Running Head: THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISSAL The influence of performance appraisal on employees' productivity in organizations 1 THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 2 ‘‘The influence of performance appraisal on employees' productivity in organizations'' Introduction Amazon Inc., one of the leading retail and online company in the United States, has registered a declining trend in employees' productivity in the last two decades (Jodi & David, 2015). The declining employee productivity emanates from the fact that the majority of the employees of the company does not subscribe to the appraisal method used by the company. To leverage the growing benefits associated with performance appraisal, the company, in the past three years, has introduced the feedback culture (Luffarelli et al, 2016). Every employee at the company is requested to submit their opinions about their coworkers. The feedback system at the company is designed to push the limits of employees, which according to some Amazon employees is an intricate machine propelling them to achieve Mr. Bezos' ever-expanding ambitions (Jodi & David, 2015) . The feedback system helped the company’s management understand any problems that they might have and look for solutions on how to address them. Problem Statement The purpose of this paper is to examine whether performance appraisal of employees has an impact on improving their productivity in the organization. Many organizations believe that this has worked for them while others say that it has nothing to do with the performance. Amazon Inc. the company has in the past utilize the employees' appraisal process known as ‘‘rank and yank' or ‘‘stack ranking'' in which workers are rated against each other as opposed THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 3 to how they can perform the task allocated to them or how well they meet their job tasks and responsibilities. The idea behind the ‘‘stack ranking'' is that the lowest-rated workers will be continuously eliminated to pave way for other qualified employees to be recruited (Jodi & David, 2015).Even though this method has enabled the company to register a magnificent growth in profitability, it has received negative reception from employees because they believe that the appraisal method denied them the freedom to perform their job properly. Since ‘‘rank and yank'' system receive wide criticisms, the company currently uses its internal tool for making feedback available to employees. Their feedback will be used to identify the problems as well as look for solutions. The internal tool is called ‘‘Anytime Feedback Tool.’' The employees of the company are required to directly send criticism or praise about their coworkers in the organization (Jodi & David, 2015). The feedback from the employees allows management to assess the performance level of employees. Instead of the old appraisal system, the new feedback system gives full autonomy for employees to appraise themselves. Research Question 1. Has performance appraisal on employees affected how they work, interact, and associate with each other and 2. As a result influenced productivity in organizations? Subset Research Question What critical interventions need to be undertaken and implemented within an organization’s system to ensure that positive appraisal techniques are utilized that enhances productivity within an organization? Rationale THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 4 The change in social spaces within the workplace has allowed for a shift and change in attitudes in regard to work and their interactive capabilities. The technological change has been not only an institutional change but rather a personal one, evidenced by growing sophistication in hand-held gadgets such as phones. This change has allowed a change in the manner and way people interact and how they tend to perceive each other within their workspaces while broadening the social space beyond the working environment. It is this generational change that has demanded of organization leadership to conform to the new principles of social interactions (YvesC & Dragon, 2009). The dynamics of tech-based functions must allow those involved to employ a collaborative process to ensure that both the management and the workers find a common ground upon which to operate in. Today, both the private and the public sector have demanded effective and productive to the labor force and the management. This mutualism between management and the workforce has been instrumental in creating a sensible, realistic, and yet functional system that is beneficial to the organization's productivity. The frequency of performance evaluation helped organizations to assess employee performance and the main aspect of evaluation is to provide feedback to employees. Feedback evaluation system helped to reinforce link between employer expectations and employee performance (Thomas, Clausen & Jay, 2008). Performance appraisal adopted by Amazon undertakes to promote an unsavory and distrustful attitude in the workplace. The current generation that is guided and driven by technology finds their space and freedom within the component upon which such a platform empowers them to find a voice. For Amazon to adopt and demand a feedback culture among a workforce that has a voice within the intricacy of technology, it is creating an attitude problem that will impact negatively on its productivity. Organizations THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 5 with a heavy reliance on purported feedback by their employees are failing to “see” the big picture and instead survive on a false positive (Thomas, Clausen, & Jay, 2008). The attainment of equilibrium between management and its workforce will improve relations among workers while at the same time help develop the right attitudes to work and hence improve on productivity. Definitions All of the keywords and phrases used in the proposal are being used in a manner consistent with their generally accepted definition and context. Hypothesis It is hypothesized that implementation of rigid work ethic that fails to take into consideration the versatility of the modern tech-wise workforce will only encourage a negative work ethic. With the popularity of technology, it is envisioned that the future will entail a more liberal working space for the workforce. As such, the modern appraisal system will become irrelevant if not less important to employees in evaluating compensation and promotions at its maximum extent. It is, therefore, critical that organizations adopt intentional steps to cope with the shift in culture and the change in attitude. Appraisal systems would be molded to create coherence rather than suspicion among workers. The social space should empower management to find a niche upon which to drive appraisals and encourage goodwill among workers. Technology influenced performance, noting that “the two parties must agree on adjustments that should be made to take into account the impact of information technologies on the organization of work, job descriptions and training” (Yves-C & Dragon, 2009, p. 31). Crucially, attitudes are an accurate reflection of the preexisting perspectives as to an unfavorable appraisal system that needs change Literature Review THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 6 Appraisal system within an organization needs to be customized to specific needs that help the organization, through the employees, grow holistically, without creating loopholes. (Kolawole et al., 2013) points to the fact that today’s workplace is being altered by the changing social space (Jacob Morgan., 2015). Different from the previous spaces that allowed for manual control of the social systems, the modern social circle is independently controlled. Technology has changed how people interact and how management can implement and effect change. The implementation of a tech-conscious appraisal program needs to take into consideration the fact that management has limited control over its workforce (Yves-C & Dragon, 2009). As such, it requires that during execution, management utilizes technology as a platform upon which to reach its workforce and help them to find a purpose in the values of the organization. It is essential to ensure that this technology is not perceived as surveillance on the private life of their employees. It is a platform that (Ochoti et al., 2012) identifies as complex and compound in deciding the organization culture and its conformity to set rules and regulations. This difficulty in controlling people through previous human resource strategy has forced management to adopt appraisal system that is only strategy-oriented, but more socially conforming to the modern tech-based social circles. The program is a need-based appraisal system that is meant to efficiently influence the workforce to find importance and value in their role within the organization. (EstinoDaoanis., 2012) points to the fact that management need to show goodwill in believing and trusting the workforce by fully explaining feedback results and evaluation tools used in order to fill the gaps in evaluation of appraisal system using technology.Therefore to implement this research program, it is crucial that management can understand its role in driving the conversation forward and in empowering the workers to find purpose in appraisal system. THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 