It takes continuous effort to maintain high customer satisfaction levels. As markets shrink , companies are scrambling to boost customer satisfaction and keep their current customers rather than devoting additional resources to chase potential new customers. The claim that it costs five to eight times as much to get new customers than to hold on to old ones is key to understanding the drive toward benchmarking and tracking customer satisfaction. The gulf between satisfied customers and completely satisfied customers can swallow a business. Measuring customer satisfaction is a relatively new concept to many companies that have been focused exclusively on income statements and balance sheets.
Companies now recognize that the new global economy has changed things forever.
Increased competition, crowded markets with little product differentiation and years of continual sales growth followed by two decades of flattened sales curves have indicated to today's sharp competitors that their focus must change. Competitors that are prospering in the new global economy recognize that meas-uring customer satisfaction is key. Only by doing so can they hold on to the customers they have and understand how to better attract new customers. The competitors who will be successful recognize that customer satisfaction is a critical strategic weapon that can bring increased market share and increased profits. The problem companies face, however, is exactly how to do all of this and do it well.