Firms that watch and listen to their customers and potential customers can make tremendous improvements in overall satisfaction. Customers graded their steel suppliers on quality, service, price, on-time delivery, and overall satisfaction. Of the four criteria, on-time delivery has the highest average impact on overall customer satisfaction. That's partly because many customers equate on-time delivery with service. The impact of service on overall customer satisfaction varies considerably from market segment to market segment.
Service has a relatively low impact in containers, electrical equipment, and furniture.
Price is generally cited as the least important attribute in overall customer satisfaction, regardless of market segment. Price has the most impact on customers in the construction industry. They should roll for orders, not for stocking. Worthington's cold-rolled sheet quality has been a concern. We are trying to get that back to previous levels.