7 (Ochoti et al., 2012) focuses on the role of management regarding employee behavior and its effect on performance as per the organization’s expectations. Management needs to ensure that when implementing an appraisal system, there are basic guidelines that allow the workforce to perceive such a system as beneficial to them and not one meant to gag them to a specific behavior. The danger of management not customizing an appraisal system to employees needs and wants lies in the social construct that allows workers to “discuss” issues outside the management control (Mayer & Davis, 1999). This outside engagement provides for defiance especially if the appraisal system is biased in one way or another. When choosing to implement this research program, management needs to include the employees in the formulation of the best viable system to both the employees and the management. The value of a sensible and realistic appraisal system lies in being able to empower either party to value it as a positive initiative in helping the organization grow. (EstinoDaoanis, 2012) research on human interactions within workspaces attributes to the growth, salary increment, and social improvement that confine with in the management. The appraisal system, therefore, needs to be implemented with the employees’ opinion on board. This allows for management to be able to formulate an appraisal system that encourages positive relationships rather than negativity among people who spend most of their times together. It is also essential that such an appraisal system promotes positive performance, away from the supervisions from managers; in an attempt to create positive relationships that are founded on trust (Ochoti et al., 2012). Therefore, to implement this appraisal system, there is need to have in place a value-based social structure between the management and the employees. If the employees tend to regard the management as a force that is there to monitor them rather than empower THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 8 them, then it will not encourage positivity. The appraisal program will therefore heavily rely on the existing social structure to find purpose and value. A healthy feedback culture can only be developed through a social system that is bound and held by trust as its main component (EstinoDaoanis, 2012). In reality, there are numerous factors that influence how committed employees are to a company or organization. Modern performance management recognizes that performance is a result of a combination of factors: systems, protocols, resources and human resource. The appraisal systems are a way to vet the existing social structures and improve on them as individual structures rather than whole systems. The appraisal system should be designed in such a way that it should convince employees and motivate towards success. This allows for management to enhance interpersonal relationships that allow for growth within the organization and minimization of mistakes. To construct this program to be successful and functional, there is a need to ensure that organization culture is value-driven and one that encourages interpersonal interactions. An appraisal program that lacks a concrete social structure will fail to find the trust to promote healthy interpersonal interactions that provide for an improved culture (Yves-C & Dragon, 2009). Effectiveness of Appraisal system is as such an important task while evaluating the performance itself. The effectiveness depends on how accurately it is done and also implemented for the success of organization as a whole and also it is crucial for employee development as well. Appraisal system should identify employee weakness which can in turn use for employee development in a way to bring improvement to success (EstinoDaoanis, 2012). The implementation of an appraisal system is solely the work of the management, and as such when formulating the appraisal system the right program, management needs to understand that employees need to be convinced and happy by fully explaining the feedback results and also by making employees THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 9 participating in formulation of evaluation tools. This will provide the implementation of the appraisal system with the right structural framework that empowers the management with the right tools to cut on mistakes and improve on positive performance. Methodology Research Design Here in this research paper, both qualitative and quantitative techniques are used in order to gain the advantage of the two approaches by using both primary and secondary data sources. The primary data involves using questionnaire. The secondary data sources will include specialized literature, reports, and newsletters. The questionnaire will be used in collecting data from a sampled population in one of the companies which have been running successfully in terms of revenues, profits, and long-term strategies (Paul J.H. Schoemaker, 2013). The researcher, therefore, collects, interprets and then performs a clear and precise analysis of the gathered data using tabulation and graphics techniques. Consequently, when justifying this option approach of quantitative study, the researcher findit as the most appropriate as an outcome to the pathway of a program as has been seen utilized by various social scientists in the most authentic secondarydata analysis. In case of study design, the researcher collects and analyzes statistical data from the designated organizations with the assistance of tables and graphics. Hence, as such, the interviews will be used in the collection of data from relevant participants (Joan Sargeant, 2012). Participants THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 10 This study targets a suitable number of participants from Amazon Inc. in the United States of American. From this designated organization, the researcher, therefore, will involve employees of all categories working with Amazon Inc., stating from executives, top management, middle-level management and casual workers to gather much information about the influence of performance appraisal on employees' productivity in the organization. Instrumentation Selection of important instruments to collect data is crucial step in research process. The most suitable instrument is questionnaires as tools in for data collection in which the researcher will use. This is because; questionnaires will facilitate easy data collection from a large number of participants within the shortest possible time (Joao Luiz Bastos, 2014). With questionnaires as a tool, the investigator will have a viable capacity of reaching out to large number organization workers who are able to get their influence on the performance appraisal on employees' productivity in the chosen firm. For that reason, the investigator will be obliged to use related standardized questions to all participants to obtain data which is suitable for comparison reasons. Such type of questions will provide autonomy to the individual participants and in so doing will be encouraging stipulation of accurate information and the necessary responses. Data Collection When it comes on the issue of data collection, the whole process of data gathering will involve subdividing the entire research team into small manageable groups so that to be able dealing with the whole exercise of primary data collection from as many sources possible. As such, the process will regard the information about the influence of performance appraisal on THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 11 employees' productivity in an organization in the designated organization under study to facilitate formidable resolutions in an authentic manner. Before decisions are made about what data to collect and how to analyze data, the purposes of the evaluation and the Key evaluation questions (KEQs) must be decided. Although many impact evaluations use a variety of methods, what distinguishes a ’mixed methods evaluation’ is the systematic integration of quantitative and qualitative methodologies and methods at all stages of an evaluation. Here sampling technique is used for selecting individuals and groups (Greet Peersman&Taylor-Powell, 1998, p. 8). The data collection methods will entail the use of questionnaires, content analysis, observation, sampling and among others. As such, researcher will seek a go-ahead permission from company authorities where the collection of the data is set to take place. Sampling error exists within any sample, no sample will yield exactly the same information as if all people in the population of interest were included in the data collection. So, information collected from a sample is used to make estimates about the population of interest. The researcher will then review the case study objectives and the formulated hypotheses of the study before the dates of data gathering. The researcher also has to create suitable questionnaires as a guiding element in getting data from intended respondents in the study field. Data Analysis The succeeding process is data interpretation and analysis. This will be successfully completed after the research would have collected adequate data from the targeted zone; then the researcher will have to embark on a serious quantitative analysis. Both data collection and data analysis are chosen in such a way that they both compliment each other’s strengths and weakness. The analysis will be done on a case description, theoretical propositions, and qualitative and quantitative data dimensions (UNICEF, 2014). The following activity will be comparisons, THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 12 in which data received will be compared before drawing credible and compelling conclusions on them. This possibly will require a proper use of carefully selected spreadsheets. The expected end results of the case study will be then presented in form of complicated graphs, tabular or charts. Conclusion In conclusion, the methodology to collect data on the influence of performance appraisal on employees' productivity in Amazon Inc. constitutes procedural practices that will be fundamental during the whole procedure of data collection from the case study. The methods are not limited to research approach, target population, research design, sampling procedure, research instruments, the procedure of data analysis and data collection. THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 13 References EstinoDaoanis, L. (2012). Performance Appraisal System: It’s Implication to Employee Performance. International Journal of Economics and Management Sciences, 2 (3): 55-62. