Satisfying the Customer - An Example

This is an example linking back to my last article Satisfying the Customer... Satisfying Who?

The question of the customer is one that apparently deserves a little more attention. Lets move away from theory and principle to practical application of the principle set forth in the last article: the customer is the purchaser of your organizations goods and/or services. Lets look at a fairly typical example in todays web infused business environment. The organization sets up a website to sell its products or services to the public. The website works. There is a checkout facility reminiscent of a grocery store shopping cart. The user experience folks have given it their blessing and the site is up and running. After a while the site begins to attract a steady stream of visitors and buyers. The request comes down from on high for a new feature: registration of all the visitors to the site.

There are several constituents who are affected or impacted by this initiative. The Marketing Department wants registration so that it can gather information on people visiting the site to correlate with other information that they have collected, do analysis and studies to see what kind of people by what items, and to add to their large mailing list of current and potential purchasers. Marketing sees this as a way of achieving several of its goals, such as increasing the number of entries in their marketing mailing list and measuring the market penetration of the website in social media such as Facebook and Twitter. The Sales Department is behind the idea. They see sales increasing to meet their goal if they can focus the marketing while the person is buying. They view the registration as a way of creating a candy and magazine display at the checkout counter, where they can increase sales through impulse buying. They wish to use the buying habits and personal information of a registered buyer to suggest additional items to be purchased at checkout now or in the future. Customer Service supports the initiative. They see it as a way of anticipating problems, delivering more focused and immediate solutions to customers issues, and providing a more personal service to the customers, which may increase the customers loyalty. All this together will help them achieve their goal of reducing the time per customer service call and eventually perhaps the overall cost of customer service. Security says that they will feel a lot more comfortable about the general public using the website if security knows who those people are at all times. Security is always in favor of increased information on everyone.

And the Legal Department is pushing for this feature because they feel that the registration process can include certain contractual language and disclaimer information so that the visitors to the website cannot hold the organization accountable for errors and omissions that may occur while using the website. So everyone is in favor of the registration process and each constituent has something to gain by a successful initiative. Marketing wants registration as soon as someone lands on the website home page to increase the number of people who will register, Marketings proposal is that no one can get the benefit of the information on the website or see the products that are available without registering. Sales and Customer Service hold for a registration prior to purchasing something so that visitors can come to the website unregistered and possibly see something to buy. Then, since they want to buy something they will be more inclined to register. You are assigned to be the business analyst on this initiative. Your job ostensibly is to determine what needs to be done to implement a registration process on the organizations website. You gather information from the various constituents and since the initiative is being managed or driven by marketing, you set about to define the requirements necessary to capture the registration when people come to the website. You define what information is necessary, how the registration process will take place (as a pop up box, new page, etc.), where and when the visitors to the site will be required to register, what they can do without registering, and the general language that will be presented to the visitors. You as business analyst gather the information, define the requirements, work with the solution team to produce the final registration feature, and oversee the implementation. You also spend time for discussions with sales and customer service, legal and security because they have a vested interest in the outcome of the initiative. But each department has its own vested interest. The Sales department is only interested in getting registrations for customers who actually buy products. In fact they are insistent on it. And now you have a situation: do you define a solution as marketing, the department ostensibly paying for the software or sales who is claiming a loss of sales to the organization if you adopt Marketings solution? We might consider each of the departments as our customer insofar as the initiative is concerned. If Marketing is paying for the changes, then Marketing might be considered our customer just because they are paying for it. However, in the course of preparing the definition of the solution we may talk about each of the constituents being our customer. Each has to be satisfied. What happens if Security wants additional information on customers and Sales considers the information intrusive, and legal is concerned about privacy issues? Perhaps there is another customer that the business analyst should consider? Those who will actually be using the web site: the customer of the organization. Each of the departments reviewing the initiative does take the customer into account, but each sees the customer from a different perspective. Legal sees the customer as a lawsuit; customer service sees the customer as a question or complaint; security sees the customer as a threat; sales and marketing see the customer as numbers. Suppose you decide to view the customer as a person using the web site and you

