We’ve likely all been there. Whether it’s after a customer service phone call, a visit to an automotive dealership or even a resort, a sales person or customer facing agent has subtly or directly encouraged you to respond to a pending customer satisfaction survey with the highest rating possible. And chances are, if we are kind and rational people we will either acquiesce to or ignore this request, unless we’ve truly had an infuriating experience. The service organization can then “check the box” that they are measuring customer satisfaction and blindly and often incorrectly conclude that everything is just fine and dandy…or that the handful of blistering reviews are indicative of a pervasive organizational problem. It’s not all that different than relying upon online message boards or customer reviews, where the rantings or gushings of the vocal minority is often surrogate for good insights Of course, as researchers, we realize that such a conclusion is often totally wrong and a disservice to both customer and the organization deploying this process.
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