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c716/802af3a90064ca0dc196578574e07b5e79df.pdf Jacob Morgan. (2015). How the Physical Workspace Impacts the Employee Experience https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2015/12/03/how-the-physical-workspace-impacts-the-employee-experience/#30672d4a779e Jodi,K.,&David,S .(2015). Inside Amazon : Wrestling big ideas in a bruising workplace https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-ina-bruising-workplace.html Kolawole, T., Komolafe, I., Adebayo, A., &Adegoroye, A. (2013).Appraisal System: A Tool for Performance in Selected Organizations in Nigeria. International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 5, (7): 249-261. Retrieved from http://www.academicjournals.org/article/article1379759571_Kolawole%20et%20al.pdf Luffarelli, J., Gonçalves, D., & Stamatogiannakis, A. (2016).When Feedback Interventions Backfire: Why Higher Performance Feedback May Result in Lower Self‐Perceived Competence and Satisfaction with Performance. Human Resource Management, 55(4), 591614. Mayer, R., .Davis, J. (1999).The Effect of the Performance Appraisal System on Trust for Management: A Field Quasi-Experiment. Journal of Applied Psychology 84(I): 123-136. Re- THE INFLUENCE OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL 14 trieved from https://fdp.hse.ru/data/808/479/1225/Oct%2012%20The%20Effect%20of%20the%20Performance%20App..gement%20A%20field%20quasi-experiment.pdf Ochoti, G., Maronga, E., Muathe, S., Nyabwanga, R., &Ronoh, P. (20102).Factors Influencing Employee Performance Appraisal System: A Case of the Ministry Of State for Provincial Administration & Internal Security, Kenya. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3 (20). Retrieved from http://ijbssnet.com/journals/Vol_3_No_20_Special_Issue_October_2012/5.pdf Thomas, S., Clausen, K., & Jay, S. (2008). Appraising Employee Performance Evaluation Systems.CPA Journal, 78: 64–67. Retrieved from https://brainmass.com/file/349133/29415389.pdf Yves-C, G., & Dragon, J. (2009). The impact of technology on organizational performance. The Journal of Public Sector Management, 28 (1): 19-31. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1047/01aa8d4f0630147eb212af09cc7198b8f466.pdf Running head: IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Problem Statement ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Plan ............................................................................................................................................................... 2 Research Questions ...................................................................................................................................... 3 The rationale of the Study ............................................................................................................................ 4 Research Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 4 Additional Research .................................................................................................................................. 5 Importance of Customer Satisfaction ....................................................................................................... 6 Customer Satisfaction Strategies .............................................................................................................. 7 Technology and Increased Customer Satisfaction .................................................................................... 9 Program Implementation ....................................................................................................................... 12 Program Evaluation................................................................................................................................. 13 Methodology............................................................................................................................................... 13 Project ..................................................................................................................................................... 14 Improving Customer Satisfaction Plan-Design.................................................................................... 14 Implementing Customer Satisfaction Improvement Plan................................................................... 16 Narrowing Down to Vulnerable Areas ................................................................................................ 17 Developing Customer Satisfaction Strategy........................................................................................ 17 IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 1 Customer Improvement Plan Aspects ................................................................................................ 17 Communicating Changes .................................................................................................................... 17 Evaluation ................................................................................................................................................... 18 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 19 References .................................................................................................................................................. 21 APPENDIX: .................................................................................................................................................. 23 Customer Questionnaire ......................................................................................................................... 23 1. Which word can you use to describe our product? ................................... ........................... 23 2. When you ordered did the product reach you on time? ...................................................... 23 YES ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 NO ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 3. Did the product delivered meet your expectations according to photos on our webpage? 23 YES ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 NO ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 4. Are you happy with your shipping options? Yes….. No….. If not, what other shipping option can we include to improve your shopping experience? …………………………………………………………………………… ................................................................ 23 5. If you could modify one aspect of the product we are offering, what would it be? …………………………………………………………………….. ...................................................................... 23 6. Were you able to find the information you were looking for on our website? .................... 23 YES ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 NO ....................................................................................................................................................... 23 7. How approachable have the company been to questions you have raised concerning our products? ............................................................................................................................... 23 MISERABLE .......................................................................................................................................... 23 SATIFACTORY ...................................................................................................................................... 24 DELIGHTFUL ........................................................................................................................................ 24 8. How do we compare to our competitors, in terms of product quality? ............................... 24 BETTER ............................................................................................................................................... 24 SAME ................................................................................................................................................... 24 WORSE ................................................................................................................................................ 