Customer‐Satisfaction Research

Abstract It is well understood that customer satisfaction is a key factor determining the profitability of a firm. Thus, firms routinely conduct customer‐satisfaction research to measure the satisfaction and repurchase intentions amongst its customer base. They also measure attribute‐level performance to identify key drivers of overall satisfaction. This article describes the state of the art in customer‐satisfaction research, and provides guidance on how to design a customer‐satisfaction study for maximum business impact. For instance, in addition to surveying current customers, firms should also conduct a survey of prospective and past customers. Similarly, multivariate analysis can be used to glean important insights such as determining attribute importance, and linking customer satisfaction to behavioral and financial metrics.