assume a goal that you want that person to be a purchaser of the organizations products now and in the future. Lets consider the results if you investigate consumer reactions to a registration process, or even think about your own reactions to a registration process. You determine that those who register will be getting emails and other marketing materials automatically, and they will have to opt out of each individual marketing program. You do some surveys and discover that people who are required to register before looking at goods and services will likely leave the website and go to another competitor who allows viewing of the goods and services without registering. Or perhaps you check out the competitors similar websites and note that the more successful sites offer an incentive for registration such as ten percent off the sale and that the sites offer registration at several points during the shopping and buying process. In other words, focusing on the real customer of the initiative, the real customer of the organization will generate new and different perspectives which will add value to the organization over and above those solutions suggested by the internal departments, including IT. It should be noted that a business analyst who might attempt such a departure from the expected might have some difficulty with the project manager and others from IT who are working for their customer who in this case might be the Marketing department. In other words, the standard line in IT seems to be to keep the (internal) customer satisfied even when that customer may be wrong. As one senior developer working in an agile environment told me, If its on the product backlog, we do it. Now this particular conundrum might not occur in your world. However, it is not a made up example. The end result of the initiative was a successful registration process that did not follow marketings recommendation to force registration, and did not even require registration to purchase goods as was insisted on by sales, but the end result satisfied the web consumers and built up a repository of positive registrants with a low opt-out ratio and a high repeat sales ratio. The success was due to a focus on the real customer instead of what was Oh, and the business analyst did have to withstand a lot of pressure from the project manager and team (not to mention marketing) for not paying attention to what the requirements of the initiative were. We talk a lot in these pages about the business analyst being an agent of the business for the solution team, or the business facing member of the solution team. And we generally assume that business refers to the people who run the business: the purchase order managers, the order entry clerks, the marketing people, the inventory people and so forth. But what we really should do is consider what business the organization is in. Then we can define the business aspect of the business analyst. The business analyst focuses on the business of the organization not the business people in the organization, and that means those who keep the organization in business.

Satisfying Customers: Achieving customer satisfaction for stronger business

The concept of the all-powerful customer is nothing new. Peter Drucker wrote long ago that 'there is only one valid definition of business purpose - to create a customer'. Having created customers, the next step is to satisfy them: 'customer satisfaction' has become the great watchword of business as the century ends. This is by no means solely because of management's shining conversion to the paths of righteousness. External pressures have been paramount. The first is over-supply. Historically, this was created by over-expansion in boom-time and disappeared after slumps. More recently, abundance has become chronic, partly because of globalisation of markets. When supply of everything from micro-circuits to motor cars can come from anywhere, efforts to control that supply are futile. The sensational, 85% collapse in memory chip prices in 1998 is just one result. An equally profound cause is the revolution in manufacturing processes. The same old plant, using new methods, becomes far more productive. Moreover, new technologies, including those of production management, allow smaller producers to compete with high effectiveness, often with brilliant innovations that reinforce another decisive factor: segmentation. Innovators have helped to fragment markets into multiple segments. So economies of massive scale have ceased to be reliable barriers to entry. The new entrants not only add to supply, but intensify competition as they seek customers. The competitive heat has also been turned up by de-regulation. Financial services epitomise the customer revolution. Where once a few oligopolies limited choice, deregulated banks compete with mortgage lenders, mortgage lenders with banks, both with insurance companies - and all are under attack by supermarkets, chain stores, branded entrepreneurs, etc. 'Product' variants have multiplied as, once again, over-supply (this time of money) stimulates proliferating competition. The customer is no passive bystander in all this. Across the world, customers have become more demanding, more capricious, more promiscuous, more volatile. In part, this reflects the rise in disposable incomes fuelled by economic growth. Customers are also responding with a will to the increase in the quantity, sources and variety of supply. Think only of the welter of offerings in consumer electronics. Customers demand choice, and their pressure on producers stimulates variety. The pressures are also socio-economic. Rising affluence and education have bred a race of highly active consumers. Ralph Nader, with his whistle-blowing on the Detroit carmakers, was seen as a disruptive radical. But consumerism has since become politically powerful, defended even by right-wing politicians who espouse free market capitalism. Consequently public services, too, have had to become user-friendly, to talk the language of consumer goods and to 'compete' for public income. Study the management words, from academic tomes and business magazines to company reports and guru lectures, and this new supremacy of the customer emerges as dominant theme. The preoccupation lies with 'customer focus' and 'value chains' that start from the satisfied (better still 'delighted') customer and work backwards through the corporate processes. Each of the latter is redesigned and re-focused to benefit customers and outdo the competition on every factor that the purchasers hold dear - in theory.