24 9. On a scale from 0 to 10, what is the likelihood of you to recommending our product to a friend or colleague? ………………………………. ............................................................................. 24 IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 2 Introduction The decrease of satisfaction of consumers at Rocklyn Industry has led to the decline of the performance of the organization. Competition in the industry leads to the need to focus on the responsibility of the company in increasing customer satisfaction. Declined quality of the products contributes to the low satisfaction levels and this creates challenges for the sales and the marketing team. The focus of the company on the changes taking place in the environment and the implementation of the packaging that is attractive to the consumers is an essential aspect of improving the productivity of the company. The low satisfaction levels have led to the reduction of productivity and the overall performance of the company. The plan focuses on a program that will assist in the improvement of performance of the company, and this is through improving the satisfaction levels of consumers. Problem Statement The low satisfaction rates of the employees are causing strain to the company in the reduction of the performance of the company. The productivity of the employees is also suffering, and this has led to increased losses and the reduction of the employee’s morale. Plan The paper will focus on the design and the implementation of a plan that focuses on the improvement of the satisfaction of the customers at Rocklyn Company. The customers complain about the destruction of their goods, and the insufficiency of the transportation methods has resulted in the decline of the company performance. In the improvement of customer satisfaction, the recognition of the role of the customers in the improvement of company sales is essential. It creates the need to focus on the measures that increase their satisfaction, and this involves treating them like a boss. Improving the impression of the customers and determination IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 3 of the changes that help in improvement of the product quality is an essential way of managing customer expectations. The introduction of customer surveys is essential as it helps in the analysis of the different areas that the consumers face challenges and this analyzes the strategies that the company should apply. The introduction of modern methods in the production methods has experienced challenges in the company, and this is attributed to the poor packaging leading to the decline of the satisfaction levels of the consumers (Haylock, 2004). With the integration of the modern methods and the analysis of the expectations of the customers in the packaging, the company is likely to increase its competitiveness in the market. The company is expected to increase the loyalty of the customers, and this involves looking at the areas where the services fail to achieve loyalty and building on their relationship with the clients. Analysis of the mistakes that the company makes and rectification of the same is essential in helping to improve customer satisfaction and their retention in the market. Understanding of the importance of the feedback from the customers is essential as it guides the company in the analysis of the areas that are problematic and the implementation of the strategies that guide company performance (Molinari, Abratt & Dion, 2008). Tracking of the performance of the company is enabled by the number of customers that transact and the analysis of the positioning of the company in the market increasing the levels of satisfaction of the customers. Research Questions 1. What are the reasons for the low customer satisfaction levels at Rocklyn Company and what implication does this have on company performance? 2. What approaches can the company successfully implement in the improvement of the satisfaction levels of the customers? 3. How does technology contribute to increased customer satisfaction in the company? 4. How does the implementation of the program lead to increased customer satisfaction? 5. How will the effectiveness of the program be evaluated? IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 4 The rationale of the Study The need for the design and the implementation of the program is to focus towards the increase of the satisfaction of the customers and the improvement of the company performance. The plan will focus on the areas that the company performance is affected, and this creates the need to analyze the changes that help in increasing the retention of the customers in the organization. The examination of the strategies that increase the sufficiency of the organization is essential as there is an analysis of the changes that require the management of the needs of the consumers. It creates the need for the improvement of the loyalty of the customers. Research Methodology Research methodology will guide the process of collection of data and the analysis of the information necessary in helping the company decide on the operation of the company. The method applied in the research is qualitative research that will help in the determination of the trends in the performance of the organization and the rates of customer satisfaction. The exploratory research will analyze the different changes that the company has undergone and the opinions of the employees towards the improvement of the customers’ satisfaction levels (Gomez, McLaughlin & Wittink, 2004). The method of collection of the data will focus on techniques that enable the maximization of the participation of the sample, and this involves the use of questionnaire and interviews. The method is essential in the variation of the needs of the customers and the preferences towards the services and the products of the company. The method will help in the evaluation of the motivation of the customers and the company in meeting the demands of the customers. The qualitative research method will help in focusing on the competitive measures in the environment and the need for positioning of the company in the market. The research will analyze the decisions that the company makes in the improvement of the loyalty of the customers and the development of the brand in the market. The customization of the products to suit the needs of the consumers helps in the analysis of the changing environment and meeting the competitive standards in the market. There is research on the positioning of the company and the perception of the products in the market. The analysis of the decisions that the customers make is essential in the operating industry, and this is important in helping to analyze the company needs, IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 5 and the integration measures that would lead to the presentation of research results focused towards competitiveness (Oliver, 2014). The qualitative research will analyze the different pieces of evidence that create the need for the recognition of the company products and the audit of the company processes that help in the management of the expectations of the customers. The method will help to evaluate the changes in the environment. Additional Research The need for the integration of modern production methods with customers’ needs creates an atmosphere that is focused towards achievement of results. It guides the quality that the customers expect from the products guiding the analysis of different concerns in the performance of the company. Guidance on the regulation of the industry is important in encouraging operation of the company and this analyzes the consumer satisfaction levels in the long run. Researching on laws and regulations that define the company is important as it guides the need to focus on changing environment and the development of an ethical framework that helps in identifying the operations of the organization. With the research, there is determination of how customers make decisions on the products that they consume and this encourages the analysis of the changing framework in operations. Customers help in increasing the performance levels of the organization and the decline in their loyalty affects the company operation (Haylock, 2004). It encourages the company to focus on their preferences and analysis of the qualities that they look for in the products. The streamlining of the company operations is enhanced by the decisions in research and this creates an understanding on the need to increase the retention levels of the consumers. Guidance on the changes in the preferences of the consumers and their perception on the operation of the organization create the need to embrace the changing technology on operations. There is focus on strategies that help in managing evaluation methods and this creates an understanding on positioning of the company in the market and the need to enhance the productivity of the employees. There is guidance on strategy development and the role that leadership plays. IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 6 Importance of Customer Satisfaction There are numerous advantages that are associated with improved customer satisfaction in any business organization. For Rocklyn Industry to attain a unique competitive edge, customer satisfaction is not an option but necessary requirement. Values of customer satisfaction are many thus organizations should always strive to put in place necessary requirements that will see them streamline service