Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!crdgw1!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!hp-pcd!hpcvlx!tay From: tay@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com (Mike Taylor) Newsgroups: comp.admin.policy Subject: Re: User Satisfaction ? Message-ID: <132720001@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com> Date: 28 May 91 22:24:53 GMT References: <1991May21.152727.27423@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov> Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, OR, USA Lines: 63 >>Do any of you have metrics for user satisfaction? > > How about response-time statistics for problem calls? > How about system availability? E.g., a table showing the > uptime/downtime for each system. Some of the information you are really interested will be tough to get. It seems like the easiest way to measure user satisfaction is by measuring what your support organization hears, but that is probably only a very limited perspective about what is going on. I think the best way to measure user satisfaction is to talk directly to a sample of typical customers, and for most products those are the customers your support organization never hears from. You need to talk directly with these customers and find out both what they like and dislike about your products/services. The marketing manager of our local organization (my boss's boss) has made a goal for each person in marketing to make at least two customer visits in the next year. That includes our support, training and documentation groups in addition to product marketing. Again finding the information you really want to know regarding customer satisfaction will be pretty tough to find. For instance, I lifted this from our support group's bulletin board, but I have no idea what proceedure they used to collect this data or how accurate it really is: The HIGH COST of losing a customer: * For every customer who complains, 26 others remain silent * 91% of unhappy customers will never purchase goods or services from you again * The average "wronged" customers will tell 8 to 16 people * It costs about 5 times as much to attract new customers as it costs to keep old ones * Solve customer complaints and 82% to 95% will continue to make purchases Source: Technical Assistance Research Programs, Washington DC Pax, Mike Taylor Current Products Engineering & Online Interface Technology Operation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Surface: Hewlett-Packard Internet: tay@hpcvlx.cv.hp.com 1000 NE Circle Boulevard UUCP: {hpfcla}!hpcvlx!tay Corvallis, Oregon 97330 Fax: (503) 750-4980 "I get stranger things than you free with my breakfast cereal!" - Zaphod Beeblebrox