In practice, the production-led mentality that dominated industry post-war more than lingers on. Given half a chance, manufacturers and service businesses alike will do what suits their managements best. Service provides an acid test. It has emerged as the key differentiator: sooner or later, products lose any superiority in specification or quality, and advantages in production methods and costs are equally short-lived. Quality of service is much harder to imitate - but also much harder to achieve. Companies don't, however, try hard enough on this vital count. That statement may sound strange, given the fortunes spent on tracking customer satisfaction, and the high proportions (usually two-thirds and upwards) of customers who find service 'very satisfactory' or 'satisfactory'. But the usual numbers are meaningless. How many of the 'very satisfied' or 'satisfied' customers are likely to patronise the company again?

Satisfy Your Customers to Increase Business and Reduce Losses

Your customer is the person or even company that pays you for your goods or services. Your goal in business should be that these customers are satisfied and even delighted with what you have provided them. Satisfying your customers results in repeated business and referrals for new business. Dissatisfied customers can result in complaints, returns and negative publicity. This can cause you to lose money and have fewer customers in the future.

Satisfy or delight
When a customer purchases a product or service from your company, that customer expects it to perform as advertised or according to specification. There are also unstated expectations and of performance and reliability. Customer satisfaction or delight is when the product or service exceeds expectations. For example, we recently purchased a new, inexpensive Toyota Corolla. After driving the car, we were delighted with the high gas mileage and various features of the car that you would expect in a more expensive automobile. To top it off, the Toyota dealership provide excellent service as a follow-up to the sale. No wonder Toyota is such a successful manufacturer.

Benefits of customer satisfaction

A satisfied customer will often be a repeat customer. Also, the customer may tell other people and referred them to your business. This means that you not only have a source of continuous business, but you also will get new business. This can save your company money that might be spent on advertising. Repeat business and word-of-mouth advertising are the best ways of maintaining a healthy business.

Perhaps you've gone to a restaurant where the service and the food were excellent. You probably return to that restaurant again and even brought some friends along. Companies that do business with other companies can also see the benefits of customer satisfaction in establishing long-term business relationships.

Dissatisfied customers
When customers are dissatisfied with the quality of the product or its reliability, they may voice some complaints. In such a case, you can solve a problem and rectify the situation such that the customer goes away happy. But that type of customer service will cut into your company's profits. The greater problem is that only a small percentage of the dissatisfied customers will actually complain. But they will tell their friends about their dissatisfaction. It is estimated that an unhappy customer will tell up to 15 other people of their dissatisfaction. This is a considerable amount of negative publicity for your company. This is a major reason some businesses fail. Although a customer may be satisfied with the product received, if the service that comes along with the product is poor, they may hesitate in recommending your store or business. If you went to a restaurant that had excellent food, but the waiters were rude and the service was slow, you would probably not return. Timeliness is part of the service is provided to customers.

