Most companies like to think they have their finger on the pulse of employees. But the fact is, when it comes to what employees want from their work experience – recognition, respect, trust, fair pay and a flexible schedule – many employers are clueless. There are many common misconceptions employers have about their employees. Here are seven major ones:

Surveys Uncover Clues to Workers With a New Attitude Want Loyal Employees? Make Sure They Get Some Satisfaction Surveys Offer Insight Into Employees’ Opinions

Are Your Customers Happy? Just Ask Them
Surveying the Customer Landscape Keeps Businesses Thriving

Customer satisfaction impacts every part of a businesses’ bottom line. From profits to stock prices, customer satisfaction can be linked to every big and small business’s profits. And to maintain a steady stream of cash value and customers, companies are turning to customer satisfaction surveys to pinpoint consumer trends and provide incisive information that leads to gaining a competitive edge in the marketplace.

ADDISON, Texas – Aug. 11, 2006 – Every company management team knows that customer satisfaction is the cornerstone of any successful business, but many industry executives are more talk than action.
Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, one of history’s most successful businessmen, had the right idea when he said: “There is only one boss. The customer.”

Establishing a strong customer base is fundamental for any successful business, since companies typically see 80 percent of their business coming from 20 percent of their customers. And there are many American success stories chronicling the coloration between customer satisfaction and corporate profitability. Most recently was a July report that Apple, Google and Symantec were among the high-technology companies with the most loyal customers. And companies that have customers who are happy with their products or services are, obviously, less likely to lose them.

All three of these tech giants provide outstanding products and services, but what they do best is listen to what their customers have to say. And the most effective tool for any business, when conducted properly, is the customer survey. Appropriate methods, like the ones employed by the National Business Research Institute, help companies identify consumer trends, capitalize on their strengths, and, most importantly, spot their weaknesses.

“To understand attitudes, opinions and behaviors, clients need to partner with trained psychologists who understand which research methodologies are appropriate for measuring organizational variables,” said Dr. J.T. West, a Ph.D. and founder of NBRI.  “They have to do this without contaminating the data through the questions, the scale, or the process. Only NBRI imposes these strict requirements in its processes.”

The Addison, Texas company has more than 20 years of experience conducting scientific and psychological research for multi-million dollar companies like American Express, Blockbuster and Cisco Systems. NBRI retains the highest standards of any survey company, using psychologists to analyze data that is comprehensive and reliable.

Accurate survey data has become even more important in a highly competitive global market. The Internet has given consumers an infinite amount of choices when shopping for products or services. Customer satisfaction statistics for major online retailers declined slightly in 2005, providing further evidence that consumers have raised their standards and expect much more. And since the customer expects more, companies are turning to surveys provided by NBRI to help grow their business.

Following NBRI customer survey results, clients receive a clear picture of what drives consumers to choose a product or service, and the reasons why they would remain loyal or leave.

“NBRI is dedicated exclusively to the business of survey research,” said West. “We can determine which variables drive productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction. We use this knowledge to add value to a client’s study. Because we do one thing, and do it well, clients make the greatest strides forward when they call on us.”

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Company Name: National Business Research Institute
E-Mail: Info@nbrii.com  
Phone:  (972) 387-7447
Website: http://www.nbrii.com

More Information:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/9/prweb432129.htm

Tags: NBRI, customer satisfaction surveys, customer surveys

Conventional wisdom points toward customer satisfaction surveys as the best way to pinpoint what specifically draws the customer back or pushes them away.  Long relied upon to explain a customer’s flitting from one company to another in search of the best experience, these surveys fall short of explaining the customer replies that pertain to the trust and respect of your employees.

Studies have shown that there is a direct link between satisfied employees and happy customers, so it makes good business sense to invest in discovering what your employees need to stay loyal and satisfied.  This creates an environment of positive, helpful people ready to bend over backwards for the customer.  The use of employee opinion surveys along with customer surveys gives a great overall picture of a company’s strengths and weaknesses and provides a blue print for developing a strong culture of loyal employees and customers.

What does having satisfied employees have to do with retaining customers?  It has everything to do with losing developed or developing relationships, the reason behind almost every return customer.  Companies who pay attention to their surveyed employees end up with a much lower turnover rate, which by itself saves them millions of dollars every year in rehiring costs as well as in lost customers.  Seems outrageous, doesn’t it? Surely that lack of retention can’t possibly cost so much!

On average, though, the loss of one dissatisfied employee will result in about 150% of his or her yearly salary between advertising for a replacement, training the new person, lost productivity, and overtime of others to compensate while waiting for the new employee to get up to speed.  When the lost employee is management, the number increases to closer to 200%.   This isn’t even taking into consideration the loss of valuable knowledge and insight provided to the customer by the employee!  No amount of training will replace the knowledge that comes from doing the job every day.

From the customer perspective, this lack of turnover means a more stable, responsive team to address their needs and concerns, something that those surveyed worry about.  Customer loyalty, like employee loyalty, stems from a strong interpersonal connection to a common goal.  They want to know who they’ll be dealing with when they pick up the phone or send an email.  Merry-Go-Rep doesn’t encourage faith in a company and the downtime during training means time taken away from providing quality service.

Having a culture of open, responsive communication by well-known representatives engenders the kind of trust that many believe washed away with the last millennium.  Thankfully, that’s not the case, because that kind of confidence and conviction can keep a customer during the most trying times.

No matter how hard we try, everyone makes mistakes, and they will eventually affect the customer.  This being said, even the most hideous mistake can be corrected if the customer knows that it’s a one-off rather than a regular occurrence.  This can only be proven through constant attention from employees they have confidence in before the slip-up happens.  A calm voice and reassuring presence can be taught, but believing that the voice on the other end of the phone actually cares about them as people comes from familiarity, not the training room.

The most effective way to maintain a positive attitude during a crisis is to cultivate it in the office everyday.  Employees who feel valued as people make the extra effort to go beyond what’s expected.  They want to invest as much in their career as their career has invested in them.  It’s a measure of respect and self-worth to know that if the employees weren’t there they would be missed.  This positive attitude then spills over into everything the employees do and everyone they come in contact with from the start of the day to the end no matter what may happen.  The customer is in tune with the idea that they, too, would be missed if they were to go elsewhere, and not just because of their investment, because of who they are.  This kind of relationship can’t be bought, and customers know it.

Surveying the lay of the land in order to find the smoothest path toward a happy coexistence should be every company’s primary goal.  This requires more than just surveying employees and customers.  It requires a commitment to hearing and responding to the survey results in a way that benefits everyone:  the employer, the employee, and the customer.

Tags: customersurvey, employeesurvey, customer satisfaction surveys, employee satisfaction surveys, market research, hr

From postcards on the table at your favorite restaurant to letters after a brief hospital stay tucked in with your prescriptions, surveys represent the most effective way to secure an honest answer to: How did we do? More recently, these surveys have made their way into the workplace, providing a method of gauging employee attitudes at the office.