delivery to customers (Anderson et al. 1994). As already opined under the previous sections, attaining and improving customer satisfaction has never been a walk in the park. It is a comprehensive process that requires joint team efforts by organizational stakeholders, application of situational leadership skills, fine tuning available corporate social responsibility program and even rebranding the company to suit customer needs, tastes and preferences in the process of consuming manufactured company products. Therefore this section is meant to bring to the attention of organizational stakeholders of Rocklyn Industry to know why the plan for customer satisfaction is an important thing to be embraced by top management. Executive personnel of Rocklyn Industry ought to know that customer satisfaction is litmus paper indicator of consumer repurchase intentions and loyalty. Improved customer satisfaction shows possibility of a customer making future repurchase of company products. Customers who rate company products by value of seven out of ten are considered to be satisfied hence the company has higher hopes for them coming back to buy products. In the event that a customer gives six and below values, company stakeholders should take that as strong signal of unhappy customers who are likely to move to other companies (Anderson et al. 1994). Therefore company stakeholders are put in the right place of knowing best strategies of attaining lost glory. According to Anderson et al. 1994, attaining customer satisfaction is a point of differentiation. This is based on the business idea that all markets are competitive. Therefore, business organizations that manage to attain unique customer satisfaction have higher chance of attaining success unlike those that are reluctant to implement the same move. It is up to Rocklyn Industry to create an environment where customer satisfaction is very high and highly trimmed service delivery to them. Some of these interventions include but not limited to seeking for consistent feedback from customers, improving available communication channels and embracing situational leadership skills among others (Anderson et al. 1994). IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 7 Improving customer satisfaction translates to reduced customer churn. It is of great value for Rocklyn Industry to know that price is not major reason for customer churn but poor service delivery is what accelerates rate of customer churn. Therefore, improving and attaining customer satisfaction is necessary for diminishing customer satisfaction hence need for increasing overall quality and customer service is very important in wowing customers at every opportunity. Improving customer satisfaction for Rocklyn Industry is an opportunity for increasing customer lifetime value. Numerous scholarly articles have justified that customers who are totally satisfied contribute more than ten times revenue unlike dissatisfied customers. Customer satisfaction does play important role in determining amount of revenue the company generates. Therefore, for Rocklyn Industry to attain success within shortest time limits, customer lifetime value is the only way to go and attain ever unimagined success (Anderson et al. 1994). A good customer lifetime value is an essential requirement for customer retention. Customer satisfaction will enable Rocklyn Industry to reduce negative word of mouth made by its competitors in the process of trying outshining the company. It is a justified fact that unhappy customers inform over twenty people about horrific experience. Therefore, in order for Rocklyn Industry to eliminate negative word of mouth perpetuated by its competitors, it is of great value measuring customer satisfaction on continuous basis. Customer satisfaction makes it possible to retain new customers as opposed to struggling in the process of acquiring new ones. It is true that companies incur huge costs in the process of acquiring new customers. Therefore, should Rocklyn Industry consider putting in place effective strategies of addressing customer satisfaction, it will limit incidences of using huge resources in the process of customer acquisition (Anderson et al. 1994). Therefore, a comprehensive plan of improving customer satisfaction starts with knowing necessity for embracing effective strategies of attaining customer satisfaction. Measuring customer satisfaction to gauge degree of customer happiness is unprecedented move of ensuring that Rocklyn Industry is well placed to attain a unique competitive edge in the industry. Customer Satisfaction Strategies Customer experience has become current competitive battleground in small, medium and huge business ventures (Fornell, 1992). Therefore, focusing on building indomitable customer IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 8 experience is the next thing to be embraced by organizational stakeholders. There are number of game changing strategies that Rocklyn Industry should embrace in order to attain outstanding customer satisfaction. For example, effective treatment of customers as bosses is one such preliminary step of attaining and improving indomitable customer satisfaction. Rocklyn Industry should be thanking customers for their unmatched loyalty, go out to help customers addresses individual needs and preferences, impressing customers just like the way the company expects to increase revenue generation and thinking about paycheck every time human resource management personnel talks to customers. Focusing on measuring customer satisfaction is an essential move of attaining and managing customer satisfaction (Fornell, 1992). In order to implement this in a successful manner, it is important using customer satisfaction survey tools and techniques, focusing on customer satisfaction metrics and embracing high level of technology with intentions of eliminating communication disparities. Rocklyn Industry should come up with effective strategies of building customer loyalty in order to increase customer satisfaction. This can be made possible by helping customers celebrate auspicious life events such as birthdays, striving to empower and educate customers on a number of issues, making huge investments in self-service support channels, emphasizing on the need for customer service and talking to customers on regular basis in order to know that they require, loopholes and other issues affecting streamlined service delivery to them (Fornell, 1992). Rocklyn Industry should remain alert and avoid customer retention mistakes. This is based on the substantive thought that there is no business that immune to unhappy customers. Some of customer retention mistakes include but not limited to ignoring customer feedback, taking customer feedback at personal level and use of long, boring customer satisfaction surveys (Beard, 2013). It is of significant impact for the company to set customer expectations early enough to avoid flaws. These expectations should be able to succeed in order to attain historic customer satisfaction within an organization. Learning how to survey customers in the right way is such essential step of improving customer satisfaction (Beard, 2013). Rocklyn Industry should be able to come up with unmatched techniques of improving products and services discharged to customers and finding right IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 9 advocates who have dedicated their loyalty to company products. This is made possible by use of customer by use of customer satisfaction surveys by asking them to rank the company on predetermined scale. This will create a clear image on the state of company brand to the public domain. This cannot be attained without use of situational leadership skills, strategic planning and setting clear vision on what ought to be done (Beard, 2013). Use of e-mail is the right way of attaining and improving unique customer satisfaction (Beard, 2013). This is based on concrete thought that technological advancement has made it possible for email system to be embraced by many customers. Human resource management should embrace use of email to stay in contact with customers by responding to their queries in real time. Customer care team should be alert and maximize use of email to send personalized special offers to specific groups of individual customers on a number of pertinent issues in life. Use of email should be supplemented by use of social media platforms to track and monitor customer satisfaction in order to make your customers happy. Social media platforms can aid in monitoring brand mentions and sentiments, customer support channel and holding question and answer sessions with customers. At the end of the day, they will develop feeling of being valued hence success will be easily attained (Beard, 2013). It is important to avoid lies when trying to improve customer satisfaction. Company stakeholders should always learn to focus on customer experience. Understanding the fact that social media platforms provide greater opportunity to increase customer satisfaction is a candid observation that should be embraced at all costs. As already stated in the previous sections, Rocklyn Industry should resort to all means of treating customers as their boss in order to attain outstanding customer satisfaction. Just as already stated in the previous sections, customer satisfaction is master key for many benefits which will aid the company to remain relevant in industry