Summary
Your goal in business should be that your customers are satisfied and even delighted with what you have provided them. Satisfying your customers results in repeated business and referrals for new business. Dissatisfied customers can result in complaints, returns and negative publicity, causing you to lose money and have fewer customers in the future.

Customer satisfaction
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Customer satisfaction, a term frequently used in marketing, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. Customer satisfaction is defined as "the number of customers, or percentage of total customers, whose reported experience with a firm, its products, or its services (ratings) exceeds specified satisfaction goals."[1] In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 71 percent responded that they found a customer satisfaction metric very useful in managing and monitoring their businesses.[1]

It is seen as a key performance indicator within business and is often part of a Balanced Scorecard. In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for customers, customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy.[2] "Within organizations, customer satisfaction ratings can have powerful effects. They focus employees on the importance of fulfilling customers expectations. Furthermore, when these ratings dip, they warn of problems that can affect sales and profitability. . . . These metrics quantify an important dynamic. When a brand has loyal customers, it gains positive word-of-mouth marketing, which is both free and highly effective."[1] Therefore, it is essential for businesses to effectively manage customer satisfaction. To be able do this, firms need reliable and representative measures of satisfaction. "In researching satisfaction, firms generally ask customers whether their product or service has met or exceeded expectations. Thus, expectations are a key factor behind satisfaction. When customers have high expectations and the reality falls short, they will be disappointed and will likely rate their experience as less than satisfying. For this reason, a luxury resort, for example, might receive a lower satisfaction rating than a budget moteleven though its facilities and service would be deemed superior in 'absolute' terms." [1] The importance of customer satisfaction diminishes when a firm has increased bargaining power. For example, cell phone plan providers, such as AT&T and Verizon, participate in an industry that is an oligopoly, where only a few suppliers of a certain product or service exist. As such, many cell phone plan contracts have a lot of fine print with provisions that they would never get away if there were, say, a hundred cell phone plan providers, because customer satisfaction would be far too low, and customers would easily have the option of leaving for a better contract offer. There is a substantial body of empirical literature that establishes the benefits of customer satisfaction for firms.

Examples of Need Satisfying Marketing Objectives

A need-satisfying marketing objective is one that mostly focuses on what the customer needs as opposed to just his wants and desires. This type of strategy often has more of a long-term positive effect on the company in the customers eyes. Customers value and appreciate a business that has their needs in mind.

Service quality
Service quality is a comparison of expectations with performance.
[1]

A business with high service quality will meet customer needs whilst remaining economically [2] competitive. Improved service quality may increase economic competitiveness. This aim may be achieved by understanding and improving operational processes; identifying problems quickly and systematically; establishing valid and reliable service performance measures and measuring [3] customer satisfaction and other performance outcomes.

From the viewpoint of business administration, service quality is an achievement in customer service. It reflects at each service encounter. Customers form service expectations from past experiences, word of mouth and advertisement. In general, Customers compare perceived service with expected service in which if the former falls short of the latter the customers are disappointed. For example, in the case of TAJ Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, wherein TAJ remaining the old world, luxury brand in the five-star category, the umbrella branding was diluting the image of the TAJ brand because although the different hotels such as Vivanta by Taj- the four star category, Gateway in the three star category and Ginger the two star economy brand, were positioned and categorised differently, customers still expected the high quality of Taj from all their properties. The accurate measurement of an objective aspect of customer service requires the use of carefully [5] predefined criteria. The measurement of subjective aspects of customer service depends on the conformity of the expected benefit with the perceived result. This in turns depends upon the customer's expectation in terms of service, they might receive and the service provider's ability and talent to present this expected service. Successful Companies add benefits to their offering that not only satisfy the customers but also surprise and delight them. Delighting customers is a matter of exceeding their expectations. Pre-defined objective criteria may be unattainable in practice, in which case, the best possible achievable result becomes the ideal. The objective ideal may still be poor, in subjective terms. Service quality can be related to service potential (for example, worker's qualifications); service process (for example, the quickness of service) and service result (customer satisfaction).

