The concept of customer satisfaction is more important for companies today. Because it is very difficult to bring customers to a company and make them loyal, but it is very easy to lose. It is very important for companies to protect their customers as well as to increase the number of customers. The way to create customer loyalty is primarily to satisfy the customer and to ensure the continuity of customer satisfaction. Companies that do not develop a customer satisfaction strategy and treat their customers as one-off transactions cannot survive today.
Customers are among the most important resources that companies need to maintain their assets. In other words, customers are one of the basic building blocks of companies.
There is a subtle difference between customer and consumer concepts. Purchasing is carried out for two purposes. Some people buy the products and services they buy to consume them in line with their demands and expectations. These are end users and are called consumers. Some customers receive the products and services they purchase to resell or start a business. These are just customers. That is, in both cases, the person or organization that purchases the product or services is a customer, but not every consumer is a customer.
It is not easy to talk about sales and productivity of a company if a company does not have customers or if it is too low. Customers are end users of products or services. There are many stages from the design stage to the production, packaging, storage, shipment, invoicing and service delivery of products or services. Each purchaser of the products and services that go through these stages and is offered for sale is a customer. The company and its employees are in fact the bosses. Customers are the ones who ensure the assurance, income, competitiveness and future of firms.
In order for a company to compete and be successful, it must first recognize and group its customers. A group of customers are profitable customers that need to be cared for and cared for. A group of customers are those that need to be taken care of in the long run. A group of customers are weak and fragile customers who need to be intervened in order not to miss them. Their level of commitment is low and effort is needed to keep it.
Today's Customer Features
Today, the demands and expectations of customers are increasingly differentiating and customers prefer the companies that value them more. Companies that know their customers and know their demands and expectations are gaining significant competitive advantage. Therefore, companies apply new methods to create customer satisfaction and customer loyalty and carry their relations with their customers to different dimensions.
Nowadays, the success of gaining new customers as well as the success of retaining the existing customer stands out for companies. Companies therefore have to keep up with the changing customer profile.
In the traditional marketing approach, customers have always been ignored and the focus is on products and services. It has always been recognized that customers are ready to purchase products or services, and customers are considered buyers who do not have specific demands and expectations.
In the modern marketing approach, customers are placed in the position they deserve and by listening to their needs and expectations, customer satisfaction is started to be created. Today, the variety of products and services is increasing and customers are more conscious and selective. It is difficult for customers to appreciate and satisfy.
Today's customer trends can be listed as follows:
• Customers are more knowledgeable, conscious and more selective
• Expectations of customers from products and services increased
• Customers spend less time shopping
• Online shopping is becoming more common
• Brand and product dependency is decreasing
• Global shopping opportunities are born and spread
What ISO 10002 Customer Satisfaction Management System Brought
ISO 10002 Customer Satisfaction Management System has been prepared by the International Standards Organization in order for a company to establish and develop longer and more productive relationships with its existing customers. In today's competitive conditions, customers are in a much more important position for companies struggling in the same sector than before. While new technologies are spreading on the one hand, the number and product variety of companies operating in the same sector are increasing. Although consumer rights are tried to be protected by legal regulations, it has become a necessity for companies to behave in a certain systematic way.
In order to maintain their continuity, to become a brand and to maintain the value of their brands, companies must acquire new customers and retain their existing customers. This is inevitably created by creating customer satisfaction. The most important points in the creation of customer satisfaction are to prevent customer complaints, not to give opportunity to customers to complain, to resolve potential customer complaints quickly and to ensure that they are repeated.
Customer satisfaction is directly related to the company's activities. The more products or services offered to customers meet the demands and expectations of the customers, the more customer satisfaction is achieved. However, the more negative the result, the higher the customer dissatisfaction and this will cause customer complaints.
In this respect, the basic approach of the ISO 10002 standard is to constantly monitor and make customers feel it. In order to keep the customer relations healthy, it is necessary to value customers, listen to them and remind them that they are important.
How ISO 10002 Customer Satisfaction Management System Works
In order to implement the ISO 10002 Customer Complaint Management System in a company, it is necessary to establish a customer-oriented structure and be open to feedback from them. These feedbacks may be positive thoughts or negative opinions about the goods or services produced. The ISO 10002 standard stipulates that senior management's commitments are made to resolve any complaints submitted by customers and to improve service to customers.