of its own choice (Beard, 2013). Technology and Increased Customer Satisfaction Knowing that customer satisfaction is an important thing to be embraced by organizational leaders is highly emphasized (Automile, 2017). In the event that customers are not complaining, having customer satisfaction metrics, having in place essential strategies of improving customer satisfaction are some of indicators of customer satisfaction within an organization. Advanced IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 10 technology is an essential requirement for attaining and improving indomitable customer satisfaction within business organization. Technology can be an expensive investment but in the event that you protect it well and use it to the fullest capacity, it is an important investment that you will not regret using it in the process of attaining indomitable customer satisfaction (Automile, 2017). Appropriate communication is necessary for attaining unique customer satisfaction. Therefore, there is no excuse for business organization to have poor communication systems within premises. Businesses that connect with customers using their preferred methods attain customer satisfaction within effective timelines. Customers have shifted from traditional system of relying on phone calls to use of live chat, e-mail systems and other social media platforms (Automile, 2017). At end of the day, customers who are highly engaged get contented easily translating to improved customer satisfaction. Technology and improved customer satisfaction are directly proportional to each other (Automile, 2017). Technology ensures customers have been well understood and customer care personnel within the organization address customer plight, different tastes and preferences in a good manner. Technology ensures that companies are able to write protocols and other necessary policies that ensure that human interaction through social media platforms, phone calls, SMS messaging and digital marketing have been fully attained within the organization. Rocklyn Industry should appreciate the fact that customer satisfaction enhances customer care availability for twenty four hour system. Businesses that want to stand out embrace use of these social media platforms and company e-mail systems to address special needs of customers (Automile, 2017). Technology makes it possible for companies to be available anywhere, anytime and utilize all forms of communication such as chat boxes, social networks and e-mail systems to address customer needs. Therefore, giving customers an option to contact you whenever they want is an unprecedented move of attaining customer value implying that customer satisfaction has been fully attained. Technology creates a scenario of self-reliant customers (Automile, 2017). Technology creates an avenue for customers to access information through multiple avenues such as ever functioning company websites that guarantees customers essential information such company contact IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 11 information, operating hours, business descriptions, store policies and other important details. Through blog posts, webinars, videos and podcasts, customers get necessary information translating to improved customer satisfaction. Social media connection has been made possible by technological advancements. Technology has made it possible for customer interaction with human resource management within the company. Effective customer interaction is necessary for attaining unique customer satisfaction (Automile, 2017). Technology improves customer experience making them become loyal to company products and services discharged hence employing right technology in addition to outstanding customer support team is necessary for improving customer satisfaction (Automile, 2017). Effective use of technology tools make it possible for business growth and attaining unique competitive advantage by: effective engagement of customers and automating marketing initiatives within an organization, ability to deliver real time feedback and other necessary insights in order to address problems in a convenient manner and being able to generate data that can inform decisions relating to product and service design and resource allocation among other important issues. Use of advanced technology tools equipped with mobile functionality and business analytics directly or indirectly increases customer satisfaction by a huge margin. Customer satisfaction is attained by real time generation of feedback for customers, helping building better customer relationships, driving customer advocacy, managing customer communication and management of business solutions. Modern technologies are transforming almost every domain in customer experience for business. Majority of business organizations that have embraced these technologies have always realized improved efficiency, productivity and ever evolving business prospects (Suther, 2007). Use of advanced technology in business operations ensure that customers are accorded due and necessary attention. Chatbots have become latest revolution in business landscape. Businesses have been enabled to handle customer service functions Chatbots have become easy to deploy and provide instant support via voice, mobile app and instant messaging. The culture of handing customers queries in a quick manner leads to improved customer experience. Big data analytics have always improved customer satisfaction by huge margin (Suther, 2007). Big data analytics help business organizations to grow business by gathering information and IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 12 insights on consumer preferences and behaviors essential for helping them provide personalized services. Big data has always helped business organizations interact with customers by understanding customer problems, expectations and aspirations helping in quick resolution and provision of tailor made solutions to individual customer expectations. Artificial intelligence has taken business landscape by storm due to benefits that are accompanied with the same (Suther, 2007). Artificial intelligence has enabled business organizations to pump up business process of automation and can strike up conversations that are relevant to the individual customers. Rocklyn Industry ought to know that artificial intelligence is empowering customer support conversations and improve decision making process. This is directly proportional to improved customer satisfaction. Virtual reality has also been transforming customer experience. Virtual reality has ability to enable business organizations know consumer experience (Suther, 2007). Internet of things and improved customer experience are two items that are directly proportional to each (Suther, 2007). Research has shown that internet of things help businesses lower operational costs, increase productivity and expansion; deploy proactive promotional campaigns through a relationship between digital and real world activities. These technologies are important in transforming customer experience in business organizations which later on translates to improved customer satisfaction. While in the process of adopting these technologies, Rocklyn Industry should rely on best Information Technology experts in the industry to avoid numerous flaws happening. Program Implementation This plan is expected to lead to improved customer satisfaction within Rocklyn Industry. It is expected that management will embrace suggested strategies in order to eliminate chances of reduced customer satisfaction, embrace use of advanced tools of technology to streamline channels of communication. The program is supposed to improve customer interaction with human resource management docket of the company, help company stakeholders seal current loopholes that have been crippling its efforts to attain unique competitive edge in the industry. IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 13 Program Evaluation Measuring effectiveness of customer satisfaction is a comprehensive task that should be done by organizational stakeholders. Customer satisfaction survey is the most effective approach of evaluating the effectiveness of the program (Anderson et al. 1994). There are specific processes and parts of customer satisfaction program that ought to be identified and measured. Determining effectiveness of customer satisfaction program will be accomplished by customer loyalty research. A section of customers may be chosen and asked number of questions concerning products and services discharged to customers. Customers should be asked to rank company services in order to help the management have clear picture of services that are being discharged to them. Customer loyalty research questionnaire should contain the following questions: quality of produced products, range of product, and consistency, processibility, and quality and product design among others (Anderson et al. 1994). This exercise should be done online to enhance convenience and avoid chances of succumbing to huge financial costs of conducting the process manually. Evaluation of program effectiveness can be accomplished by evaluating revenue inflows, global ranking of the company by Fortune magazine, the number of customers that have been retained for a period of time and other positive impacts within a business. Methodology Literature reviewed in this paper clearly indicates that successful implementation