ABSTRACT
Well-managed organizations attend to the interests of the enterprise, employees, and customers. The Toyota Way’s emphasis on kaizen and frugality, enhancing productivity and profitability, is enterprise-directed. Toyota insists on respect for all employees, customers, and suppliers; a high commitment to teams; and the sharing of information. Conceptualizing and measuring customer satisfaction isn’t easy. For example, customer loyalty alone is not a good measure of satisfaction. One study showed that between 60 and 85% of customers who switched firms would have been classified as satisfied. According to F. Reichheld and R. Markey, “traditional satisfaction surveys just are not up to the job. They ask too many questions and seem to inspire analyses instead of actions.” Strength of customer satisfaction often relates to loyalty, and it can play a central role in customer retention. More than 70% of companies collect and use live customer data in service environments.
