CRM: Improved Delivery through Feedback

A customer receives a software product and does acceptance testing to validate

that it has been delivered as per the requirements stipulated in the contract.

Isn’t that testimony enough that the customer is satisfied? If that is the

case, why then should we measure anything else?

Well, there’s much more than what meets the eye. Acceptance of the software

delivered only indicates that the quality of the software is acceptable to the

customer. To establish a sustained relationship with the customer, we need to

measure several other aspects such as:

• What is the "level" of software quality delivered?

• How effective was the project management in the customer’s environment?How good is the competence and skill level of the project team?

• How good is the relationship management?

• Did the customer relationship result in meeting the customer goals?

• How does the customer feel about the support provided?

• Will the customer recommend you to others?

Gathering data

Quantitative metrics help measure the level of satisfaction and trends, and

qualitative feedback indicate the instances of strengths and weaknesses as

identified by the customer.

The basic data can be gathered by conducting a survey on customer

satisfaction. A standard survey includes categories such as project management,

quality, support, budget, people and relationship management. The questions that

need to be asked to arrive at the average ratings of each of the above

categories would depend on the kind of service provided by the vendor to the

customer.

For example, if much of the work entails coding and unit testing, parameters

such as project management and the like may be irrelevant. The quality of the

deliverable would have the highest weightage. However, for long-term

relationship with the customer, all the factors have to be reckoned. Along with

getting the required rating in each of the categories, it is normal to ask a

couple of additional questions that would have a limited number of choices.

Evaluating parameters

Although the average of all the parameters is taken into account, the

question about overall satisfaction levels still stays. Usually, it is closer to

the derived average; but sometimes can even look like a rounded figure in

itself. For instance, ratings of three, five, four, five, three for five

different parameters would mean an average rating of four, while the overall

rating might be lower at three. Here’s where weightages need to be assigned.

For instance, the question "Would you recommend us to any other

customer?" will bear the options "yes", "may be",

"may not recommend" or "would not recommend at all" and will

mean an absolute approval or disapproval of the vendor’s performance. We need

to remember that here the customer’s reputation is also involved. If the

customer is willing to stake it, then it truly should mean much. Here the

overall rating will have to be taken at face value.

Questions like these could also act as cues for more inferences. Reasons for

the rating and suggestions from the customers could also be requested.

Qualitative feedback of this nature is a powerful value-add to the survey. This

would help surface a range of both specific and general issues between the

customer and vendor. These would have otherwise remained unattended. Feedback of

this nature will aid in the resolution of specific areas of concern and help in

better understanding of the larger picture at the organizational level. This

would also continually throw newer light on the efficacy of the survey.

Getting meaningful feedback

Now, let’s get back to the fundamentals. Designing a questionnaire is in

itself a specialized area. Starting from the question of what guarantees a

response to the point of what ensures involvement, the design of a questionnaire

is replete with challenges.

A few ground rules are essential. There’s a need to build a rapport with

the respondent with an initial expression of the objective of the survey. It is

vital that the questionnaire contains a statement of commitment that states the

quality and process improvement objectives that the survey aims to meet. It

should lay emphasis on the objective nature of the exercise and state clearly

that it’s not the individuals that matter but their feedback–that none would

be favored or victimized in the context of their feedback. The questionnaire

should also implicitly state the level of importance that the organization

attaches to the response and this needs to have the senior management’s

endorsements. And there’s also that little note of comfort that one needs to

strike. The questionnaire should also explicitly indicate that it would take

very little of their time and also mention the approximate time it would take.

Web-based questionnaire

Questionnaire formats and mediums have their own history. From the days of a

humble post or a facsimile that delivered to the customer a form that needed to

be filled in manually, today’s questionnaires work on the web. Kicked off from

the



mailing of a word document that was mailed to the customer, today’s
questionnaires are posted on the Internet. Just a log-and-click away, today’s

questionnaires are shorter and simpler, and operate on a real-time basis, thus

providing an overview to the managers in the vendor company on what the ratings

are and how the trends change and more.

Using the Internet, vendors can collect data from numerous customers criss-crossing

the world’s latitudes. This facilitates multi-dimensional data analysis

through intelligent mining of data. It works exceedingly well in a situation

wherein the customers span the globe–especially because it drastically cuts

down on the time taken in identifying, analyzing and resolving problem areas.

Enough and more reason why the Internet is becoming the hottest destination for

customer-satisfaction surveys.

A customer satisfaction survey springs from the fundamental premise that a

happy customer becomes a key to furthering business. And inferences from the

survey will let you know the hows, whys, whens and wherefores of your business,

and the remedial action to be taken for a much more meaningful and successful

customer relationship.

Interestingly, ensuring customer satisfaction is also the key driving

parameter for any external assessments such as ISO, SEI/CMM, and Malcolm

Baldridge. Customer satisfaction survey, analysis and improvement cycle is

mandatory for organizations not only for achieving higher maturity levels but

also to stay in business.

Emani Sarathy is director, process and

quality management board, Cognizant Technology Solutions