of an improved customer satisfaction program needs to contain rationale for developing the program, causes of reduced customer satisfaction within an organization, benefits of implementing customer satisfaction program, organizational strategies of improving and attaining customer satisfaction, techniques of evaluating effectiveness of customer improvement program and detailed explanation of the impact of customer improvement program to customer satisfaction within the organization. Successful implementation of the program requires joint team efforts by organizational stakeholders within and outside the organization. The project section of this paper describes implementation of a designing a program to enhance consumers satisfaction and improve organization that was designed as result of the study. There are justifications as to why use of suggested technological tools is necessary for enabling the organization attain a unique improved customer satisfaction. Effective implementation of the IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 14 program requires embracing all steps, suggested strategies of attaining customer satisfaction, focusing on customer satisfaction survey questions and above all sustainable use of organizational resources to realize set objectives of attaining unique customer satisfaction. Project Customer satisfaction plan is necessary for Rocklyn Industry to attain unique competitive edge in the industry, address numerous challenges facing it and develop strategic techniques of maximizing on revenue generation and profits. Therefore, improving customer satisfaction design and implementation plan is essential for realizing major objective of the company (Anderson et al. 1994). Businesses are ever advised to develop strategies of attaining unique customer satisfaction due to the fact that customer experience has become next competitive battleground deemed necessary for attaining success within shortest time possible. There are a number of tactics and ideas that Rocklyn Industry is supposed to integrate in business transactions in order increase customer satisfaction. For example, treating customers as bosses, focusing on measuring customer satisfaction, building customer loyalty with intentions of increasing customer satisfaction and being vigilant in avoiding customer retention mistakes are some of the best strategies of attaining unmatched customer satisfaction ((Haylock, 2004). This is realized in the event that effective customer satisfaction design and implementation plan is well choreographed by organizational stakeholders who know values and benefits of customer satisfaction. Improving Customer Satisfaction Plan-Design Making blueprints for customer satisfaction has never been a walk in the park (Hayes, 1998). The mode of making a design for the project is first intended to know current problems Rocklyn Industry is prone to due to lack of indomitable strategies of customer satisfaction. The entire plan was meant to measure customer satisfaction with major focus of maintaining high customer satisfaction, scrambling to boost customer satisfaction by ensuring that customer retention has been fully attained. The entire design was based on a well streamlined and designed customer satisfaction survey program. IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 15 First and foremost, defining customer satisfaction was my preliminary step of understanding true picture of customer retention strategies within Rocklyn Industry. There was need to understand divergent opinions of customer satisfaction in order to have clear picture of unraveling hidden issues compromising the company from realizing indomitable customer satisfaction (Hayes, 1998). This was followed by having a comprehensive customer satisfaction survey program; designed and implemented by a team of experts in the corporate sector and human resource management. Objectives of Customer Satisfaction Survey Program It is a substantive and justifiable thought that customer satisfaction survey program ought to have clear set of objectives (Hayes, 1998). These tangible and implementable objectives should be able to be met within right timelines in order to realize improved performance. There are a range of basic objectives that were to be addressed in this customer satisfaction survey program. Understanding expectations and special needs of customers within Rocklyn Industry is very important. Well-structured open ended and closed questionnaires were used to get views of customers from various regional segments in order to have clear picture of what is supposed to be rectified in case of identified loopholes. Determination of how well Rocklyn Industry and its competitors satisfy customer requirements and expectations was another significant objective to be addressed. Knowing nature of customer satisfaction within organization helps decision makers to locate areas having weaknesses. This is usually done by use of data collection tools such as interview sessions and questionnaire administered online to target audience. This was done within suggested timelines to avoid succumbing to unnecessary financial costs. Views from diversified organizational workforce such as human resource management stakeholders, corporate managers and junior workers played crucial role during customer satisfaction survey program. Notably, customer satisfaction survey objective was examination of customer satisfaction trend over time in order to make necessary recommendations of increasing customer satisfaction. Knowing customer satisfaction culture within the organization is such an important thing to be embraced because it helps unmask problems derailing the process of attaining unique customer satisfaction (Hayes, 1998). This objective is of great value as it leads to establishment of IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 16 priorities and other necessary standards of judging possibility of meeting set goals of objectives. Effectiveness in customer satisfaction survey program is based on the following necessary considerations: mode of information gathering, use of gathered information for taking necessary action within the organization and applications of identified insights to keep available customers and find new ones. A lot of carefulness was considered on what Rocklyn Industry hopes to accomplish, mode of result dissemination to different organizational segments and use of insights for making informed decisions of attaining unique customer satisfaction. Generally, it takes continuous effort to maintain higher customer levels within the organization. Conducting customer satisfaction survey is constrained with material and financial resources required for the entire exercise to be successful (Hayes, 1998). Care was taken to avid incurring huge costs during customer satisfaction survey program now that Rocklyn Industry is constrained with customer satisfaction; may be due to lack of financial muscles. Conducting customer satisfaction survey program was done with intentions of knowing if Rocklyn Industry has enough personnel for attending to customer queries other urgent needs, determining if Rocklyn Industry has manpower necessary for production and distribution of survey and other essential needs within the organization. While trying to implement customer satisfaction survey program, embracing statistical techniques of data collection and analysis was highly emphasized (Fornell, 1992). Implementing Customer Satisfaction Improvement Plan Implementing customer improvement is indeed a multifaceted aspect that requires integrating a number of strategies and techniques. Putting a stop to customer complaints and improving service in the future for Rocklyn Industry requires calculated approach of retraining organizational employees for them to under the importance of customer satisfaction to business initiatives (Haylock, 2004). Below is detailed methodology of implementing customer improvement plan in order for Rocklyn Industry to realize a unique competitive edge in the industry. IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 17 Narrowing Down to Vulnerable Areas Once customer satisfaction improvement survey has been successfully completed, I will be focused in identifying key areas where customer complaints are many. I will rely on customer inputs and insights obtained from customer satisfaction survey program about their individual likes and dislikes. Getting this information will be important in putting in place a suitable plan for identifying problem areas at the same time enabling Rocklyn Industry maintain progress in areas where customer satisfaction is high. Developing Customer Satisfaction Strategy I intend to use gathered inputs and ideas to write a comprehensive and flexible plan that will identify key areas of customer service that require immediate attention so that Rocklyn Industry is able to reclaim its lost glory. I will designate point people for effective execution of specific areas of the plan, effective allocation of resources where applicable to ensure that the entire process is successful. I will be creating project timeline detailing how customer satisfaction improvement strategies are to be implemented within the organization so that success is realized. Customer Improvement Plan Aspects The following are mandatory areas I consider to incorporate customer service improvement plan: employee training and other development programs with