[4]

Dimensions of service quality[edit source | editbeta]

A customer's expectation of a particular service is determined by factors such as recommendations, personal needs and past experiences. The expected service and the perceived service sometimes may not be equal, thus leaving a gap. The service quality model or the GAP model developed by a group of authors- Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry at Texas and North Carolina in 1985 , highlights the main requirements for delivering high service quality. It identifies five gaps that cause unsuccessful delivery. Customers generally have a tendency to compare the service they 'experience' with the service they 'expect' . If the experience does not match the expectation , there arises a gap. Ten determinants that [6] may influence the appearance of a gap were described by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry. in the SERVQUAL model: reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, understanding thecustomer and tangibles. Later, the determinants were reduced to five: and empathy in the so called RATER model.
[7]

tangibles; reliability; responsiveness; service assurance

Measuring service quality[edit source | editbeta]

Measuring service quality may involve both subjective and objective processes. In both cases, it is often some aspect of customer satisfaction which is being assessed. However, customer satisfaction is an indirect measure of service quality.

Measuring subjective elements of service quality

Subjective processes can be assessed in characteristics (assessed be the SERVQUAL method); in incidents (assessed in Critical Incident Theory) and in problems (assessed by Frequenz Relevanz Analyse a German term. The most important and most used method with which to measure subjective [citation needed] elements of service quality is the Servqual method.

Measuring objective elements of service quality

Objective processes may be subdivided into primary processes and secondary processes. During primary processes, silent customers create test episodes of service or the service episodes of normal customers are observed. In secondary processes, quantifiable factors such as numbers of customer complaints or numbers of returned goods are analysed in order to make inferences about service quality.

Approaches to the improvement of service quality]

In general, an improvement in service design and delivery helps achieve higher levels of service quality. For example, in service design, changes can be brought about in the design of service products and facilities. On the other hand, in service delivery, changes can be brought about in the service delivery processes, the environment in which the service delivery takes place and improvements in the interaction processes between customers and service providers. Various techniques can be used to make changes such as: Quality function deployment (QFD); failsafing; moving the line of visibility and the line of accessibility; and blueprinting.

Approaches to improve the conformity of service quality]

In order to ensure and increase the 'conformance quality' of services, that is, service delivery happening as designed, various methods are available. Some of these include Guaranteeing; Mystery Shopping; [8] Recovering; Setting standards and measuring; Statistical process control and Customer involvement.

What is Customer Delight ? It's creating a feeling of "WOW" !

Delighted customers are those where you anticipate their needs, provide solutions to them before they ask and where you are observing to see if new and/or additional expectations are about ready to be required. What's wrong with just providing customer service?

Just simply providing good customer service isn't cost effective. It misses the opportunity to provide the rewards! When you create "WOW" you have planted a very special peg in the memory of the customer that is easy to recall. It creates the possibility of the customer telling the story about their "WOW" experience to many friends, associates and strangers. It creates the free advertising that you can't place a momentary value to. Customer delight brings customers coming back for more. It causes new customers to come. It takes to out of the realm of being the same as all the others and places you clearly at the top. It distinguishes you from the rest. It allows you to sell your product or service for more money than the competition. It allows you to make more return on your investment. It allows you to reward your employees.

service quality
An assessment of how well a delivered service conforms to the client's expectations. Service business operators often assess the service quality provided to their customers in order to improve their service, to quickly identify problems, and to better assess client satisfaction.

kano model The Kano model is a theory of product development and customer satisfaction developed in the 1980s by Professor Noriaki Kano which classifies customer preferences into five categories.

