Description:
This paper avoids the linear route to establishing where the biggest impact on
customer service lies and instead examines the influences on the quality of the
customer experience from all angles in an organization. From the culture and
policies of the organization itself, to the front-line individuals and their
managers, it is evident that customer satisfaction is influenced at many levels
and this directly affects organizational success and competitive standing. The
Cranfield Top Executive Leadership studies, across 12 countries, examine senior
managers' commitment to customer focus. The sample's division, into three
distinct groups according to their customer focus commitment levels, highlights
a range of arguments about individual, management and corporate dedication to
levels of customer satisfaction with hints at where these may conflict with each
other. By taking a rounded look at the customer focus process from all its
pivots within an organization, potential bottlenecks in the process are also
highlighted. Most interestingly, it is concluded that there is actually little
difference between the groups in pure quantitative terms, but it is that small
difference indeed which makes all the difference to a substantial increase in
positive customer experience.