intentions of educating them on the best practices of attaining indomitable customer satisfaction, altering available customer satisfaction policies within the organization, checking on available pricing strategies, analyzing mode of customer implementation loyalty programs and other available deals to ensure that success is attained. This will be done in liaison with key stakeholders of Rocklyn Industry such as human resource management, sales and marketing manager, corporate affairs stakeholders and junior employees. Communicating Changes Having in place a functional customer satisfaction improvement plan, I intend to let my customers know necessary steps I will be undertaking to improve their overall experiences. This approach is meant to let my customers know that indeed I listened to their concerns and I am IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 18 taking necessary steps of addressing challenges facing them. Continued open dialog with customers will be important for them to feel that their needs are catered for. This will be made credible by customer service assessments during company’s regular employee performance evaluations. All staffers of Rocklyn Industry will be helped to set personal goals and improve service levels so that improved customer satisfaction. Evaluation The evaluation of intervention success is crucial because it allows an organization to understand the crucial steps it makes towards improving services and products for customer satisfaction. Moreover, the evaluation process will allow Rocklyn Industry to gauge effective strategies and identify any gaps that are not covered in the customer satisfaction process improvement. Therefore, the evaluation process is crucial because it will let the organization know whether it met the set objectives. It will also set a platform for further improvement in the future whereby organization management will implement further improvement prospects to allow better customer satisfaction. Primarily, the evaluation process suits the intervention to be launched and it is thus a roadmap towards polishing or changing certain aspects of the interventions in the future. The first step that will be taken in the evaluation process will be the qualitative research entailing customers regarding how the interventions have affected their satisfaction levels. According to Pizam, Shapoval, and Ellis (2016), the best way to gauge customer satisfaction is preintervention and post-intervention customer reviews. This approach allows the management to understand any changes in the customer feelings and attitudes towards a particular change made in the organization. For instance, one of the interventions to be implemented is the introduction of advanced modern production techniques. It is anticipated that this improvement will improve product quality, boost production rates, and increase customer satisfaction. Therefore, after a three-month period upon introducing this production technology, customers will be asked if they have noted any change in products and whether the changes have pleased them. This research will be similar to the one conducted before implementing changes and it will be the primary evaluation measure to quantify the changes. IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 19 Secondly, performance tracking of the organization’s performance will be commissioned. This tracking will be carried out using the six-sigma approach to quality management. In this approach, a total quality management approach coupled with continuous quality improvement is used (Jacobs, Swink, and Linderman, 2015). Essentially, maintaining records used in six-sigma techniques will allow the company to evaluate its progress. Such records will include the production sheets detailing production approaches and volumes will be analyzed and reviewed. This review will allow the organization to quantify the intervention based on the outcomes and also plan for improvements in the future. Performance tracking will be effective because the production rates will be analyzed to know whether they have improved or deteriorated. Moreover, through performance tracking, additional quality improvement methods will be included to reduce waste and costs while increasing the value of the products. Furthermore, pilot product development programs will allow the product to be tested before it goes to the customers. This pilot plan will involve the dissemination of products to a sample of prospective customers and also the simulation of products. Before engaging in the reviews of the product in its entirety in the market, a sample of customers will be handed the products for usage and reviews will be made. This process will allow the organization to understand what to go ahead with and which parts of the intervention to cut off. This technique is mostly used by gadget and device companies whereby a company may give a design of mobile phones to a sample in the field and then review their responses. The evaluation process is crucial in that it will allow Rocklyn Industry to gauge the efficiency of the measures taken to improve customer satisfaction. Therefore, this step will determine the success level of the project. Conclusion Designing and implementing improved customer satisfaction plan is a multifaceted aspect that requires application of situational leadership skills, effective management of diversified organizational workforce, implementing employee training and motivation programs and above all joining team efforts. Customer satisfaction is very essential for organization to attain unique competitive edge in the industry. Therefore, executive managers and other organizational stakeholders of Rocklyn Industry should embrace this design and implementation plan in order to realize unique customer satisfaction culture. Indomitable customer satisfaction strategies are IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION crucial for any business organization to realize huge profits, increase internal productivity and remain relevant. Leadership, outstanding allocation of resources and application of project management skills are essential during the process of implementing customer satisfaction improvement plan. 20 IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 21 References Anderson, E., Fornell, C., & Lehmann, D. (1994). Customer Satisfaction, Market Share, and Profitability: Findings from Sweden. Journal of Marketing, 58 (3), 53-66. Doi:10.2307/1252310 Automile, (2017). Technology’s Role in Increasing Customer Satisfaction. ww.automile.com Beard, B. (2013). Increase Customer Satisfaction (9 Strategies). Fornell, C. (1992). A National Customer Satisfaction Barometer: The Swedish Experience. Journal of Marketing, 56 (1), 6-21. Doi: 10.2307/1252129 Gomez, M. I., McLaughlin, E. W., & Wittink, D. R. (2004). Customer satisfaction and retail sales performance: an empirical investigation. Journal of Retailing, 80(4), 265-278. Haylock, J. (2004). Speed Thrills: How to Increase Efficiency and Customer Satisfaction. Chartered Accountants Journal of New Zealand, (2). 20. Hayes, B.E. (1998). Measuring Customer Satisfaction Survey design, use and statistical analysis methods. Haylock, J. (2004). Speed Thrills: How to Increase Efficiency and Customer Satisfaction. Chartered Accountants Journal of New Zealand, (2). 20. Jacobs, B. W., Swink, M., & Linderman, K. (2015). Performance effects of early and late Six Sigma adoptions. Journal of Operations Management, 36, 244-257. Molinari, L. K., Abratt, R., & Dion, P. (2008). Satisfaction, quality and value and effects on repurchase and positive word-of-mouth behavioral intentions in a B2B services context. Journal of Services Marketing, 22(4/5), 363. Doi: 10.1108/08876040810889139 Oliver, R. L. (2014). Satisfaction: A behavioral perspective on the consumer. Routledge. IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION Pizam, A., Shapoval, V., & Ellis, T. (2016). Customer satisfaction and its measurement in hospitality enterprises: a revisit and update. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(1), 2-35. Suther, S. (October 2007). 5 Technologies Improving the Customer Experience Journey. 22 IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 23 APPENDIX: Customer Questionnaire To help Rocklyn industry provide better services, kindly fill the survey. Your response will be treated with utmost confidentiality. 1. Which word can you use to describe our product? ................................... 2. When you ordered did the product reach you on time? YES NO 3. Did the product delivered meet your expectations according to photos on our webpage? YES NO 4. Are you happy with your shipping options? Yes….. No….. If not, what other shipping option can we include to improve your shopping experience? …………………………………………………………………………… 5. If you could modify one aspect of the product we are offering, what would it be? …………………………………………………………………….. 6. Were you able to find the information you were looking for on our website? YES NO 7. How approachable have the company been to questions you have raised concerning our products? MISERABLE IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 24 SATIFACTORY DELIGHTFUL 8. How do we compare to our competitors, in terms of product quality? BETTER SAME WORSE 9. On a scale from 0 to 10, what is the likelihood of you to recommending our product to a friend or colleague? ……………………………….
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