Contents
[hide]

1 Categories 2 Threshold or Basic Attributes 3 Performance Attributes 4 Excitement Attributes 5 Attributes place on the model change over time 6 Further Information

o o o o

6.1 See also 6.2 References 6.3 Further reading 6.4 External links

Categories[edit source | editbeta]

These categories have been translated into English using various names (delighters/exciters, satisfiers, dissatisfiers, etc.), but all refer to the original articles written by Kano. Attractive Quality These attributes provide satisfaction when achieved fully, but do not cause dissatisfaction when not fulfilled. These are attributes that are not normally expected, For example, a thermometer on a package of milk showing the temperature of the milk. Since these types of attributes of quality unexpectedly delight customers, they are often unspoken. One-dimensional Quality These attributes result in satisfaction when fulfilled and dissatisfaction when not fulfilled. These are attributes that are spoken of and ones which companies compete for. An example of this would be a milk package that is said to have ten percent more milk for the same price will result in customer satisfaction, but if it only contains six percent then the customer will feel misled and it will lead to dissatisfaction. Must-be Quality These attributes are taken for granted when fulfilled but result in dissatisfaction when not fulfilled. An example of this would be package of milk that leaks. Customers are dissatisfied when the package leaks, but when it does not leak the result is not increased customer satisfaction. Since customers expect these attributes and view them as basic, it is unlikely that they are going to tell the company about them when asked about quality attributes. Indifferent Quality These attributes refer to aspects that are neither good nor bad, and they do not result in either customer satisfaction or customer dissatisfaction. Reverse Quality These attributes refer to a high degree of achievement resulting in dissatisfaction and to the fact that not all customers are alike. For example, some customers prefer high-tech products, while others prefer the basic model of a product and will be dissatisfied if a product has too many extra features.
[1]

Satisfaction drivers terminology

[2]

Author(s)

Driver type 1

Driver type Driver type 2 3

Driver type 4

Herzberg et al. [3] (1959)

Hygiene

Motivator

Kano (1984)

[4]

Must-be

Attractive

Onedimensional

Indifferent

Cadotte and Turgeon [5] (1988)

Dissatisfier

Satisfier

Critical

Neutral

Brandt (1988)

[6]

Minimum requirement

Value enhancing

Hybrid

Unimportant as determinant

Venkitaraman and [7] Jaworski (1993)

Flat

Valueadded

Key

Low

Brandt and [8] Scharioth (1998)

Basic

Attractive

Onedimensional

Low impact

Llosa [9] [10] (1997, 1999 )

Basic

Plus

Key

Secondary

The Kano model offers some insight into the product attributes which are perceived to be important to customers. The purpose of the tool is to support product specification and discussion through better development of team understanding. Kano's model focuses on differentiating product features, as opposed to focusing initially on customer needs. Kano also produced a methodology for mapping consumer responses to questionnaires onto his model.

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) makes use of the Kano model in terms of the structuring of the Comprehensive QFD matrices. Mixing Kano types in QFD matrices can lead to distortions in the customer weighting of product characteristics. For instance, mixing Must-Be product characteristicssuch as cost, reliability, workmanship, safety, and technologies used in the product in the initial House of Quality will usually result in completely filled rows and columns with high correlation values. Other Comprehensive QFD techniques using additional matrices are used to avoid such issues. Kano's model provides the insights into the dynamics of customer preferences to understand these methodology dynamics.

Threshold or Basic Attributes[edit source | editbeta]

One of the main points of assessment in the Kano model is the threshold attributes. These are basically the features that the product must have in order to meet customer demands. If this attribute is overlooked, the product is simply incomplete. If a new product is not examined using the threshold aspects, it may not be possible to enter the market. This is the first and most important characteristic of the Kano [11] model. The product is being manufactured for some type of consumer base, and therefore this must be a crucial part of product innovation. Threshold attributes are simple components to a product. However, if they are not available, the product will soon leave the market due to dissatisfaction. The attribute is either there or not. An example of a threshold attribute would be a steering wheel in a vehicle. The vehicle [12] is no good if it is not able to be steered. The threshold attributes are most often seen as a price of entry. Many products have threshold attributes that are overlooked. Since this component of the product is a necessary guideline, many consumers do not judge how advanced a particular feature is. Therefore, many times companies will want to improve the other [13] attributes because consumers remain neutral to changes in the threshold section.

