An Overview: Quality Assurance Hierarchy of Customer Satisfaction

If you are targeting ISO Quality Certification, you must pay special attention to customer satisfaction in terms of quality. Go through this article to find out how a quality assurance hierarchy of customer satisfaction can influence your business.

The ISO standards designed for Quality Management Systems or ISO 9001 series have gone through a massive transformation over the last few years. The latest version of the Quality Management Standard attaches great importance to the customer-centric processes. ISO 9001:2015 relies less on the documented processes and more on the customer feedback. Nowadays, the key to achieving ISO certification is to give the customers what they want, and when they want it. In this article, we are going to discuss the hierarchy of customer satisfaction outlined by the ISO experts and the quality assurance consultant.

Most of the people, having knowledge of occupational health and safety, might be aware of the hierarchy of control. Let’s have a look at the order in which an organization should place and apply the controls so that they can avoid any non-conformity or unwanted incidents:

• Elimination
• Substitution
• Isolation
• Engineering
• Administration
• Personal Protective Equipment Preservation

Now, you might be thinking how “quality” is associated with the order discussed above. In most of the cases, the quality hierarchy is viewed and analyzed from an internal standpoint. In the modern business scenario, it is important to look at the hierarchy through the eyes of the customers. Most of the customers are less interested in the management systems and processes functioned by the organization. All they need is a good product or service. Here pops up another question- how to determine which is a good product or services? In other words, how should an organization define “good” service or products? Well, a product or service can be labeled as “good” when it meets the customers’ requirements as well as the standards developed for the particular category to which the product or service belongs. The way OHSAS 18001 standard evaluates the safety offered by an organization, ISO 9001 evaluates the “quality” of the offered products or services.

Modern business management concept has identified five levels of customer satisfaction- delight, exceed, meeting, tolerance, and disappointment.

I. Delight

If an organization wants to enjoy the outcomes, which are even beyond their expectation, it is important to provide the customers with experiences, which are even better than their expectation. Good outcomes can be achieved only by giving good inputs.

For instance, you are enjoying your meal in a restaurant. With the meal, the restaurant authority is also offering you free dessert and coffee. Wouldn’t you prefer to visit the restaurant next time? The same applies to your customers as well. Provide them something beyond their expectation to win their hearts.

II. Exceed

When the customers find the purchased goods beyond expectation, this stage is called “exceed.” When a customer reaches this stage, he or she builds an impression of the business.

For instance, you are buying something online, and the company promises to deliver the order within 10 days. You receive the order on the 4th day. What would your immediate reaction? You would appreciate the company for their commitment, and the company somehow would be able to instill confidence in you. As an outcome, you would be more likely to deal with this company for your next purchase.

III. Meeting

When the customers receive a service that does not surpass their expectation levels, they may not feel the urge for getting back to the business again. This stage is defined as “meeting” where the company completes a deal, but their service is not something extraordinary.

For instance, you are buying a dress. The material is fine; size is ok as well. Still, you don’t think the dress is something that would draw everyone’s attention to you when you would wear the dress. That’s why a discrete quality assurance consultant will always recommend an organization to excel the average level.

IV. Tolerance

When the customers don’t find a service impressive but accept it because most of the services they have found more or less the same, this stage is called “tolerance.” Tolerance may save a business from rejection, but it can’t contribute to the further improvement of the organization.

For instance, you have purchased a box of six mangoes. Opening the box, you have found that two oranges have bruises that must be cut out. As rest of the four mangoes is fine, you have to tolerate it.

V. Disappointment

When the quality of the delivered product or service is below the expectation, then it is called “disappointment.” Disappointment can lead an organization to rejection, which is harmful for the reputation of the organization.

For instance, you have bought two flower vases online. When the order arrives, you find that one vase is broken while the packaging is intact. In such a situation, what would you do? You would return it. Right? Same can happen when your customers are receiving this kind of services or products from your end.

Then, what should an organization do? The Answer is quite simple. The organization should determine whether it has met the “delight” stage or struck into “tolerance.” In the simple words, an organization should determine what its position in this hierarchy is. For getting ISO certified, every organization should conduct a customer analysis to find out what is lacking and how the lack can be fulfilled.