Getting Satisfaction

With an increasing number of positive reports on economic conditions, to some, one that ties the customer experience directly to the recovery is the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Although the index fell 0.1 percent in the third quarter compared to the second quarter, it is up 1.4 percent from Q3 2008. For Q3 2009, the index recoded a score of 76 out of 100 possible points.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the quarterly index tracks satisfaction by interviewing customers about how they liked certain products. The index looked at food, apparel, beer, cigarettes, pet food, soft drinks, athletic shoes and personal care product companies. The index was founded by a University of Michigan professor of business administration.

In the food category, H.J. Heinz Co. was top dog with a score of 89, two points higher than its closest competitor. In apparel, another long time trusted brand, Levi Strauss saw big gains by rising 6.4 percent to an 83. In beer, the industry score rose 1.2 percent to 84 out of 100, and Anheuser-Busch, in particular, was up 3.7 percent to a score of 85.

The index predicts fourth-quarter spending to increase between 2 percent to 3 percent. It correctly predicted the third quarter increase of 3.35 percent.

Price promotions may be playing a role with these brands, but Heinz, Levi’s and A-B are far from the discount leaders in each respective category. Only time will tell if this is a resurgence of the long-trusted brand. However, the trend is that sales performance is directly linked to customer satisfaction.