Performance Attributes[edit source | editbeta]

A performance attribute is defined as a skill, knowledge, ability, or behavioral characteristic that is associated with job performance. Performance attributes are metrics on which a company bases its business aspirations. They have an explicit purpose. Companies prioritize their investments, decisions, and efforts and explain their strategies using performance attributes. These strategies can sometimes be recognized through the companys slogans. For example Lexus's slogan is The Pursuit of Perfection (Quality) and Walmart; Always low prices. Always (Cost). In retail the focus is generally on assuring availability of products at best cost. Performance attributes are those for which more is better, and a better performance attribute will improve customer satisfaction. Conversely, a weak performance attribute reduces customer satisfaction. When customers discuss their needs, these needs will fall into the performance attributes category. Then these attributes will form the weighted needs against the product concepts that are being evaluated. The price a customer is willing to pay for a product is closely tied to performance attributes. So the higher the performance attribute, the higher the customers will be willing to pay for the product. Performance attributes also often require a trade-off analysis against cost. As customers start to rate attributes as more and more important, the company has to ask itself, how much extra they would be willing to pay for this attribute? And will the increase in the price for the product for this attribute deter customers from purchasing it. Prioritization matrices can be useful in determining which attributes would provide the greatest returns on customer [14] satisfaction.

Excitement Attributes[edit source | editbeta]

Not only does the Kano Model feature performance attributes, but additionally incorporates an excitement attribute as well. Excitement attributes are for the most part unforeseen by the client but may yield paramount satisfaction. Having excitement attributes can only help you, in some scenarios it is ok to not have them included. The beauty behind an excitement attribute is to spur a potential consumers imagination, these attributes are used to help the customer discover [15] needs that theyve never thought about before. The key behind the Kano Model is for the engineer to discover this unknown need and enlighten the consumer, to sort of engage that awe effect. Having concurrent excitement attributes within a product can provide a significant competitive advantage over a rival. In a diverse product assortment, the excitement attributes act as the WOW factors and trigger impulsive wants and needs in the mind of the customer. The more the customer [16] thinks about these amazing new ideas, the more they want it. Out of all the attributes introduced in the Kano Model, the excitement ones are the most powerful and have the potential to lead to the highest gross profit margins. Innovation is undisputedly the catalyst in delivering these attributes to customers; you need to be able to distinguish what is an excitement today, because tomorrow it becomes a [17] known feature and the day after it is used throughout the whole world.

Attributes place on the model change over time[edit source | editbeta]

An attribute will drift over time from Exciting to performance and then to essential. The drift is driven by customer expectations and by the level of performance from competing products. For example mobile phone batteries were originally large and bulky with only a few hours of charge. Over time we have come to expect 12+ hours of battery life on slim lightweight phones. The battery attributes have had to change to keep up with customer expectations.

Hence means "because of a preceding fact". It is like saying "therefore" or "...which brings me to the conclusion that...". In old English, it would mean to leave a place or go away: Go hence and seek your destiny.

Examples of services

accommodation agents, councils and housing associations advice agencies charities and voluntary organisations churches or other places of worship courts (See justice for more information) emergency services

employment agencies estate agents and private landlords financial services providers like investment companies, banks and building societies hospitals and clinics (See health and social care for more information) hotels, B&Bs, guest houses and hostels (See housing and property for more information) law firms libraries and museums mail, telephone or online catalogue retailers parks and other public spaces petrol stations places of worship post offices property developers and management agencies public utilities (such as gas, electricity and water suppliers) pubs and restaurants [link to Entertainment venues below] railway stations, bus stations and airports rented business premises services provided by local councils, government departments and agencies shops and market stalls solicitors and accountants some types of clubs sport and leisure facilities telecommunications and broadcasting services theatres and cinema

Further Information