In spite of the rocky economy, customer satisfaction as measured by the University of Michigan had a modest 0.1 percent drop in the third quarter. The American Customer Service Satisfaction Index now has a score of 75 on a 100-point scale for the nondurable goods sector, which includes apparel, athletic shoes, breweries, cigarettes, food manufacturing, pet food, personal care and cleaning products and soft drinks.
Claes Fornell, founder of the index, said customer satisfaction appears to be flattening. Companies with higher satisfaction levels also have better sales and profits. "For individual companies, customer satisfaction actually matters even more in a recession," he says. "Now is the time to make sure customers don't leave and that margins don't evaporate. Firms without strongly satisfied customers will face a very difficult challenge."
Source: CRM Buyer