Understanding in depth the customers' viewpoint makes it possible to develop a plan of action that includes customer priorities, reflects perceptions of key competitors' strengths and weaknesses, and utilizes the company's current capabilities. Such an action plan is also the shortest and surest path to realizing lasting improvement in financial performance.

Sophisticated customers make purchase decisions based on a set of product and service attributes that, as a whole, best meet their needs. This bundle of product and service attributes defines value for customers. By delivering a superior value package, a company earns preferred supplier status with current customers and continuously attracts new ones.

However, the biggest advantage to surveying customers is the knowledge an organization gains regarding what needs improvement. If you know how your products and services are affecting your customers today, you can take steps to provide even greater satisfaction in the future.

Some of the principle uses of the customer satisfaction information provided by customers are to:

• Identify the changes the organization wants to make to provide greater value to its customers
• Determine the time and resources involved in making these value-enhancing changes
• Determine customers' perceptions of the organization's current performance as compared to its key competitors
• Provide direction, feedback, acceptable standards of performance, and motivation to employees

The most crucial reason for seeking customer satisfaction is that it is the primary source of profits!