In the implementation of ISO 10002 standard, it is necessary to handle customer complaints effectively and accurately, to solve and to create customer satisfaction. For this purpose, these processes should be designed and implemented within the company. Companies will not cause a complaint if they produce products and services in line with customer demands and expectations. But in practice it is not always easy to satisfy the customer, as each customer will react differently.
Therefore, companies need to understand market dynamics correctly, listen and understand customers at all times, be aware of potential customer demands, analyze statistical data accurately and follow competitive conditions well.
Since companies cannot survive without customers, it is necessary to measure the satisfaction levels of the customers, to understand the situations and reasons that create customer dissatisfaction and to analyze the direction of customer expectations in the future.
Firms that implement the ISO 10002 Customer Satisfaction Management System standard in their businesses show that they value their customers in order to win and retain them. Mainly on the basis of the ISO 10002 standard are the following concepts: strategic management, marketing approach, service delivery philosophy, creative thinking skills, knowledge management infrastructure and institutionalization efforts.
Companies aiming at such an approach and trying to be innovative and different use the feedback they receive from their customers. To be successful, it is necessary to listen to the customers accurately and carefully.
The ISO 10002 standard is based on the following principles for existing customers:
• Customer complaints provide guidance on how the company should behave
• When problems occur with customers, something different than just apologizing or compensating is required
• Customers complaints must be handled impartially
• Complaints should be seen as areas for improvement and should be considered as opportunities for improvement
The Effect of Creating Customer Satisfaction on Customer Loyalty
Nowadays, increasing competition conditions necessitates long term relationship between business and customer. Customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are two key concepts in the success of companies.
Customer satisfaction is about the extent to which customer expectations are met. Commitment is the customer's habit of re-purchasing a particular product or service. Customer satisfaction is necessary but not sufficient for customer loyalty. In order to create customer loyalty, we need to increase customer satisfaction.
In today's environment where competition is intense, providing customer loyalty provides an important competitive advantage. The cost of acquiring a new customer is higher than the cost of retaining an old customer. Various studies show that it is 6 times more. Even a small increase in the percentage of affiliated customers can create high profitability for the firm. According to the results of the research, a five percent improvement in customer loyalty can bring profitability up to 80. But this is also a fact: customer satisfaction in building commitment is not always guaranteed. Even if customers are satisfied, they can easily turn to another company or product.
What are the factors affecting customer satisfaction
The strategy, which is generally followed in the efforts to create customer satisfaction, creates and maintains long-term relationships with customers and creates customer loyalty. Although it is very difficult in today's competitive conditions, the ISO 10002 standard brings an important system in this regard. Factors affecting customer satisfaction can be explained as follows:
- Product and service quality: Quality is the main factor in customer satisfaction.
- Corporate image: Due to the large number of companies and similar products and services in the same sector, the image of the company plays an important role in customer preferences.
- Customer valuation: Companies that create value for customers and develop marketing strategies for the new customer structure are ahead of their competitors.
- Customer service: Before and after sales services are vital for the development and maintenance of relations between the company and customers.
- Customer habits: Customer habits are a factor that forces them to look for alternative products and services.
- Customer avoidance of risk: Negative consequences of the purchased product or service may be considered as a risk to customers.
- Market and competition conditions: The customer's demand for a product or service does not always indicate the level of customer satisfaction. The purchase may also be a necessity. This is referred to as misleading customer satisfaction.
ISO 10002 Customer Complaint Management System Certificate
A successfully established and managed Customer Satisfaction Management System is one of the indispensable systems for companies in terms of managing customers' needs and protecting their brands.
Companies that have ISO 10002 Customer Complaint Management System Certificate obtain the following important gains:
• Potential to retain existing customers increases
• Customers' sense of commitment to the company rises
• Company's brand value rises
• The company's commitment to satisfying customers is demonstrated
• The company shows a customer-oriented approach in solving problems
• Customer complaints are analyzed and corrective and preventive actions are initiated for the most repeated complaints.
• Elimination of the reasons for complaints increases the efficiency of the company
• Complaints are constantly monitored and areas that can be improved are easily identified
our organization TÜRCERT Technical Control and Certification Inc., ISO 10002 Customer Satisfaction Management System certification studies, national and international accreditation organizations based on the authorization obtained.