to take good quality for granted. Worse still, they will often tell many other people about a bad customer experience. This demonstrates why it is so important to monitor...
